Minnesota Gophers forward Pharrel Payne (21) tried to get a shot off as he was fouled by Michigan Wolverines forward Youssef Khayat (24) during the second half Thursday night, December 8, 2022 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. (Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Ben Johnson's Gophers men's basketball team might not face a better defense this season than Sunday's opponent, Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs (8-0) come into the matchup at Williams Arena led by first-year coach Chris Jans, who is the first SEC coach in the shot clock era to have his team hold opponents to 55 points or fewer in his first eight games with the program.

Mississippi State ranks No. 2 nationally in scoring defense (49.6 points allowed) and fifth in field goal shooting defense (34.5%). The Bulldogs rank 10th in the country in defensive efficiency by Ken Pom, but the Gophers have their worst defensive efficiency rating (No. 158) since 2015-16.

"We got to figure out how to improve quickly on that defensive end," Johnson said after the 90-75 loss Thursday against Michigan. "Get our confidence defensively and our rhythm defensively. We've got to get that defensive mindset from the start back."

Johnson hasn't been able to find the right personnel and chemistry to play the type of defense he hopes to establish with Gophers basketball. In Thursday's loss vs. Michigan, the Gophers allowed the most points in a game since Illinois' 94 points in 2020-21. The Wolverines shot 52% from the field, including 10-for-18 from three-point range (55%).

Last season's 13-17 Gophers team allowed Big Ten opponents to shoot 48.2% from the field (worst in the league), 38.4% from beyond the arc (14th in the conference), and average 73.1 points per game (12th) in 20 league games.

GAME INFO

Time: 7:30 p.m. CT, Sunday. Where: Williams Arena. Line: Gophers 7.5-point underdogs. Series: Gophers lead the series 1-0, including the 71-65 win last December in Starkville. TV: Big Ten Network. Online/Live video: BTN-plus. Radio: KTLK 1130-AM

PROJECTED STARTERS

MINNESOTA GOPHERS (4-5, 0-1 BIG TEN)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G – Ta'Lon Cooper 6-4 195 Jr. 11.6

G – Jaden Henley 6-7 200 Fr. 5.8

G – Jamison Battle 6-7 220 Jr. 13.2

F – Joshua Ola-Joseph 6-7 215 Fr. 7.2

F – Dawson Garcia 6-11 230 So. 13.2

Key reserves – Pharrel Payne, F/C, 6-9, Fr., 8.7 ppg; Braeden Carrington, G, 6-4, Fr., 6.7 ppg; Treyton Thompson, F/C, 7-0, So., 2.3 ppg; Taurus Samuels, G, 6-1, Sr., 2.1 ppg.

Coach: Ben Johnson 17-22 career (2nd season)

Notable: The Gophers announced 6-8 freshman forward Kadyn Betts will redshirt the 2022-23 season after reclassifying and joining the team early this year. Betts will be part of a highly touted 2023 class that was signed Nov. 9, including five-star center Dennis Evans III and four-star guard Cameron Christie. … Junior forward Jamison Battle missed the first four games of the season after recovering from foot surgery. The All-Big Ten preseason selection made his season debut Nov. 21 vs. Cal Baptist in the SoCal Challenge in California. Battle had 20 points in the win at Mississippi State last season. ... Freshman guard Braeden Carrington, who won Minnesota Mr. Basketball and a state title last season at Park Center, made his season debut Nov. 14 against DePaul after being out with an ankle sprain. ... Sophomore center Treyton Thompson, who started the first seven games, is back after missing last weekend's Purdue loss with an illness.

NO. 23 MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS (8-0)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G – Dashawn Davis 6-2 195 Sr. 9.8

G – Eric Reed Jr. 6-2 200 Sr. 5.4

G – Cameron Matthews 6-7 225 Jr. 7.6

F – D.J. Jeffries 6-7 215 Sr. 9.8

F – Tolu Smith 6-11 245 Sr. 16.3

Reserves – Shakeel Moore, G, 6-1, Jr., 6.1 ppg; Tyler Stevenson, F, 6-8, Sr., 4.1 ppg; Shawn Jones, G, 6-5, Fr., 4.0 ppg.

Coach: Chris Jans 151-44 (7th season)

Notable: The Bulldogs first scheduled a home-and-home series with the Gophers to play for the first time during the 2020-21 season in Starkville. But that game was postponed until last season because of the pandemic. Mississippi State was down 14 points in the first half of its last meeting with the Gophers at home, but they came back to tie it 76-76 with 4 seconds left. The game seemed destined for over time, but Payton Willis answered with the last five points for the victory, including a three-pointer. ... Tolu Smith, who leads the Bulldogs with 16 points and 10 rebounds, was held to just seven points on 3-for-9 shooting last year vs. Minnesota.

Fuller's score prediction: Missippippi State 66, Gophers 58.