Four things learned: How win at Michigan can propel Gophers moving forward

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Mike Mitchell Jr. had never played in front of as many fans as the announced crowd of nearly 10,500 Thursday night at Crisler Center.

The Pepperdine transfer also couldn't recall ever winning a road game in his career until he led the Gophers with 18 points Thursday night in the 73-71 victory against Michigan.

Mitchell claimed that he was 0-27 on the road, mostly in arenas much smaller than the one he played in with the Gophers in their sixth straight victory.

"Not even Gonzaga," said Mitchell, who played his first two seasons in the West Coast Conference. "The Big Ten is different."

Thursday night was also the third Big Ten road win for the Gophers (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) in three seasons under coach Ben Johnson, so there was another reason to celebrate.

Here are four things learned from the Gophers' first victory of the New Year:

Marvelous Mitchell

Something changed for Mitchell when the Gophers lost All-Big Ten preseason forward Dawson Garcia to an ankle injury early in the Dec. 6 win vs. Nebraska.

The Gophers lost their leading scorer for a few games, but Garcia's absence led to the emergence of another go-to guy. Mitchell is averaging a team-best 16 points per game during the six-game win streak, including at least 18 points in the last three games.

The 6-2 junior from San Jose, Calif., is a three-level scorer getting buckets from the outside, mid-range shots and at the rim, but his jumper is his deadliest weapon. A career 42% shooter from beyond the arc, Mitchell is scorching the nets at 16-for-27 (59.3%) from three in his last four games.

On Thursday, the Gophers trailed 47-40 in the second half when Mitchell's three-pointer ignited a 16-6 run that helped them snatch the momentum away from Michigan. He scored nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from three in the second half.

"Elijah [Hawkins] and everybody else are creating open shots for me," Mitchell said. "And I'm just knocking them down."

Winning defense

In earlier losses this season against Missouri, Ohio State and San Francisco, the Gophers played themselves out of the game defensively midway through the second half.

In a 10-point loss at Ohio State on Dec. 3, Garcia's 28 second-half points weren't enough, when the Gophers trailed by only two possessions late in the game.

The tables turned Thursday night with the Gophers getting key defensive stops when they desperately needed them.

Terrance Williams II pulled the Wolverines within 71-69 with about one minute left to play, but they wouldn't score another field goal the rest of the game. Olivier Nkamhoua's two free throws made it a two-point margin again with 26 seconds left, but Nkamhoua missed a three on the ensuing possession.

Michigan's Dug McDaniel drove the lane in the waning seconds, attempting to tie the game, but Garcia switched on the ball screen and contested his floater to force a miss as time expired.

The Gophers held Michigan to 34.5% shooting in the second half, including 3-for-11 from three. McDaniel, who averaged 19 points, scored just four of his nine points on 2-for-7 shooting in the second half.

Inside presence

The Gophers have two of the top frontcourt players in the Big Ten, but Garcia and Pharrel Payne haven't started many games together this season.

Johnson's philosophy has been to bring Payne off the bench, especially with Garcia healthy. That game plan seems to be paying off with Payne and Garcia taking over at different times.

On Thursday, Garcia and Payne got off to slow starts. They were outplayed early by Tarris Reed Jr. and Nkamhoua, who combined for 16 points and 10 rebounds in the first half to lead Michigan to a 37-33 halftime advantage.

But Payne and Garcia outdueled their frontcourt counterparts with a combined 17 points and 11 rebounds in the second half. Garcia had nine of his 13 points and six of his 12 rebounds after halftime.

Payne finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. He scored eight points and had all of his blocks in the second half.

Limiting mistakes

There was a common theme on three losses for the Gophers this season. They averaged 15.7 turnovers per game, including a season-high 18 turnovers in an 18-point loss on Nov. 26 at San Francisco.

At one point, the Gophers had the most turnovers in the Big Ten, but they've made a drastic improvement during the six-game win streak.

With Hawkins leading the nation in assists (7.8), the Gophers would understand if he turned the ball over at a higher rate. But that hasn't been the case. Hawkins has 65 assists and just 12 turnovers in his last six games.

Since beating Nebraska despite committing 16 turnovers on Dec. 6, Johnson's team is averaging just nine turnovers in the last five games.

Six of the U's nine turnovers came in the second half Thursday. A couple bad passes by the Gophers led to Michigan baskets in the last three-plus minutes, but they took care of the ball enough to seal the game.

"It's a good confidence booster for sure," Hawkins said. "Coming into this place and getting a win is good for us to start the Big Ten season again."