Gophers-Iowa men's basketball preview

February 8, 2017 at 6:09AM
Davonte Fitzgerald (20) and Reggie Lynch (22) during a team scrimmage at Williams Arena. Both players have to sit out this season per NCAA rules. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ ï cgonzalez@startribune.com - October 25, 2015, Minneapolis, MN, Williams Arena, University of Minnesota Gophers Basketball Scrimmage, ORG XMIT: MIN1510251742084050
Lynch (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

8 p.m. vs. Iowa • Williams Arena • BTN, 1500-AM

Preview: The Gophers (16-7, 4-6) saw their five-game losing streak end Saturday with a 68-59 victory at Illinois, the first victory in Champaign since 2013. The last two times Minnesota won at Illinois, it made the NCAA tournament the same season (2012-13 and 2009-10). But Richard Pitino's team still has work to do, finishing strong with five of the past eight regular-season games at home. Iowa (14-10, 6-5) is on a three-game win streak. Two victories were without the Big Ten's leading scorer, Peter Jok, who has since returned from a back injury.

Players to watch: Reggie Lynch showed he can be a game-changer when staying out of foul trouble. The Gophers' 6-10 junior center had a team-high 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 32 minutes Saturday at Illinois. Jok, who averages 20.6 points per game, had 12 points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field and 8-for-8 shooting from the foul line returning from injury in Sunday's victory over Nebraska.

Numbers: The Gophers' victory Saturday at Illinois was the third Big Ten road win this year, the most in a season since 2011-12.

Marcus Fuller

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