gophers gameday
5:30 P.M. VS. Wisconsin • BANKERS LIFE FIELDHOUSE (INDIANAPOLIS) • BTN, 1500-AM
Gophers at a glance: Fresh off a victory against 10th-seeded Penn State, Minnesota heads into round two and a rematch against border-rival Wisconsin after splitting with the Badgers in the regular season. In the teams' first game, at Williams Arena, Mo Walker finished with a career-high 18 points as the Gophers shot 58.9 percent from the field and won 81-68. The second time around, the backup center got into early foul trouble and managed only five points in a 78-70 loss. On Thursday, the Gophers held multiple double-digit leads, but allowed Penn State to creep back within three at 59-56 with 45 seconds left. Andre Hollins nailed a three-point shot to seal the victory.
Wisconsin at a glance: The Badgers finished second in the league after a strange season ended mostly on a positive note. Wisconsin started the year 16-0, then lost five of six before finishing on an 8-1 run (losing the regular-season finale at Nebraska). In its last game, Wisconsin had four scorers finish in double digits, but still fell 77-68 to the surging Huskers. This year marks the Badgers' most productive offense in 19 years. Wisconsin is also first in the country in fewest turnovers (8.2 per game). Center Frank Kaminsky — who was named to the All-Big Ten first team Monday — is averaging 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his past seven games.
AMELIA RAYNO
