u men's gameday
11 a.M. at wisconsin • kohl center • espn, 1500-am
Minnesota (16-11, 5-9 Big Ten): The Gophers' winning stretch — three in a row and four of five — seems like a distant memory after consecutive losses to Indiana and Northwestern this week. Wednesday night's 72-66 home loss to the Wildcats gave the Gophers seven losses by one or two possessions this season, but this one didn't feel that close. Northwestern drilled 15 three-pointers, three days after the Gophers gave up 18 by Indiana. Those two numbers represent the most and second-most three-pointers the Gophers have given up in school history. … Andre Hollins scored 12 points Wednesday after averaging 21.3 points his previous eight games. Freshman Nate Mason broke out of a seven-game slump in which he was shooting 26.9 percent, going 5-for-10 from the floor for 15 points.
No. 5 Wisconsin (24-2, 12-1): The Badgers pushed their winning streak to nine after hanging on for a 55-47 victory at Penn State on Wednesday night, and they look poised to win their first regular-season conference title in seven years. With that victory, Wisconsin has won games while scoring in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s for the second season in a row, the Wisconsin State Journal pointed out . … Wisconsin, which has the top-ranked offense in the nation, according to analyst Ken Pomeroy's efficiency metrics, is shooting 36 percent from three-point range in conference play. … The Badgers are still missing senior point guard Traevon Jackson, who broke his right foot Jan. 11. Center Frank Kaminsky, a preseason All-America selection and the favorite for Big Ten Player of the Year, leads the Badgers with 17.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
amelia rayno
