Playing away from Williams Arena hasn't worked well for Minnesota recently.

Last year, the Gophers managed just three wins in 12 Division I away from home in the regular -- going 2 and 7 in the Big Ten with victories over the low-hanging fruit, Northwestern and Penn State, after winning one game -- at Richmond -- in the conference slate.

Now, with a stretch of three games far from the friendly confines of the Barn, are the Gophers any more poised to find such success?

"I hope so,' coach Richard Pitino said at today's media availability. "Winning on the road is tough ... it's going to have to take great mental toughness to win on the road."

The Gophers have already had a glimpse at the road life, and on its face it was more of the same. Minnesota was trumped by Louisville by 13 in Puerto Rico.

But it gave Pitino an opportunity to see which of the newcomers were ready for the spotlight -- Nate Mason, without a doubt, and Carlos Morris, at times -- and which weren't -- Josh Martin and Bakary Konate have a ways to go. The matchup also served to remind the veterans what it's like to play in an unfriendly environment and what it's like to lose.

Last year on the road, Minnesota lost three games that were within three points or fewer at the end of regulation.

"There are going to be guys in our locker room who lost to Michigan State in overtime," Pitino said. "There are going to be guys in our locker room who lost at Michigan, so maybe they learned from it, I don't know. That's important."

Pitino hinted earlier in the year that the leadership and culture aspects were somewhat lacking in the team, especially with the graduation of consummate pro Austin Hollins. But freshman Mason doesn't seem like he's gotten overwhelmed at all, and JUCO transfer Morris certainly isn't lacking in the confidence department. Meanwhile, Andre Hollins and DeAndre Mathieu seemed to have embraced their roles as the teams leaders in a new way.

"That just comes with experience," Pitino said of the team as a whole. "That just comes with playing those games, and Madison Square Garden is another venue where the lights are shining bright, so we'll see how they respond."