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As we all know, Sunday was the one-year ACL surgery anniversary for two Minnesota sports icons: Adrian Peterson and Trevor Mbakwe.

For his part, Peterson was nothing short of dazzling, running for 199 yards – and falling just nine yards short of the all-time rushing record for a single season -- in the Vikings’ victory over the Packers that earned them a spot in the playoffs.

Heading into today’s matchup with No. 19 Michigan State, Mbakwe hasn’t had nearly the jaw-gaping season that Peterson has, but the situations have been quite different. As Mbakwe has pointed out, his team simply hasn’t needed him as much as the Vikings have needed Peterson. That’s not to say that Mbakwe isn’t important – of course he is. Even so, while Peterson was the Vikings’ lifeblood, Mbakwe has so far been just another contributor on a highly improved and balanced team.

The forward’s role, however, continues to grow. Without the necessity of another scorer in the lineup (because the Gophers were cruising along pretty good, status quo), coach Tubby Smith had the luxury of easing Mbakwe back slowly.

“It went by fast -- I forgot it was a year,” Mbakwe said. “A lot has changed. It made me appreciate my situation that much more. Basketball can be taken away from you at any day. I’m glad to be here, with my six year, playing with these guys against a top 20 opponent. It’s pretty exciting.”

Now, with the Big Ten season kicking off, it looks like Smith will start Mbakwe again (for the second time this year), despite a lackluster performance from the starters as a group in Minnesota’s last game against Lafayette.

With imposing big men Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix in Michigan State’s starting five, Mbakwe will have a good test of where he is.

“The level of intensity is going to pick up, and we’re excited for the challenge,” Mbakwe said.

Other notes on today’s matchup:

• Mbakwe has gone through several practices without his chunky knee brace that he’s been wearing all season, he said. The forward is hopeful that he will be able to play without it either today or Sunday vs. Northwestern (a game, by the way, that has been set for 6 p.m. It had been a TBA time starting time until being announced on Monday It will be shown on the Big Ten Network).

• Austin Hollins is still dealing with a mild groin strain, which he sustained on Dec. 8 against USC and Mo Walker, who was hit on the shoulder in a practice has received some treatment for his injury. Both are expected to play.

• In the Gophers last game, vs. Lafayette, Smith played his regular starters, with Mbakwe replacing Elliott Eliason, who had started every game until that point. Smith could opt to go with the same lineup again, or potentially decide to go bigger, with Eliason at center, Mbakwe at power forward and Williams scooted over to the 3-spot. My guess is he’ll stick with his previous lineup, however, given that Branden Dawson – Michigan State’s version of Williams (a wing playing at the 4-spot) – has been playing at power forward.

• Eliason didn’t play at all against Lafayette, but that move is probably not lasting. I expect to see the center today, either starting or off the bench.

• Freshman Wally Ellenson played 15 minutes against Lafayette and did some good things, finishing with five points and four rebounds. Still, Smith is hesitant to guarantee his spot in the rotation. “He’s way behind. He hasn’t played, hasn’t practiced. You miss 11 games, and all the sudden it’s the Big Ten. He has a long way to go,” he said. “Wally has done as well as anybody in his situation, with the broken hand. He’s competitive, he’s a hard worker and he’s willing to stay after. He’ll see time. I don’t know how much.

• For all the talk of Michigan State not being as strong as a year ago, the Spartans are doing a lot of things well. MSU is leading the league in scoring defense (allowing an average of 56.1 points a game) and field goal perentage defense (they are holding opponents to 35.3 percent of their shots). They are shooting third best in the Big Ten both from the field (47.8) and from the line (72.5).

Extra points: 

*Watch today's game on ESPN2

*Listen to today's game live on 1500-a.m.

*In today's Star Tribune: Rodney Williams' confidence has made his season successful.

*From Sunday's paper: The Big Ten schedule will tell the story of the Gophers season.

*From the blog yesterday: Are the Gophers ready for the Big Ten? 

It became pretty evident weeks ago that the Gophers were well-equipped to play with the slate of mid-major non-conference talent that was being thrown at them.

After the Gophers dissembled USC earlier this month, the final two competitions -- vs. North Dakota State and Lafayette -- just felt like formalities leading up to the real season's start. There was little doubt the Gophers would soundly beat these opponents, and even slow starts or moments of sloppiness felt fleeting. The consensus was that these Gophers were unquestionably good enough to beat those teams (which is notable because it didn't always feel that way last year).

But now, the Gophers are at a new point of the season, the point where we figure out if Minnesota can translate their early success to the Big Ten court, whether they can maintain their now lofty expectations and remain one of the top-ranked teams in the nation.

The Gophers have looked good so far, but are they ready for the Big Ten?

