Pharrel Payne had never started a game for the Gophers this season until Dawson Garcia was sidelined with an injury.

The 6-9, 255-pound freshman had the talent to provide an inside presence off the bench for the Gophers this season, but Garcia's absence has forced Coach Ben Johnson to speed up that development.

Garcia is out with a bone bruise for the fifth straight game in Sunday's matchup against Iowa at Williams Arena.

The first few starts of Payne's career were a bit rough in losses at Northwestern and Rutgers. He had as many turnovers (7) as rebounds and scored nine points combined in two games.

But the Gophers' 81-46 loss against Maryland on Feb. 4 could be a turning point for the young big man after his 14-point, six-rebound performance, including 12 points in the first half.

Payne, who averages 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and shoots 67% from the field, was an offensive force in the first half, hammering down three dunks against the Terrapins, but they used a hack-a-Payne philosophy to slow him down. That strategy made sense since he entered the game as a below 50% free throw shooter, but he hit a career-high 6-for-10 shots the foul line.

The Gophers' all-around struggles on the court have been apparent during a seven-game losing streak entering Sunday, but the freshmen starting frontcourt of Payne and Joshua Ola-Joseph have been showing glimpses recently of their potential together.

GAME INFO

Time: 12 p.m. CT, Sunday. Where: Williams Arena. Line: Gophers 11 1/2-point underdogs. Series: Gophers lead the series 102-93, but they suffered a 71-59 loss in Iowa City last season. TV: FS1. Online/Live video: Fox Sports. Radio: 100.3-FM

PROJECTED STARTERS

MINNESOTA GOPHERS (7-15, 1-11 BIG TEN)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G – Ta'Lon Cooper 6-4 195 Jr. 10.5

G – Taurus Samuels 6-1 195 Sr. 2.9

F – Jamison Battle 6-7 220 Jr. 12.6

F – Joshua Ola-Joseph 6-7 215 Fr. 7.4

F – Pharrel Payne 6-9 255 Fr. 7.3

Key reserves – Treyton Thompson, C, 7-0, So., 2.2 ppg; Jaden Henley, G, 6-7, Fr., 4.0 ppg; Will Ramberg, F, 6-5, Jr., 1.8 ppg.

Coach: Ben Johnson 20-32 (2nd season)

Notable: Junior forward Jamison Battle, who missed the first four games this season after foot surgery, played a few games last month with a lingering back injury suffered in Jan. 16 loss vs. Illinois. Battle, who averages nearly 13 points per game, had consecutive 20-point performances for the first time this season in losses to Indiana and Northwestern, but he was held to five points on 2-for-9 from the field in the U's last loss Feb. 4 vs. Maryland … The Gophers announced earlier this season that 6-8 freshman forward Kadyn Betts will redshirt the 2022-23 season after reclassifying and joining the team early this year. Betts will be part of a highly touted 2023 class that was signed Nov. 9, including five-star center Dennis Evans III and four-star guard Cameron Christie. Christie and Evans were named McDonald's All-American nominees. The Gophers have dropped five of the last six games against the Hawkeyes, including 71-59 last season in Iowa City. Their last win in the series was 102-95 in overtime on Christmas Day in 2020.

IOWA HAWKEYES (15-7, 7-6)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G – Ahron Ulis 6-3 190 Jr. 6.5

G – Tony Perkins 6-4 225 Jr. 11.4

G – Kris Murray 6-8 220 Jr. 20.7

F – Connor McCaffery 6-6 215 Sr. 7.3

F – Filip Rebraca 6-9 230 Sr. 14.0

Reserves – Payton Sandfort, F, 6-7, So., 9.7 ppg; Patrick McCaffery, F, 6-9, Jr., 7.7 ppg; Josh Dix, G, 6-5, Fr., 2.9 ppg.

Coach: Fran McCaffery 508-348 (27th season)

Notable: The Hawkeyes had their three-game winning streak end in Thursday's 87-73 loss at No. 1-ranked Purdue. Junior forward Kris Murray had 24 points in the loss. Murray, the twin brother of Sacramento Kings rookie Keegan Murray, ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (20.7 points per game) and fifth in rebounding (8.2). Iowa's four-game win streak in January was snapped after back-to-back road losses to Ohio State and Michigan State last month. They've lost three straight conference road games.

Fuller's score prediction: Iowa 75, Gophers 63.