The Gophers men's basketball team's frontcourt has been in flux — and that won't change with leading scorer and rebounder Dawson Garcia out for the third straight game Wednesday night at Rutgers.
Two different starters have replaced Garcia since he was sidelined with a bone bruise injury late in the Jan. 22 loss at Michigan. The 6-11 North Carolina transfer averaged 14.9 points and 6.3 rebounds while starting the first 18 games before sitting out for the first time in the Jan. 25 loss against Indiana. His team was down to seven scholarship players in the 61-57 loss.
Garcia has been able to participate in practice this week, but he's still not fully comfortable moving around on his injured right foot. "It's close, but I'm not fully sold on it," Gophers coach Ben Johnson said about Garcia returning to play.
Sophomore 7-footer Treyton Thompson started in place of Garcia against the Hoosiers and finished with eight points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in 37 minutes. Freshman Pharrel Payne, who returned from concussion protocol, picked up his first career start in Saturday's 81-61 loss at Northwestern, but he finished with just three points, three rebounds and four turnovers in 17 minutes.
"I don't care who it is, guys have to be ready to go," Johnson said. "I don't think guys on our team get really caught up in who is starting and who is not starting. We don't make a big deal of that to be honest. Guys know, whether you start or check in [off the bench] there are the same expectations. You've got to be ready to roll."
Thompson will wear a protective mask Wednesday after suffering a broken nose against Northwestern, but he will be available. Junior forward Jamison Battle, who scored 20 points against the Wildcats, injured his back earlier last month, but he finally appears healthy.
In the first seven games this season, Thompson started with Garcia, but that was before freshman Joshua Ola-Joseph emerged as a smaller but stronger and more athletic option. Former walk-on Will Ramberg also started four games when Battle was out to start the season after foot surgery.
The Gophers struggled against some of the Big Ten's top big men even at full strength during their five-game losing streak. The Scarlet Knights have their own frontcourt standout that could be a formidable force with 6-11 junior Clifford Omoruyi, who leads the team with 13.4 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game.
