Gophers men's hoops vs. No. 11 Michigan State
THREE THINGS TO WATCH:
CONTAINING CASSIUS – The last time Cassius Winston had a Cassius Winston-type game was a few weeks ago when Michigan State beat the Gophers, 74-58 on Jan. 9 in East Lansing. Just when Richard Pitino thought his team had done a great job containing the reigning Big Ten player of the Year, Winston went from opening the game 1-for-6 shooting to scoring 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half. In fact, Winston was having the best stretch of basketball of the season. He averaged 24.4 points during a five-game stretch, which included a 32-point performance in a win over rival Michigan on Jan. 5. Since the last meeting with the Gophers, though, the 6-foot-1 senior point guard has been experiencing a slump. He's averaging just 11 points and committed a combined 17 turnovers in the last three games, including road losses at Purdue and Indiana. The worst game of the season for Winston came with 10 points and a career-worst nine turnovers in a 71-42 loss Jan. 12 at Purdue. Winston might feel more at home in Minneapolis since fans swarmed him for his autograph at the Timberwolves game Friday against the Houston Rockets at the Target Center. He also dominated his first matchup with Gophers' point guard Marcus Carr, who was held to just 11 points and sat on the bench with four fouls early in the second half.
BATTLE ON THE BOARDS – The Gophers were crushed in the rebounding battle the last time they faced the Spartans being outrebounded 48-30 in the loss at the Breslin Center, which included giving up 18 offensive rebounds. Michigan State junior Xavier Tillman was at the forefront of that dominating effort on the glass with 19 points and seven of his 16 rebounds on offense. Richard Pitino knows his team isn't the deepest in the frontcourt when it comes to rebounding, especially with the loss of the school's all-time rebounding leader Jordan Murphy. Sophomore star Daniel Oturu leads the Big Ten with 11.6 rebounds per game. But the Gophers are at their best when they get help from the guards crashing the glass. They rank sixth in the Big Ten in rebounding margin at plus-2.3, but Carr is the best rebounding point guard in the conference as well. Carr and guard Payton Willis combined for 13 rebounds in Thursday's win at Ohio State. The Gophers were minus-10 in rebounding in the first half, but they won the battle of the boards 19-15 in the second half. Pitino emphasized being physical and attacking the glass in practices since the loss last week at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights grabbed 20 offensive rebounds.
BENCH SUPPORT – The Gophers were right there competing with the Spartans for most of the last meeting until Carr got into foul trouble. The game completed turned once Pitino's floor leader was sidelined. Willis missed three games with an ankle injury, but he returned to play for the first time in a Big Ten road game. He struggled a bit as Carr's backup point guard. Willis is now back in the starting lineup, but the Gophers will likely need a lift off the bench again Sunday. Will it be freshman Tre' Williams, who replaced Willis as a starting guard for a few games? Will it be freshman forward Isaiah Ihnen, who played for the first time in four games Thursday at Ohio State? Tillman is one of the most physical post players in the Big Ten. So, Oturu and senior Alihan Demir might need help defending the Spartans' frontcourt star from sophomore Jarvis Omersa off the bench. In three road games this season, the Gophers' bench has been outscored 61-10.
GAME INFO
Time: 2 p.m. CT, Sunday. Where: Williams Arena. Line: Minnesota 3.0-point underdog. Series: Michigan State leads the series 63-57, including the last meeting 74-58 on Jan. 9 in East Lansing, Mich. TV: FOX. Online/Live video: FOX. Radio: 100.3
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