Gophers men's gameday

8 p.m. at Northwestern • BTN, 1500-AM

Gophers (6-16, 0-10 Big Ten): After dropping its last game at Indiana 74-68, Minnesota has lost 11 in a row and 13 of its last 14. However, it has been more competitive lately, losing the past five by seven points or fewer. The Gophers lost the previous two games by 25 points apiece, the first of which came against Northwestern at home. Freshman Aaron Falzon scored 20 points for the Wildcats in that one, while point guard Bryant McIntosh posted 11 assists. Against the Hoosiers on Saturday, the Gophers turned the ball over just four times, held Indiana to just 2-for-18 from three-point range, and took a one-point lead with 3:54 left. But they missed four three-pointers down the stretch, and Indiana put up six points in the last 27 seconds. Both Kevin Dorsey and Nate Mason scored 21 against Indiana. For Dorsey, it was a career high. Mason has put up 80 in his past four games. Senior Carlos Morris is expected to play after missing the last trip due to the funeral of a family friend in Florida. The Gophers have lost four of their past five games against Northwestern.

Northwestern (15-8, 3-7): The Wildcats got through the nonconference season with just one loss and went 3-2 to open the Big Ten. Since then, they have dropped five in a row, the last four of which came against Top 25 teams. McIntosh leads the team with 14.6 points a game and is 10th nationally in assists per game (6.8), but he has managed just four points in two of Northwestern's last three. The Wildcats were routed 85-71 at Iowa in their last game, turning the ball over 16 times. The Wildcats rank last in free throw percentage (62.9) and field goal percentage (39.8) in league play.

AMELIA RAYNO