With the Gophers basketball team struggling offensively during a two-game slide in the Big Ten, coach Richard Pitino believes it's time to make a change to his starting lineup.
In Saturday's 52-50 loss at Penn State, Minnesota scored only 17 points in the second half on 28 percent shooting from the field. The Gophers also labored to score in a 65-47 loss at Michigan State, with 17 points in the first half on 27 percent shooting.
To revive the offense, Pitino said on his radio show Monday that senior captain Akeem Springs would replace sophomore Dupree McBrayer in the starting backcourt. The Gophers (15-4, 3-3) are expected to showcase that lineup Saturday against No. 17 Wisconsin at Williams Arena.
"I think I'm going to give Akeem a look and bring Dupree off the bench," Pitino said on KSTP AM-1500. "I think that will help from a rotation standpoint. Akeem can obviously hit some jump shots a little better. See how that looks."
McBrayer, who averages 11.7 points, 2.9 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 30.7 minutes, has started all 19 games. Springs, who averages 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 20.8 minutes, has started one.
Pitino is looking to boost the Gophers' outside shooting with the move. They rank 12th in field-goal percentage (40.9) and three-point field-goal percentage (31.0) in Big Ten play.
"It's a concern," he said. "Their confidence level right now is not very high from an offensive standpoint. We can do much better than we're doing."
McBrayer is the most improved player on the team offensively from last season. He's shooting 45 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range. But the New York native's strength is getting to the basket, which opposing teams are making difficult.