You'll hear arguments for both sides, and I have alternately fell in both camps.

Argument No. 1: Bring it on. This Gophers squad is so different from last year's version. Let me count the ways:

a) A renewed focus on defense. Already the Gophers' defensive play is light years ahead of where it was a season ago, and has been pretty efficient all year long, regardless of the opponent. (The only time Minnesota has really struggled defensively was against Duke, which shot 54.5 percent against the Gophers, but had a rare shooting day for any team). The Gophers are 22nd nationally in field goal percentage defense, 15th in steals and ninth in blocked shots. Now keep in mind that many other major programs (including the Big Ten) was playing the same caliber of opponents. So ... not bad.

b) A truly balanced scoring attack. Last year there was talk about the Gophers having the kind of team that could feature a different leading scorer every night. That was mostly because the Gophers simply weren't that good last year, and they didn't have ANY one player capable of breaking out on a consistent basis. The same theory about a different leading scorer night to night is true of this year's squad, but otherwise the scoring profile is quite different. This year there are FIVE players that can be expected to step up every night. Who leads is not so much an anecdote -- as it was last year -- but a technicality, because often it's only by a point or two. The Gophers have had four games with four players finishing with double digits and 10 games when Minnesota had at least three. Rodney Williams, Andre Hollins, Austin Hollins and Joe Coleman are all averaging double digits on the year. And with that kind of balance, it shows in everything. The opponents' defense is forced to spread thin to cover the range of threats. And the Gophers are playing looser because they don't care who scores. It's a beautiful thing.

c) Poise and a killer instinct. It's a tangible thing this year. The Gophers don't have the mental lapses and extended periods of sloppiness like they did in the past, and even when the team gets behind on the scoreboard, there isn't a feeling of panic now, just resolve to figure things out and regain the advantage. And for the most part, they've done just that, whether it be an offense that is slow to take off or a defensive zone to crack. That calm can make all the difference.

Argument No. 2: Beware. The Gophers haven't proven anything yet and the Big Ten is simply a different story.

a) Misleading non-conference success. The Gophers best wins are as follows: Memphis (No. 19 at the time of the victory); Florida State; USC. FSU was supposed to still have some spark and defensive prowess from last year's ACC champion squad, but the Seminoles have since lost to Mercer and Florida. USC was supposed to be much improved from a year ago with a cache of eligible transfers and Jio Fontan returning, but the Trojans have spiraled, losing eight games already. Even South Dakota State came to the Barn without its shining star, Nate Wolters, in the lineup. That leaves a steady diet of wins over mid-major and clearly inferior opponents. Granted, the Gophers took care of business. But beyond that, what did they prove? Not much.

b) The offense still looks stagnant and unflexible sometimes. When the Gophers can't get out in transition, the team still struggles at times in the half court. Yes, they've gotten much better in that regard, and that's helped by the team's balance and the fact that there's no pressure to continually feed the ball to one individual. As it is, the Gophers made it work, even when everything isn't clicking perfectly. But in the Big Ten, the defenses get tougher, the frontcourts get bigger and other teams are very capable of dictating their own pace. The Gophers only score a handful of points in transition each game. Their shooting and ball handling will need to improve simultaneously with their ability to get more creative in the halfcourt.

c) Do the Gophers have enough inside strength and size? Will Trevor Mbakwe be starting on Monday and going forward? We still don't know. Will Mo Walker exhibit the kind of energy necessary to play with this team? What is Elliott Eliason's role now and can he hang with conference bigs in the paint? Will the Gophers continue to play a small lineup with Rodney Williams at the 4 as they have done all season? If they do, will that be an adequate counter to the league's brawn? The Gophers lead the nation in offensive rebounding percentage, but have struggled getting defensive boards -- can they improve in that regard? These are a whole bunch of questions that remain unanswered about the team's frontcourt, and must be figured out soon if the team is to keep the success going.

Given the two arguments, you can decide for yourself what you think the Gophers' Big Ten fate is -- or, you can just wait a couple days and get a better hint. Each side goes through my head, depending on what I see on any given night, and the reality is, at this point, we just don't know what the immediate future brings -- there are too many variables. Right now, I think the Gophers have proven more than they haven't; that is, the known strengths outweigh the weaknesses and unknowns. No. 11 nationwide is high, and there are expectations and pressure that comes with that. Can the Gophers live up to it? We'll find out soon.

 It's still one of my favorite quotes of the year: Trevor Mbakwe was talking about Mo Walker after the Gophers first exhibition game of the season and what the center's return meant to the team. Mbakwe's answer was blunt and I'm reminded of it a lot when Walker is under the basket.

"You guys saw out there, he’s a big body and people tend to run into him," Mbakwe said on Nov. 1, chuckling. "It’s not very successful [for opponents]."

