Mount St. Mary's vs. Gophers men's basketball
THREE THINGS TO WATCH:
Frontcourt rotation with Curry – Sunday will be the first time we see redshirt sophomore big man Eric Curry in the rotation since the NCAA tournament loss against Middle Tennessee in 2017. He nearly made his season debut before Christmas. Curry showed even more progress feeling comfortable on his knee this week in practice. He also moved well in warmups before Sunday's game against Mount St. Mary's. Richard Pitino saw what his frontcourt rotation would look like at full strength Oct. 20 in a closed scrimmage win at Creighton. Curry was his starting center, while freshman Daniel Oturu and senior Matz Stockman gave the Gophers size and length behind Curry. Senior Jordan Murphy also had Oturu and Jarvis Omersa giving him help off the bench at power forward. The potential was there for one of the most athletic frontcourts in the Big Ten. But Curry was sidelined for the first 12 games of the season after surgery on his previously repaired left knee. There will be less pressure on the 6-foot-9 Memphis native with Oturu already making an impact as a starter. Curry's ability to play both frontcourt spots and defend is what can give Minnesota an immediate boost, Pitino said. Murphy had a season-high 30 points and 16 rebounds and Oturu added 20 points and 11 rebounds to fuel the U's comeback in a Dec. 21 win vs. North Carolina A&T. But if the Gophers can build a big lead early, Curry and others off the bench will have a chance to play a bit more Sunday. That could be beneficial when Big Ten play resumes Thursday at Wisconsin.
Defensive identity – The Gophers leaned on their defense to reach the NCAA tournament in 2017, but they haven't established themselves on that side of the ball yet this season. Among Big Ten teams, Minnesota ranks 12th in scoring defense (69.7), 11th in field goal percentage defense (42.9) and 13th in three-point field goal percentage defense (35.5). A rim protector is there with Oturu, who ranks third in the league with 2.0 blocks per game. The biggest issues are a lack of pressure on the ball and turning defense into offense with turnovers and steals. Pitino's team is last in the Big Ten and 305th out of 351 Division I teams in steals per game (5.0), which would be the lowest in a season since 2006-07 (4.8). Minnesota is a poor outside shooting team. So getting more deflections should lead to easier scoring opportunities in transition, which is the best way for the Gophers to score in a grind-out league like the Big Ten.
Jelly's dimes – No player in Gophers history recorded double digits in assists in back-to-back games until sophomore Isaiah Washington had games of 13 and 10 assists against North Florida and North Carolina A&T, respectively. Washington has three double-digit assist games this season, including 11 assists in the season opener vs. Omaha. Expecting the New York native to drop that many dimes every time out obviously isn't realistic. But Washington has more than just a 'Jelly' finger roll in his game. He has the potential to give Minnesota one of the top playmakers off the bench in the Big Ten. Once his jump shots fall on a more consistent basis, he will be even tougher to keep from making plays for himself and others. Washington averages 9.0 assists per 40 minutes, but even more impressive is his assist rate (41.7), ranking second in the Big Ten (behind only Michigan State's Cassius Winston) and seventh nationally.
GAME INFO
Time: 3 p.m. CT, Sunday. Where: Williams Arena. Line: Gophers 24.5-point favorite. Series: Gophers lead series 2-0, including 80-56 in the last meeting on Nov. 16, 2016 at the Barn. TV: ESPNU. Online/Live video: WatchESPN Radio: 103.5 FM.
PROJECTED STARTERS
