Luke Loewe's offensive resurgence sparks Gophers men's basketball at a time of need

Luke Loewe's half-court, halftime buzzer beater Sunday in Iowa City showed just how much confidence he's playing with right now for the Gophers men's basketball team.

After transferring from William & Mary last year, the 6-4 senior guard assumed the role of defensive stopper and facilitator to fit in for first-year coach Ben Johnson.

But Loewe enters Wednesday's game at Nebraska resembling the player once among the Colonial Athletic Association's top scorers.

The formula for the Gophers (11-9, 2-9 in the Big Ten) turning their season around might include Loewe's offensive resurgence, along with finding ways to keep their top scorers playing consistently.

"If you can develop scoring from a third or fourth person, that's big," Johnson said. "The toughest teams to contend with are ones who have multiple guys who can beat you offensively. So hopefully he can continue with his confident play."

The Fond du Lac, Wis., native is averaging nearly 13 points on 48% shooting from three-point range (10-for-21) in his last five games. Loewe scored 19 points for the second time in the past few weeks Sunday against the Hawkeyes.

Johnson told Loewe to not be afraid to "let it fly" after averaging just three points on 20% shooting from the field during the U's four-game losing streak last month. The slump included Loewe's first scoreless game (in a Jan. 9 loss at Indiana) since coming off the bench as a freshman at William & Mary in 2017-18.

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Being confident had been no issue for Loewe last year when he averaged a team-high 16.2 points per game to earn All-CAA second-team honors. His leadership role expanded after former Tribe star Nathan Knight graduated and went to the NBA. Knight's now with the Timberwolves on a two-way deal.

"When we lost Nathan Knight, he had to be more of a catalyst for us offensively," said Gophers assistant Jason Kemp, who coached Loewe at William & Mary. "He had the ball in his hands and really had to lead that young team."

As a former youth bass fishing national champion, Loewe was in his element on Lake Minnetonka this summer preparing for a possible future as a pro angler. But when the Gophers opened the season, Loewe saw himself in an unfamiliar place: the U's fourth scoring option behind Jamison Battle, Payton Willis and E.J. Stephens.

Loewe, who has started every game since his sophomore year at William & Mary, usually guards the opposing team's best perimeter player. But he picked key moments to look for his shot, like the game-winning put-back at Pittsburgh, and his 25 points combined in wins at Mississippi State and Michigan.

The Hawkeyes pretty much dared everyone else to beat them Sunday. They held Battle to just two points on 1-for-12 shooting. In the second half, everyone other than Loewe shot 4-for-26 (15%) from the field.

"Teams are going to find different ways to mix up coverages on [Battle]," Johnson said. "We got to find ways to help him get open and some new looks."

Willis, who scored 32 points in a Jan. 22 win against Rutgers without Battle and Stephens, runs the offense and can be the primary playmaker. But Loewe's been more aggressive looking for his own shot. He overcame flu-like symptoms to score 19 points against Rutgers, the first of his four double figure outings in the last five games.

Loewe hopes his scoring uptick also translates soon to the Gophers winning again.