Gophers leading scorer Dawson Garcia returns from injury to start against Penn State

Gophers leading scorer and rebounder Dawson Garcia returned to the starting lineup Saturday vs. Penn State after missing the past five games because of a bone bruise injury.

Garcia, a 6-11 North Carolina transfer, averaged 14.9 points and 6.3 rebounds while starting the first 18 games, which included a season-high 28 points in the U's last victory Jan. 12 at Ohio State. He hasn't played since suffering the right foot injury late in the Jan. 22 loss at Michigan.

Freshman Pharrel Payne, who is averaging 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds this season, started the last four games in place of Garcia. Sophomore 7-footer Treyton Thompson started for one game for Garcia on Jan. 25 against Indiana.

Freshman guard Braeden Carrington, who was out eight games with a stress reaction in his leg, was also in uniform and warmed up for the Gophers on Saturday. Carrington (6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds) was the team's most productive guard off the bench before he was sidelined.

Pickett to test Gophers

Jalen Pickett was one of the top players in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference his first three years of college basketball at Siena. He filled up the stat sheet as well as anyone in the country.

But nobody could've predicted Pickett would become the Big Ten's top guard after transferring to Penn State last season.

After a career-high 41 points and eight assists in Tuesday's win against Illinois, the 6-4, 210-pound Pickett ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring (18.1) and leads the conference in assists (7.0) per game.

The Gophers in Ben Johnson's second season are familiar with Pickett's talent, too. In the last two games in the series, Pickett combined for 42 points and 11 assists on 18-for-28 shooting from the field.

In their third meeting last season against the Gophers, Penn State won 61-50 behind Pickett's 22 points in the Big Ten tournament first round on March 9, 2022.

Pickett made Penn State look like a one-man show in the Illinois game earlier this week, but he has help this season. Fellow Nittany Lions seniors Seth Lundy (14.6 points per game), Andrew Funk (12.6) and Cam Wynter (7.4) have all led them in scoring at least twice this season.

But Pickett is the only player in Division I basketball averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists this season. Arguably the most intriguing matchup Saturday will be Pickett vs. Gophers junior point guard Ta'Lon Cooper, who had 10 points, seven assists and five rebounds in last weekend's 68-56 loss against Iowa at home.

GAME INFO

Time: 8 p.m. CT, Saturday. Where: Williams Arena. Line: Gophers 8 1/2-point underdogs. Series: Gophers lead the series 30-14, but they suffered a 60-51 loss in the Big Ten tournament first round last season. TV: BTN. Online/Live video: BTN-Plus. Radio: 100.3-FM

PROJECTED STARTERS

MINNESOTA GOPHERS (7-16, 1-12 BIG TEN)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G – Jaden Henley 6-7 200 Fr. 4.2

F – Jamison Battle 6-7 220 Jr. 12.4

F – Joshua Ola-Joseph 6-7 215 Fr. 7.5

F – Dawson Garcia 6-11 230 So. 14.9

Key reserves – Pharrel Payne, F, 6-9, Fr., 7.2 ppg; Braeden Carrington, G, 6-3, Fr., 6.2 ppg; Taurus Samuels, G, 6-1, Sr., 2.8 ppg; Treyton Thompson, C, 7-0, So., 2.2 ppg; Will Ramberg, F, 6-5, Jr., 1.8 ppg.

Notable: The Gophers saw leading scorer and rebounder Dawson Garcia (bone bruise) warming up Saturday after he missed fight straight games. On Friday, Johnson said Garcia and freshman guard Braeden Carrington were questionable to play against Penn State, but they felt good in shootaround Saturday. Carrington, who also warmed up in uniform, missed the last eight games after suffering a stress reaction in his leg. Jamison Battle, who missed the first four games this season after foot surgery, played a few games last month with a lingering back injury suffered in Jan. 16 loss vs. Illinois. Battle, who averages 12 points per game, had consecutive 20-point performances for the first time this season in losses to Indiana and Northwestern in late January, but he was held to 14 points combined on 6-for-19 shooting from the field in the last two games. … The Gophers announced earlier this season that 6-8 freshman forward Kadyn Betts will redshirt after reclassifying and joining the team early from high school. Betts, a Colorado native, will be part of a highly touted 2023 recruiting class that was signed Nov. 9, which also features five-star California center Dennis Evans III and four-star Illinois guard Cameron Christie. The Gophers have dropped four of the last five games against Penn State after five straight victories in the series from 2017-20. Their last win against the Nittany Lions was 76-70 on Feb. 12, 2022 at home.

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (15-11, 6-9)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G – Camren Wyner 6-2 Sr. 7.4

G – Jalen Pickett 6-4 Sr. 18.1

F – Seth Lundy 6-6 Sr. 14.6

F – Kebba Njie 6-10 Fr. 3.3

Reserves – Myles Dread, G, 6-4, Sr., 6.0 ppg; Caleb Dorsey, F, 6-7, Jr., 2.3 ppg; Evan Mahaffey, 6-6, Fr., 3.2 ppg. Kanye Clary, G, 5-11, Fr., 3.4 ppg; Michael Henn, F, 6-8, Sr., 3.1 ppg; Dallion Johnson, G, 6-3, Jr., 2.2 ppg.

Coach: Micah Shrewsberry 29-28 (2nd season)

Notable: The Nittany Lions were picked to finish 11th in the Big Ten preseason media day poll in October. And that's exactly where they are entering Saturday's matchup at the Barn. Penn State was a popular sleeper pick to move up in Big Ten pecking order this season, but a recent four-game losing streak dropped it several games below .500 in league play. Shrewsberry's team isn't out of NCAA tournament contention yet, but it will have to stack some wins in a row after Tuesday's 93-81 win vs. Illinois. Last season, the Nittany Lions and Gophers played twice during a five-day span after an earlier game was postpone due to COVID-19. The last regular season matchup was a 67-46 win in State College.