GOPHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY

7 p.m., Tuesday vs. IUPUI at Williams Arena

TV; radio: Streamed on B1G+; 100.3 FM

Pregame reading: Gophers sophomore Joshua Ola-Joseph has led the team in scoring the last two games after coach Ben Johnson benched him against Nebraska for not rebounding.

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Marcus Fuller's preview:

Opening bell: The Gophers will play their second game in a row without leading scorer Dawson Garcia, who is out because of an ankle injury he suffered during last week's win over Nebraska. Last season, the Gophers went 0-5 when Garcia was sidelined, but they've already shown they can win without him. It helps to have more frontcourt depth with Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen back from their two-year absences with injuries. IUPUI (3-7) will be the second straight Gophers' opponent with only one win vs. Division I competition. The Jaguars have lost seven straight vs. D-I teams since beating Valparaiso last month.

Watch him: IUPUI guard Jlynn Counter has scored in double figures in eight of 10 games this season. Counter had 19 points and six rebounds in a 75-58 loss to Eastern Illinois last week. Gophers junior forward Isaiah Ihnen broke out of a 0-for-15 shooting slump from three-point range with 13 points on 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc in Saturday's 77-57 win vs. Florida Gulf Coast.

Injuries: Garcia (ankle) is out Tuesday. Pharrel Payne (groin) day-to-day. Braeden Carrington (ankle) and Jack Wilson (hip) were questionable.

Forecast: What better time for a lengthy homestand against a soft nonconference schedule than now for the Gophers when they need to get healthy before Big Ten play resumes in January. Sitting key players means others need to fill bigger roles. If Payne and Carrington are limited again (10 minutes combined in the second half vs. Gulf Coast), Ben Johnson will need to go deeper into his bench.

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