DRAKE at GOPHERS
Three things to watch:
LYNCH AND WOODWARD – Reggie Lynch not fouling out in his last 19 games dating back to last year is pretty amazing. Remember that he fouled out eight times in his first 13 Big Ten games last season. The 6-foot-10 senior center had five straight games with 30 minutes or more this year before being limited to 14 minutes with five points, four fouls and one block in Saturday's 95-69 loss at Arkansas. It was by far his worst game in a long time, but Lynch has shown improvement this season. He's averaging career highs in points (11.0), rebounds (8.1) and blocks (4.2) per game (second in the NCAA). Imagine if Lynch never transferred back home from Illinois State two years ago. Lynch felt more comfortable about transferring after talking to his former Edina High School teammate Graham Woodward, who left Penn State for Drake in 2014. Woodward, who plays Monday against his old friend, talked to Lynch about how to deal with sitting out an entire season. "He was worried about it," Woodward said last year. "I told him it was a long year, but you still got to practice and be with the team. Going back to Minnesota was good for him, because I know how close he is with his family." Lynch and Woodward are really close as well. They led Edina to 10 consecutive victories going into the school's first state tournament appearance in 25 years back in 2012-13. The Hornets finished third in the state their senior season. The 6-foot Woodward is having a career year as well for Drake with 11.4 points per game in a starting role his senior season.
BENCH BOOST – Richard Pitino stepped onto the court, stared and screamed at Davonte Fitzgerald with 12:20 left in Saturday's loss at Arkansas. Pitino was irate at Fitzgerald for missing a point-blank layup that would've cut the deficit to single digits. The backup junior forward threw up an awkward and off-balanced shot without setting his feet. It should've been an easy basket after Nate Mason found him wide open. It's been that type of season for the Gophers when the starters leave the game. Pitino seems to be losing trust in his bench as each game passes. Minnesota's bench was outscored 63-18 in the three losses, which includes going scoreless against Miami and producing just five points against Nebraska. In defense of the reserves, Pitino basically has a six-man rotation with Isaiah Washington the only player with consistent minutes off the bench. Minnesota is second to last among Big Ten teams ranking 245th in the country in bench minutes (29.3). Only Northwestern is worst in the conference ranking 325th (24.3) in bench minutes. Washington leads the bench in scoring with 8.1 points per game, but Fitzgerald's emergence is critical with the lack of frontcourt depth this season. Fitzgerald, who is scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting from the field in the last four games, only averages 2.6 points this year. Freshman guard Jamir Harris is the second leading bench scorer (3.6 points per game), but he has only played a combined three minutes in the last three games, which included not coming off the bench against Arkansas. Michael Hurt and Bakary Konate are the other two reserves who typically see the floor. But Konate, a 6-11 center, is a game time decision after missing Saturday's game with a concussion.
COMMUNICATION ON DEFENSE – The Gophers have five returning starters from last year's NCAA tournament team, but they don't look like they have played much together when it comes to team defense. At least that's been clearly the case in the three losses this year. Opponents have been carving Minnesota up with pick-and-roll motion offenses. If defenders don't talk on screens, then it's almost impossible to be able to stop consistently. The starters don't have an excuse for not being able to have chemistry defensively. Minnesota's newcomers such as Washington, Harris and Fitzgerald aren't used to playing together and it could take even more time to become a cohesive unit. Whether they're comfortable with each other or not, the Gophers have to communicate. It's a lot easier when you're not in a loud hostile environment. The next six games at home will give Pitino's team a great opportunity to talk to each other more on the court, especially on D.
GAME INFO
Time: 7 p.m. CT, Monday. Where: Williams Arena. Line: Minnesota by 20 points. Series: Minnesota leads 12-7. Minnesota won last meeting 66-52 on the road in 1988. TV: BTN. Online/Live video: BTNPlus Radio: 100.3 FM and 1130 AM
PROJECTED STARTERS
