Jamison Battle has another year of eligibility, but he'll be one of the three Gophers seniors honored after Sunday's game against Wisconsin at Williams Arena.
Gophers to honor graduating seniors Battle, Cooper and Samuels in regular-season finale vs. Wisconsin
Gophers starters Jamison Battle and Ta'Lon Cooper have eligibility remaining but graduate this year.
March 5, 2023 at 10:02PM
The 6-7 former DeLaSalle standout transferred home after playing two years of college basketball at George Washington. He'll graduate with a sports management degree.
Battle was named to the All-District academic team last month. He has set an example for the Gophers off the court. Taught to be well-rounded by his mother growing up, he has a musical background, which includes playing the saxophone.
On Thursday, Battle found the rhythm on his jump shot late with 15 of his 20 points in the second half, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer in a 75-74 win against Rutgers at the Barn. A 12-game losing streak ended and the Gophers won their first Big Ten home game in spectacular fashion.
Battle, who has seen his scoring average go from 17.5 to 13.2 points per game this season, has been heating up lately. He's 10-for-23 from three-point range in his last two games. That's more threes combined than he made in the previous six games — even with the season-high 31 points on 4-for-9 shooting from three in a Feb. 20 loss at Illinois.
Recovering from early foot surgery and dealing with a back injury in Big Ten play, Battle continued to work on consistency with his jumper while his leadership never wavered.
"He's a guy who has battled," Gophers coach Ben Johnson said. "I've been with him every single day and have seen the work he's put in."
The other two Gophers seniors being honored Sunday night are Dartmouth transfer Taurus Samuels and Morehead State transfer Ta'Lon Cooper.
Cooper, who also has another year of eligibility, ranks tied for second in the Big Ten with 6.1 assists entering Sunday. The 6-4 Michigan native averages 9.9 points and 4.1 rebounds but facilitating his what he does best.
In Thursday's victory against the Scarlet Knights, Cooper finished with 11 assists and zero turnovers. He bounced back from a six-assist, six-turnover game in a 78-67 loss at Nebraska on Feb. 25.
Samuels, a 6-1 California native, started 13 games and averaged 17.4 minutes this season. He's been a stable presence and mentor for freshmen guards Jaden Henley and Braeden Carrington.
GAME INFO
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT, Sunday. Where: Williams Arena. Line: Gophers 5.5-point underdogs. Series: Minnesota leads the series 102-98, including an 63-60 loss Jan. 3 at Kohl Center. TV: FS1. Online/Live video: BTN-Plus. Radio: 100.3-FM
PROJECTED STARTERS
MINNESOTA GOPHERS (8-20, 2-16 BIG TEN)
Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG
G – Ta'Lon Cooper 6-4 195 Jr. 9.9
G – Jaden Henley 6-7 200 Fr. 4.8
F – Jamison Battle 6-7 220 Jr. 13.2
F – Joshua Ola-Joseph 6-7 215 Fr. 7.3
F – Dawson Garcia 6-11 230 So. 15.4
Key reserves – Pharrel Payne, F, 6-9, Fr., 8.1 ppg; Braeden Carrington, G, 6-3, Fr., 5.5 ppg; Taurus Samuels, G, 6-1, Sr., 2.4 ppg
Coach: Ben Johnson 21-37 (2nd season)
Notable: The Gophers saw leading scorer and rebounder Dawson Garcia (bone bruise) return to the court Feb. 18 to score 23 points in a 76-69 loss vs. Penn State after missing five straight games. Jamison Battle was held under double figures in three straight games for the first time in his career last month. But Battle responded with a season-high 31 points in a 78-69 loss Feb. 20 at Illinois. … Freshman big man Pharrel Payne has scored in double figures in five of his last seven games, including his third double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's win against Rutgers. Payne had 17 points in just 17 minutes in a Feb. 22 loss at Maryland. He also had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists vs. Penn State. … The Gophers have lost five consecutive games against the Badgers. Their last win in the Border Battle was 70-52 in March 2020 at the Barn.
WISCONSIN BADGERS (18-11, 10-8)
Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG
G – Connor Essegian 6-4 185 Fr. 12.0
G – Chucky Hepburn 6-2 205 So. 12.2
G – Max Klesmit 6-3 200 Jr. 8.3
F – Tyler Wahl 6-9 225 Sr. 11.0
C – Steven Crowl 7-0 245 Jr. 12.2
Reserves – Jordan Davis, G, 6-4, Jr., 5.5 ppg; Carter Gilmore, F, 6-7, Jr., 2.9 ppg; Kamari McGee, G, 6-0, So., 1.4 ppg; Isaac Lindsay, F, 6-4, Jr., 1.7 ppg.
Coach: Greg Gard 160-91 (8th season)
Notable: The Badgers nearly upset Big Ten champion Purdue but fell 63-61 in Madison on Thursday. They got a season-high 19 points from Max Klesmit, but Minnesota natives Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl combined to shoot 3-for-16 from the field. Wahl hasn't been the same after suffering an ankle injury in the first meeting with the Gophers this season. Crowl, who had 17 points and five rebounds in the January matchup vs. Minnesota, put together seven straight double figure scoring games in December and January. But he's only scored more 10 points or more twice in the last six games.
Fuller's score prediction: Gophers 66, Wisconsin 60.
Minnesota shot nearly 60% during a 20-8 start to erase a fresh loss to Nebraska, but guard/forward Taylor Woodson suffered a knee injury early in the game.
