GOPHERS MEN'S HOOPS vs. NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten tournament)
Three things to watch:
'LET IT FLY' – Gabe Kalscheur felt no pressure last Sunday. For almost the entire Big Ten season, Kalscheur had been asked about how he handled seeing his three-point shooting numbers drop from last season. He never let that affect how hard he worked to help his team defensively in games – guarding the opponent's perimeter player. The sophomore from Edina kept shooting, but he never quite could have the breakout game everyone expected. Then it happened with a career-Big Ten high 26 points and a school-record tying eight three-pointers in the 107-75 win against Nebraska on Senior Day. Kalscheur said he just thought about winning the game for the seniors and "let it fly" from long range. The rest is history. The Gophers drilled a school-record 18 three-pointers, breaking the previous mark of 16 set against Michigan State in 2001. Seven different players hit shots from beyond the arc, including starting guard Marcus Carr (4-for-5), Payton Willis (2-for-6) and reserve forward Isaiah Ihnen (1-for-3). Kalscheur surprisingly still shot just 29.9 percent (41-for-137) from three in 20 conference games. Carr led the team shooting 38.2 percent (34-for-89), followed by center Daniel Oturu and Ihnen both at 37.1 percent (13-for-35). As a team, Minnesota finished ninth in the Big Ten this season at 31.6 percent from long distance, but you obviously saw what Richard Pitino's team could do at its best (18-for-35 against Nebraska). Can the Gophers continue to be a threat from three-point range in the Big Ten tournament? The last time they played the Wildcats, Kalscheur and company shot 14-for-30 from three in an 83-57 win in Evanston, including Kalscheur (4-for-9), Willis (4-for-8), Carr (3-for-5) and Oturu (3-for-5) all making at least three shots from the arc.
CARR'S CONSISTENCY – One of Carr's goals this season was to earn All-Big Ten honors, so he was grateful to receive the news Monday he was named all-conference third team by the media. It was bittersweet, though, because he expected the Gophers to win a lot more games in the process. Part of the inconsistency of the team this year came from the up-and-down play of their sophomore point guard. Certainly, the losses didn't fall solely on his shoulders. But the Gophers are clearly hard to beat when he's playing at his best. Minnesota is 3-10 this season when Carr scores 12 points or fewer. Interesting stat for a floor general. But part of the brilliance of the Toronto native is that he's a game-changer scoring and facilitating. Case in point was his 18 points and 11 assists and just one turnover in Sunday's win against Nebraska. The team tied a school record with 32 assists, but it started with Carr attacking. He drew defenders and opened shots up for his teammates. His taking advantage of the matchup with Northwestern freshman Boo Buie might be the most important factor in a win Wednesday night.
ALL-BIG TEN MOTIVATION – Remember when the Gophers wore "No respect" shirts during warmups to open the Big Ten tournament in 2010? That had to do with former Gophers forward Damian Johnson being left off the Big Ten All-Defensive team despite leading the league in steals and finishing in the top three in blocks. Johnson was arguably the league's best defender, so his teammates took offense to the snub. Sound familiar? Oturu definitely felt that way Monday when he was absent on the all-league first team. Sure, there were probably 8-10 players with resumes deserving to be selected. Only one (Big Ten player of the year Luka Garza) had better numbers than Oturu in some areas. The 6-foot-10 sophomore became the first Big Ten player since Ohio State's Greg Oden in 2007 to lead the Big Ten in rebounding (11.6), field goal percentage (56.2) and blocks (2.6). Not to mention, his 20 points per game ranked only behind Garza in the conference. Winning should mean something. Not everything, though, when you put up those type of stats in arguably the best conference in college hoops. Plus, Minnesota's 8-12 record wasn't putrid, either. Oturu was named to the Sporting News All-America third team Wednesday, but he might still use the all-league snub as motivation to dominate the paint even more in Indianapolis.
GAME INFO
Time: 5 p.m. CT, Wednesday. Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Line: Minnesota 8-point favorite. Series: The Gophers hold the edge 98-68, including an 83-57 win in the last meeting on Feb. 23, 2020 at Welsh Ryan Arena. TV: Big Ten Network. Online/Live video: BTNPlus. Radio: 100.3.
PROJECTED STARTERS
