U men's gameday
6 P.M. AT MICHIGAN STATE • BTN, 1500-AM
Minnesota (16-12, 5-10 Big Ten): The Gophers have dropped three in a row after a 63-53 loss at Wisconsin on Saturday in which Minnesota hung within striking distance but never truly threatened. Senior guard Andre Hollins finished with only two points on 1-for-8 shooting. He's shot 26.3 percent from the field in the past two games after an eight-game tear that had him averaging over 21 points per game. The Gophers held Wisconsin to 6-for-17 shooting from three-point range after allowing 33 makes from beyond the arc in the previous two games. Freshman Nate Mason entered the starting lineup for senior point guard DeAndre Mathieu and is expected to maintain that role in East Lansing. … The Gophers have not won at Michigan State since the 1996-97 season.
Michigan State (19-8, 10-4): The Spartans defeated Illinois 60-53 on Sunday to extend their winning streak to four games. The Spartans closed out the victory with free throws (hitting 17 of 20 overall), something they haven't done well overall this season. Michigan State is one of only two league teams with a lower shooting percentage from the line than the Gophers, ranking last at 63.4 percent. Michigan State, which leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage defense (38.4 percent), three-point defense (29.7 percent) and rebound margin (+8.2) is led by Denzel Valentine with 14.4 points and 6.1 rebounds. Wing Branden Dawson, at 6-6, averages a double-double with 12.4 points and 10 rebounds.
Amelia rayno