Two years ago today, the Gophers were playing their first game without Mo Walker after the big man tore the cruciate and meniscus ligament in his right knee in a game vs. South  Dakota State -- and the game after was a loss to start the Big Ten season, against Wisconsin. 

Two years later, It's been a longer road back for Walker, longer than anyone expected, and there's still a long way yet to go for the bulky center.

But for the first time in his collegiate career, Walker is a factor heading into conference play. 

Walker rejoined the team this season as the subject of a lot of hype surrounding a significantly deeper frontcourt, but while the Ontario native has reminded fans of the promise they saw early in the 2010-11 season -- his soft hands, scoring touch and, of course,  his sheer size and his ability to almost humorously stop opponents in their tracks -- it hasn't been a seamless return either. Walker has struggled with consistency, has often looked sluggish and slow compared with the Gophers' up-tempo style, and still needs to drop weight.

Last Saturday, though, Walker exhibited another game of hints of what the Gophers can hope to get from him come league play. He rebounded, he got to the line, he scored eight points in total and showed the aggressiveness in the paint that the Gophers will need going forward.

It's been a few years since the Gophers fielded a team that was fully healthy heading into the biggest part of the schedule, but this version looks to buck that trend and give it a shot. And now, Walker will be part of that.

Last week against Lafeyette, with Trevor Mbakwe newly installed in the starting lineup, the Gophers’ bench still out-scored the starters.

Sure, Mbakwe only played 17 minutes (sitting out most of the second after getting hit above his right eye and getting stitches), but while coach Tubby Smith expressed frustration afterward at his starters not being as efficient as he’d like, the reality is, the Gophers’ depth has only become a greater part of their production as the year has worn on.

In the last five games, Minnesota’s reserves have averaged a total of 32.4 points a game, up from 21 points a game in the previous six.

Smith has been criticized some for his penchant for playing an extremely deep team, often 10 or 11 deep – the critique being that the starters are underused and unable to get comfortable while the rest of the team isn’t as deep talent-wise as the minutes would indicate.

But this year more than ever, his strategy seems to be paying off, with the bench full of role players who have gotten significant experience in the last couple years and are now very capable of contributing. The most impressive thing about this team is that it feels like every member of the team knows his role and works within that frame. The starters are unselfish and unpressured because they don’t care who scores, and the bench has worked with that same chemistry. The Gophers’ starting squad has plenty of talent, and the majority of the team has shown vast improvement. But Minnesota still doesn’t necessarily have many superstars; the success is mostly in the balance. So in that way, Smith playing so many players last year has been a big boost to this year’s squad.

Going forward, that should continue to be a strength for the Gophers, as long as it continues to work.

“In the Big Ten, it’s a lot more physical, it’s a lot more intense, so the adrenaline is pumping and the other team is a pretty talented team that’s pressuring you as well, not just in the full court, but in the half court,” Smith said. “So that’s our strength is our depth. We have to play to our strength.”

Happy Holidays all! I hope everyone got the opportunity to spend some time with those they love yesterday and over the last week. I certainly did! With the long break, many Gophers' players were probably able to do that themselves and perhaps opened stockings and pulled away colored paper yesterday.

But come New Years' Eve, there will be a new wishlist to fill – and Minnesota will see whether the presents keep coming.

On the Gophers’ wishlist:

*Shooting: What the Gophers need is really more of it – their percentages aren’t atrocious, but Minnesota simply isn’t hitting enough 3-pointers. Right now, the Gophers are 9th in the league in the average number of shots made from behind the arc per game (five). It’s not all of their game – it’s not even a big part of their game – but you can’t win in the Big Ten without being able to attack in many different ways, and that’s just how it is.

*Defensive rebounding: It’s kind of incredibly, actually, that the Gophers can be so good at offensive rebounding and yet struggle so much on the defensive end, especially since otherwise Minnesota’s defense has been pretty solid. Right now, the Gophers lead the country in offensive rebounding percentage and yet they are dead last in their own league (247 nation-wide) in defensive rebounding.

*Continue the turnover trend: Give the Gophers credit that in the last six games, the turnover rate has gone significantly down from where it was for the last seven when they averaged 17.5 a game. With the last six games averaging 12.2, certainly there is improvement to be seen, but Minnesota is still not where they need to be.

*Win against Michigan State: Getting the Spartans at home for the first Big Ten game of the season might not be a bad thing. Michigan State is not nearly as talented or tough as it has been in the recent past, but the name and expectation still exists. If the Gophers beat the Spartans on New Years’ Eve, the confidence boost that comes along with it could be incredibly beneficial going forward, and it could also pave the way for a 2-0 start, extremely important with the killer road trip of Illinois and Indiana next up.