Gophers seniors Payton Willis and Eric Curry won't have their jerseys hanging from the rafters at Williams Arena, but the cheers from fans they received in their last home game showed how much they meant to the program.
Willis nearly helped the Gophers pull off the upset singlehandedly with 28 points on seven three-pointers in Sunday's 84-79 loss against Indiana at Williams Arena.
Curry, who overcame three season-ending injuries during his career, wasn't as impactful on the final box score, but his leadership and inspiration as a teammate for the Gophers this season can't be measured in just numbers.
"I'm sure when it's all said and done, I'll reflect on it," Willis said about being able to play with his best friend this season. "It's just beautiful to be able to go out there and play with my brother."
Willis transferred back to Minnesota from College of Charleston last year to reunite with Curry, who delayed being a graduate assistant on first-year coach Ben Johnson's staff.
"I always catch myself in the middle of games," Curry said. "When [Willis] is making big shots and doing things like he did tonight. I'm just smiling because I hadn't played with him since high school as 16-year-old kids. Now we're old and he's doing what he's doing on one of the biggest stages."
The former AAU teammates were both playing the best basketball of their careers until being hit with illness a week ago. They were under the weather when the Gophers suffered blowout losses at Penn State and Ohio State.
In last weekend's 77-60 victory over Northwestern, Willis was sidelined with COVID-19 protocol, but Curry fought through flu-like symptoms to give the Gophers a frontcourt presence.
