Point guard Payton Willis missed Saturday's 77-60 victory over Northwestern due to COVID-19 protocols, but the Gophers hope to get him back soon.
Gophers point guard Payton Willis out due to COVID-19 protocol
The team hopes that the senior captain is able to return for Wednesday's game against Wisconsin.
February 20, 2022 at 12:59AM
Willis, who averages 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and a team-high 4.3 assists this season, could return before Wednesday's home game against Wisconsin.
"We'll be smart with how he progresses," coach Ben Johnson said about his senior captain. "We'll be keeping tabs on him, and hopefully we get him back sooner than later. But what's most important is his health."
The Gophers follow CDC guidelines for COVID quarantine, which state that individuals testing positive have to isolate for five days. Johnson said Willis might be back as soon as Tuesday, but he would have to then clear health and safety protocols.
"It's one thing to have it lifted, but are you good to go play?" Johnson said. "That's what I told him [Saturday] morning. I said, 'even if you're cleared you still got to be good. I want you to feel confident coming back.'"
Willis, who implied with a tweet Friday that his struggles were not from fatigue, was clearly not feeling well the previous two games when he totaled 10 points and six turnovers combined on 4-for-17 shooting in losses at Ohio State and Penn State.
Senior big man Eric Curry was also a game-time decision Saturday with flulike symptoms, but he started and had three points and four rebounds in 24 minutes.
Sean Sutherlin, who started his second game of the season, had his best all-around game in Big Ten play with 11 points, six rebounds, five assists, and a career-high tying four steals. E.J. Stephens also had 15 points, eight rebounds, and four assists Saturday.
"It's been a long week for everybody," Johnson said. "I didn't know how much [Curry] was going to play today. … This weekend is going to be good for us. We got to get some rest. Those guys got to sleep and get back healthy."
Alumni honored
The Gophers honored some of their former men's basketball players during an Alumni Game ceremony on Saturday.
Among the group of a couple dozen players drawing cheers on the Williams Arena court at halftime were Al Nolen, Joe Coleman, Al Nuness, Jim Shikenjanski and Daniel Oturu, now playing for the Windy City Bulls in the NBA G League.
Minnesota, ranked first in the nation, dealt with injury and absence against No. 3 Michigan State.
