Gophers need to bring energy against No. 3 Purdue after setback in previous game

Ben Johnson's pointed postgame speech to his players following Monday's 18-point loss to Illinois reflected his disappointment in a Gophers basketball team he thought was turning the corner.

There were positive signs to build on over the last few weeks, especially with the first Big Ten win coming at Ohio State. But the second-half collapse against the Illini was a big setback.

Suddenly, Gophers fans were reminded of the fledgling team that suffered through a five-game losing streak earlier in the season, including four straight double-figure losses.

The Gophers (7-9, 1-5 Big Ten), who host No. 3 Purdue on Thursday, feel like they've been a better team since a 19-point loss against the Boilermakers in early December, but they reverted to old bad habits in the last game.

"Energy affects play," Johnson said. "Body language affects play. Those are things we're not going to concede as far as a staff. They know that the feeling was different at Ohio State than it was those last 17 minutes [against Illinois]. They need to understand we're in a position where we can't be like that."

During a three-game stretch to begin 2023, the Gophers appeared much closer to breaking through after losses to Wisconsin and Nebraska by a combined five points. And they finally experienced a memorable moment defeating the Buckeyes on the road a week ago.

Of course, Minnesota's players would love to bottle up how they played in those three games offensively for the rest of Big Ten play. They combined to shoot 47% from the field, 35% from three-point range and averaged nearly 70 points per game. Leading scorer Dawson Garcia had a career-high 28 points vs. Ohio State, but he also got help from younger players and veterans Ta'Lon Cooper and Jamison Battle.

Battle, who had just eight points in the last game, left the Illinois loss late in the second half with a sore back. His health going into Thursday will be critical against Purdue.

But flashback to the second half against Illinois: the Gophers led 36-35 after Battle's jumper. Things went south from that point, as they were outscored 37-11 in the next 14 minutes. Missed free throws again became an issue for the worst foul shooting team in the Big Ten. They stalled offensively with no ball movement. They struggled defending the paint and rebounding. But most disturbing was the lack of constant effort.

"We just weren't there, low energy," freshman forward Joshua Ola-Joseph said. "We've got to do more self-digging with certain players, including myself. To be able to bring it every time together down the floor."

The Boilermakers, who beat the Gophers 89-70 on Dec. 4 in West Lafayette, won't wait for them to figure out how to play hard and execute in the rematch Thursday. They've won four straight games since dropping from No. 1 after losing to Rutgers on Jan. 2.

Purdue's 7-4 center Zach Edey, the frontrunner for national player of the year, demolished the Gophers to the tune of 31 points and 22 rebounds in their last meeting. One way the Gophers can show how much they've improved since then is how they handle Edey.

"They want to be coached and they want to win," Johnson said. "Now it's just setting the tone for everything that goes into winning and just holding each other accountable. It's not a deal where you're trying to crush confidence. You're trying to implement — this is the standard for winning."