U men gameday: Gophers vs. Illinois

Last update: February 12, 2008 - 12:19 AM

Preview: The Illini (10-14, 2-9 Big Ten) perhaps are the league's most unpredictable team. And that's not a good thing for them or the Gophers (15-7, 5-5). When they are at their best, they can take good teams down to the wire, which they did in a double-overtime loss to Indiana on Thursday. But at their worst, they lose to such teams as Tennessee State, and Illinois appears to need the conference's automatic bid to make its ninth consecutive NCAA tournament. Minnesota will have to have some success in the paint against the Illini's solid inside defensive presence. And the Gophers will also have to shake the psychological grip Illinois has over them, having lost 17 in a row to the Illini.

Key players: Shaun Pruitt is the Illini's go-to player. He is averaging 12.7 points per game, but he's deplorable from the free-throw line (53.7 percent, including misses at the end of regulation and the first OT vs. Indiana). Spencer Tollackson needs to have one of his most physical games of the year in order to neutralize Pruitt. Tollackson has shot free throws well lately and would do well to go to the glass early and earn trips to the line. But overall, he's not much better than Pruitt (53.8 percent).

Numbers: As a team, Illinois is shooting 59.5 percent from the foul line this season, the worst mark in the Big Ten. Minnesota is second in the Big Ten in assists per game at 17.1.

MYRON P. MEDCALF

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