The most memorable moment of 2019 for Gabe Kalscheur was him strumming the air guitar during his lights-out, 24-point game vs. Louisville last March that propelled the Gophers to their first NCAA tournament win in six years.
"It was an unbelievable moment," Kalscheur said. "Just being there actually playing in it and having a really great game was remarkable."
After that Louisville game, the word was definitely out that Kalscheur's hot shooting could be a game-changer. More attention from opposing defenses this season led to early struggles, but the former DeLaSalle standout broke out with 34 points in a key 86-66 victory last week against Oklahoma State in Tulsa.
The Gophers (6-5), who host Florida International (9-3) on Saturday at Williams Arena, are riding high on momentum now with wins vs. Oklahoma State and Ohio State the past two games.
"We tasted success and we just want to build on that," Kalscheur said. "I feel like we're preparing more and have more confidence to attack every team we face."
They'll need consistency from Kalscheur, especially with junior starting guard Payton Willis expected to miss his second straight game with an ankle injury. Willis' absence, though, didn't keep the Gophers from scoring at a high level last week vs. Oklahoma State.
The Gophers pushed the ball in transition. They established the paint with center Daniel Oturu. That allowed Kalscheur to get more open shots and get into rhythm even against a zone defense.
"The last game we adjusted to what they were giving us," coach Richard Pitino said. "We like to push the tempo, but we saw that when [Oturu] is running down to the rim and our wings are getting out like they were doing, you're going to get some easy looks if you get it up the court."
