Read my full game story on the 54-48 win at Northwestern here.
No, none of that was pretty.
But the Gophers needed a win -- badly -- and they were able to pull it out.
THE GOOD:
*The defense looked pretty good. The bigs defended the pick-and-roll action well at the basket, and Austin Hollins and Daquein McNeil combined to lock down Drew Crawford (1-for-15 shooting from the field).
*The Gophers can win on the road! They can win at Northwestern! We weren't sure of either of these things heading into the game, since Minnesota had lost its last five road games and has gone just 1-5 in the conference. Also, the Gophers hadn't won at Northwestern since 2008. And they had just lost to the Wildcats at home. They were proving a few things, here.
*Next stop for Mo Walker: defensive juggernaut. Well, maybe not. But his defensive performance tonight should be very promising for the Gophers, who have watched him transform his offensive game. If the center -- who had three blocks, a career high -- can keep up that effort, it's going to get harder to keep him out of the starting lineup with Elliott Eliason still slumping.
*DeAndre Mathieu. How many times have I said this? He's so fun to watch. He came alive in the second after hitting a huge three-pointer to bring the Gophers within three at the half, and was the spark Minnesota needed. The Wildcats had no answer for the aggressive guard, speeding down the court in transition and charging inside to finish in traffic. Those four turnovers were rough, but overall he played really well.
