7 p.m. vs. Drake • BTN, 1130-AM, 103.5-FM

Former U assistant coaches Drake

Preview: The Gophers (8-3) have lost three of their past four games, including back-to-back games in the regular season for the first time since a five-game losing streak early in Big Ten play last season. They responded then by winning eight in a row. Minnesota has a chance to bounce back from Saturday's 95-79 loss at Arkansas during a six-game homestand starting Monday against Drake. Drake (5-4) is coached by former Gophers assistant and U alum Niko Medved. Medved was on Clem Haskins' staff as a student manager in the 1990s, when his current Bulldogs assistant Dave Thorson was a Gophers assistant. Thorson returned to the college ranks this season after more than 20 years as the head coach at DeLaSalle High School.

Players to watch: Gophers C Reggie Lynch, in foul trouble the past two games, might be motivated to have a big game for two seasons. He dropped to No. 2 in the country in blocks (4.2) after struggling with just five points and one block in 14 minutes at Arkansas. And he will play against former Edina High School teammate Graham Woodward, a senior guard for the Bulldogs averaging 11.4 points per game. Lynch and Woodward led Edina to the Minnesota Class 4A state tournament as seniors in 2013.

Numbers: The Gophers rank 13th in the Big Ten in both scoring defense (74.0 points per game) and three-point shooting defense (38.3 percent).

MARCUS FULLER