Today's game vs. Georgia tips at 3:30 CT and will be broadcast on ESPNU and 1500-a.m.

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So far, life away from Minneapolis has been no kinder to the Gophers than it was a year ago. They'll have another chance to start bucking that trend today, when Minnesota gets Georgia (ranked 65th on kenpom.com) in the NIT Season Tipoff consolation game.

It's been a rough week for the Gophers, and a win would be very meaningful with another road game looming at Wake Forest next week.

Five keys to salvaging the trip to New York with a victory.


1. Get it together. The Gophers didn't do any of the little things well vs. St. John's. Fouls piled up, along with the turnovers. Possessions were rushed. The defense got lazy in the second half. Minnesota will need to shore up the basics if they want to avoid another letdown.

2. Win the boards. Outside of Marcus Thornton, Georgia's frontcourt is not a strength right now, and the Bulldogs managed just 29 rebounds against Gonzaga. That cues a big opportunity for the Gophers -- who have struggled to rebound all season -- to attack the boards on both ends and pile up the second-chance points.

3. More Mason. Against St. John's, Nate Mason was on the bench down the stretch in favor of veterans DeAndre Mathieu and Andre Hollins -- neither of whom had very good games -- despite the fact that dynamic freshman was largely responsible for the Gophers' earlier spark that pushed them up on St. John's by double digits. Mason has been surprisingly steady throughout the young season. "I've got to find a way to get Nate on the court when he's playing that well," coach Richard Pitino said.

4. Good Little Dre. The stats showing DeAndre Mathieu's value to Minnesota can be configured in all kinds of ways, which we had a lot of fun with last year. He's one: when Mathieu has three or fewer fouls this year, the Gophers have won. When he has more, the Gophers have lost. Minnesota needs its point guard on the floor.

5. Stop settling. Trying to shoot themselves out of a hole, the Gophers attempted 19 shots from three-point range on Wednesday night, but made just six. But shooting from the perimeter really isn't Minnesota's game. With Georgia lacking any player bigger than 6-foot-8, sticking with the game plan and taking the ball inside should be no problem.