Gophers starting point guard Elijah Hawkins out with ankle injury against Michigan State

EAST LANSING, MICH. – Gophers starting point guard Elijah Hawkins sat out for Thursday night’s game against Michigan State with an ankle injury.

Hawkins, who sprained his ankle in Monday's 86-77 loss against Iowa at home, wore street clothes and had his right foot in a walking boot during warmups before the game against the Spartans.

The 5-11 junior entered the night ranked No. 1 in the nation with 7.8 assists per game. Hawkins had nine assists and four steals against Iowa, but he was held to just one point on 0-for-4 shooting from the field.

Coach Ben Johnson said after Thursday’s loss against the Spartans that Hawkins is day-to-day going into Tuesday’s game vs. Wisconsin.

“He just keeps getting better,” Johnson said. “The good news is we got some time until we play again next week. I know he’ll be living in the training room. It was killing him not to play. He’ll do everything he can to put himself in position for next week.”

Sophomore big man Pharrel Payne was also listed as questionable Thursday with back spasms, but he started against Michigan State and had seven points with 10 rebounds. In Monday’s loss, Payne was limited to 14 minutes.

Fellow starters Mike Mitchell Jr. and Cam Christie helped replace Hawkins as the Gophers’ primary ball handlers Thursday. Christie, a freshman from Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, is playing against his brother’s former program for the first time.

Max Christie averaged 9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists playing one season for the Spartans in 2021-22. He was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Spartans coach Tom Izzo called Hawkins "electrifying" during his news conference with local media on Wednesday, adding the younger Christie was a "spitting image" of his brother. Cam Christie's averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists this season.

"He's played very well," Izzo said. "His stats have been almost as identical as Max's as a freshman. And that's pretty good. So this is the best Minnesota team I've seen in years. That's why they've won three games and got a road win."

Former Cretin-Derham Hall standout Tre Holloman is having his best season yet with the Spartans.

The 6-foot sophomore guard is averaging 5.8 points and 3.4 assists in 17 games. His assist-to-turnover ratio (5.7) ranks first in the nation among eligible Division I players.

"Tre's been putting together games that are unbelievable," Izzo said Wednesday. "The job Tre's doing not only passing the ball, but he's been defending it pretty good. And he's been shooting it much better. I'm really proud of Tre."

Holloman's playing time has increased with Spartans leading scorer Tyson Walker playing more off the ball. He played six straight games with at least 20 minutes entering Thursday, including with nine points and six assists in Sunday's win vs. Rutgers.

"You're talking about a guy who has taken a major step," Izzo said. "I think he's got a lot more steps he can still to take. That's pretty impressive stat to be a guard without a lot of experience to have the poise to do that."

Izzo pointed out that the Gophers haven't played the Spartans in two years because the only game scheduled last season was canceled after the campus shooting at Michigan State.

The Gophers have a much different team than when they last played Izzo in Johnson’s first season in 2021-22. But Izzo has known Johnson since he recruited him out of DeLaSalle High school in the mid-1990s.

"Ben is a guy I've known since he played," Izzo said. "I have tremendous respect for him."