Gophers men's basketball at Ohio State
THREE THINGS TO WATCH:
NO BATES-DIOP, NO PROBLEM? – When Jordan Murphy steps on the court he's typically the best big man out there, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll have the biggest impact on the game. That was the case when Murphy had 24 points and 16 rebounds in Friday's 83-76 win against Oklahoma State at U.S. Bank Stadium. Murphy needs just one rebound to become the 14th player in Big Ten history to reach 1,000 boards in his career, which would continue to distance himself in the school record books. He'll probably get that on the first defensive possession since he leads the country in not just rebounds per game (12.7), but also defensive rebounding percentage (36.9). When Ohio State and Minnesota met once last season Murphy had a chance to prove he was a Big Ten player of the year candidate, but he was outplayed by Keita Bates-Diop, who eventually won the award and got drafted by the Timberwolves. The Buckeyes are pretty thin depth-wise inside, but 6-foot-9, 270-pound Kaleb Wesson is a load in the paint. Wesson is Ohio State's answer for Murphy, leading the team in scoring (14.4) and rebounding (6.5) this season. So Minnesota's 6-10, 230-pound freshman Daniel Oturu defending Wesson could be the key matchup Sunday. Oturu has struggled against bigger and more physical centers this season, so 7-foot senior Matz Stockman might be needed early if the young big man gets in foul trouble.
MORE COFFEY, PLEASE – The Gophers need lots and lots of Coffey on Sunday night. In last season's 18-point loss to Ohio State in New York, Amir Coffey returned after a five-game absence with a shoulder injury, but he was not fully healthy. Coffey, who had just 11 points in 35 minutes against the Buckeyes in January, only played one more game before he was sidelined for the season following surgery. The 6-8 junior from Hopkins is back healthy and playing a new position at point guard. Coffey is the Gophers' best facilitator but he's not leading the team in assists (Murphy's averaging 3.5 to Coffey's 2.9).How will Coffey be better at dishing it out? Maybe when he's even more aggressive offensively taking the ball to the basket, and also shooting over the defense from beyond the arc. If opponents don't respect his scoring, then Coffey needs to remind them why he is arguably the U's top NBA prospect. Taking pressure away from Coffey to handle point guard duties in the last game was sophomore Isaiah Washington, who broke out of a slump to start the year with 15 points and four assists off the bench.
FREE THROWS – How did the Gophers pull out Friday's win despite nearly giving up an 18-point lead in the second against Oklahoma State? They took care of business from the foul line. Minnesota hit 23-for-30 on free throws in the U.S. Bank Stadium Classic victory, which includes going 6 of 8 in the final 1:14. Murphy shot a season-best 11-for-14 on the night. The Cowboys on the other hand struggled with 12-for-24 foul shooting, including 9-for-17 in the second half. That basically was the difference in the game. Ohio State ranks third in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (73.7), while Minnesota is 11th at 67 percent.
GAME INFO
Time: 6 p.m. CT, Sunday. Where: Value City Arena. Line: minus-8.5. Series: Ohio State leads the all-time series 86-57, including 12 of the last 14 meetings. Last game was won 67-49 by the Buckeyes on Jan. 20, 2018 at Madison Square Garden. TV: BTN. Online/Live video: BTNPlus Radio: 100.3 FM.
PROJECTED STARTERS
