Gophers beat Minn. Duluth in final tune-up before showdown with Louisville

Is the Gophers men's basketball team ready to battle with a national top-10 team? We won't find out until next week, when Minnesota meets No. 8 Louisville in a father-and-son coaching battle staged in Puerto Rico. In the meantime, the Gophers handily dispensed with their last order of business in convincing fashion.

Down two key players in the rotation — center Mo Walker (hamstring) and guard Nate Mason (knee) were out because of injuries — the Gophers passed their final test Thursday night, walloping Division II Minnesota Duluth 95-68 in their only exhibition at Williams Arena.

A few notes on the night:

• Something new: Coach Richard Pitino decided to shake up the expected starting lineup and insert a pair of freshmen in the frontcourt — Josh Martin at power forward and Bakary Konate at center — over the favored Joey King (a junior) and Elliott Eliason (a senior). Later, the coach said he wanted to experiment. Martin played 24 minutes and Konate 13 before each fouled out. "I was very excited," Konate said. "I was surprised that Coach gave me so much confidence."

• Something hot: Only a few months away from his freshman season, guard Daquein McNeil put the vast summer improvement Pitino has been raving about on display for the Barn's announced 11,440 attendees. The sophomore made an impact as soon as he entered the game, at which point the sluggish-starting Gophers were trailing 7-6. McNeil muscled down an offensive rebound for a layup and showed the same aggressiveness off the bench all night, scoring on the move, hitting three-pointers and finishing with 15 points.

• Something old: Last year, the Gophers' defense was ranked last in the Big Ten in efficiency. On Thursday it showed potential for improvement — with Minnesota putting together stretches of effective, active defense laden with stifling traps — but still had some moments of inconsistency that could prove damaging against tougher opponents.

"It definitely was a good test to see where we're at," senior guard DeAndre Mathieu said. "It showed us that we've got to defend, we did a pretty good job defending today. Of course, Louisville is going to be more of an attack, get-to-the-rim type of game."

• Something interesting: The battle for playing time is on at small forward. McNeil looks vastly improved from a year ago. But JUCO transfer Carlos Morris, largely considered the favorite to start at that spot, looked more than ready to seize the position. The long, lean athlete — who finished with a game-high 23 points — repeatedly scored off screens and from all over the court. "I was very encouraged by Carlos Morris," Pitino said. "I was very encouraged by 'Day Day'. Those two guys I was excited about."

• Something hobbling: Although neither Walker nor Nate Mason warmed up or participated in the team's shootaround, both are expected to play Nov. 14 vs. Louisville in Puerto Rico. Walker, who injured his hamstring in an open intrasquad scrimmage Oct. 26, has been out for almost two weeks but "could have played" if he was badly needed, Pitino said. Mason, who was playing with the assistance of a brace Wednesday, "is not quite there yet," according to the coach. Meanwhile, forward Charles Buggs tweaked the knee he had spring surgery on in practice.