Minnesota Star Tribune

Pregame: Battle of lead guards Nate Mason and Melo Trimble headlines Saturday's matchup

Juniors Nate Mason and Melo Trimble try to lead their respective teams to victory Saturday when Minnesota meets Maryland at the Barn

By Marcus Fuller

January 28, 2017 at 6:05PM

Maryland at Gophers

THREE THINGS TO WATCH:

TRIMBLE VS. MASON– Gophers' point guard Nate Mason was trying to make a name for himself last season, and one of the games that earned him more respect around the Big Ten was in last year's 68-63 win against No.6 Maryland at the Barn. Mason outplayed Terrapins guard Melo Trimble with 18 points and six assists last February. Trimble finished with just 10 points and six turnovers. Entering Saturday's rematch against Maryland, Minnesota is on a four-game losing streak. Mason broke out of a five-game slump with 21 points in Wednesday's loss at Ohio State. But Trimble has been one of the most impressive lead guards in the Big Ten all season, averaging 17.4 points per game. Should be a fun matchup.

TALENTED FRESHMEN– Amir Coffey has been one of the more hyped freshman in the Big Ten. There hasn't been a top list of rookies without his name on it, rightfully so. The 6-foot-8 Hopkins product is second on the Gophers in scoring with 12.2 points per game, shooting 50 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from three-point range in conference play. But Maryland 's freshmen trio of Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter and Justin Jackson are starters and combine to average 31 points per game this season. Minnesota also relies on freshmen Eric Curry and Michael Hurt as reserves.

POST DEFENSE– The Gophers might lead the Big Ten in blocks (6.4) and have the league's best rim protector with Reggie Lynch (3.1 blocks per game). But they've been having issues defending the post in conference play. In three of the last four losses, Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State outplayed the Gophers at the center spot. Mike Watkins had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Nittany Lions. Ethan Happ had 28 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Badgers. Trevor Thompson had 19 points, 10 rebounds for the Buckeyes. It's not all on Lynch to shut these opposing big men down. But when the 6-foot-10 Edina native is staying out of foul trouble, he needs to stay aggressive defensively and be more efficient offensively.

GAME INFO

Time: 1:15 P.M. CT, Saturday. Where: Williams Arena. Line: Gophers by 4 1/2. Series: Maryland leads 5-1; Minnesota won last meeting 68-63 Feb. 18, 2016 in Minneapolis. TV: BTN. Online/Live video: BTN2go Radio: 1500ESPN.

PROJECTED STARTERS

MINNESOTA (15-6, 3-5)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G-Nate Mason 6-2 Jr. 14.0

G-Amir Coffey 6-8 Fr. 12.2

G-Akeem Springs 6-4 Sr. 9.2

F-Jordan Murphy 6-7 So. 9.7

C-Reggie Lynch 6-10 Jr. 8.4

Key reserves– Dupree McBrayer, G, 6-5, So., 11.4 ppg; Eric Curry, F/C, 6-9, Fr., 5.8 ppg; Bakary Konate, C, 6-11, Jr., 2.1 ppg; Michael Hurt, F, 6-7, Fr., 1.0 ppg

Coach: Richard Pitino 84-71 (5th season)

Notable: The Gophers now have losing streaks of four or more games in six of the last seven seasons, including three under Tubby Smith. But they've never made the NCAA tournament after losing five straight games during a season. Of the four straight losses for Minnesota this season, three have been by a combined 11 points, including two overtime games.

MARYLAND (18-2, 6-1)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G-Anthony Cowan 6-0 Fr. 10.9

G-Melo Trimble 6-3 Jr. 17.4

F-Kevin Huerter 6-7 Fr. 8.2

F-Justin Jackson 6-7 Fr. 10.1

C-Damonte Dodd 6-11 Sr. 6.8

Key reserves–Michal Cekovsky, C, 7-1, Jr., 9.0 ppg; Jaylen Bradley, G, 5-11, Jr., 5.7 ppg; Dion Wiley, G, 6-4, RS-So., 4.3 ppg; L.G. Gill, F, 6-8, Sr., 3.8 ppg; Ivan Bender, F, 6-9, Fr., 4.4 ppg; Jared Nickens, G/F, 6-7, Jr., 3.2 ppg.

Coach: Mark Turgeon 382-220 (18th season)

Notable: The Terrapins are second in the Big Ten in wins (32) since they joined the league in 2014-15. The only team with more victories in that span has been Wisconsin with 33.

Fuller's prediction (18-3 picks record): Gophers 67, Maryland 63. The Gophers are facing a crossroads. They have a chance to further put pressure on the last half of the Big Ten season to make the NCAA tournament, or they can remain in solid contention by snapping the four-game losing streak Saturday. The Terrapins have won five in a row, including three on the road in the Big Ten. But they haven't played any of the top teams in the conference yet (Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State and Northwestern). That should be in Minnesota's favor, because Richard Pitino's team has been battle tested with a grueling schedule so far. Amir Coffey plays well at home. Reggie Lynch isn't facing a dominant post presence. Nate Mason is confident in his shot again. Those three having a big performance should be enough to help the Gophers beat Maryland for the second straight season.