Gophers men's hoops vs. Oklahoma in Sioux Falls, S.D.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH:
Daniel Oturu vs. Oklahoma frontcourt – Gophers coach Richard Pitino watched Jordan Murphy develop into one of the best big men in the country in four seasons. Murphy went from an All-Big Ten freshman player to a three-time all-conference performer, while becoming the No. 2 rebounder in Big Ten history. You don't just replace a presence like that right away. But sophomore center Daniel Oturu is the next in line. Oturu made an early statement with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in Tuesday's 85-50 opening win vs. Cleveland State. His six turnovers were a career-high, but it didn't overshadow his impact on offense and defense. Now that the competition rises to another level Saturday night will Oturu get some help in the frontcourt? Drexel transfer Alihan Demir had 10 points but just two rebounds in 24 minutes in his Gophers debut. Freshman Isaiah Ihnen, a former four-star recruit, is out again Saturday after missing the opener with a right wrist injury. Oklahoma's Brady Manek is on the preseason watch list for the Karl Malone Award. Senior Kristian Doolittle is expected to be the go-to guy inside. Doolittle missed the season opening win vs. Texas San Antonio after serving a one-game suspension for playing in an unsanctioned summer league game. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Doolittle scored in double figures in 11 out of his final 12 games last season, which included posting 19 points and 15 rebounds in an NCAA tournament first round win vs. Mississippi. Pitino compared Doolittle to Penn State's All-Big Ten forward Lamar Stevens, which is a scary thought.
Three-point line – If you take a look at the Sanford Pentagon court you'll notice four different three-point arcs, which is for high school and men's and women's college and the NBA G League Sioux Falls Skyforce games. The third line is the correct one for Saturday's game. College basketball's new three-point line is 22 feet and 1 3/4 inches, which is the international three-point distance. Moving back a couple feet didn't affect the Gophers at all in the season opener. They nailed 13-for-29 three-pointers, which was the most in a game since 2015. Six different Gophers connected from beyond the arc, most notably newcomers Marcus Carr and Payton Willis, who combined for eight three-pointers. The Gophers ranked 344th nationally in three-pointers per game (5.3) and 300th in three-point percentage (31.7) last season. And that was with Gabe Kalscheur making a freshman school record 77 three-pointers on 41 percent shooting. Kalscheur, who shot 3-for-8 in the opener from three, should have more help now from deep. Oklahoma got 62 points combined from guards De'Vion Harmon and Austin Reaves and Manek, but they shot just 4-for-19 from three-point range together vs. UTSA.
Turnover battle – The Gophers showed off great chemistry and unselfishness in the opener with an impressive 26 assists on 31 field goals, which included 20 assists and just three turnovers from the starting backcourt of Carr, Willis and Kalscheur. Problem is the rest of the team had 14 of the 17 turnovers, including eight turnovers combined from the starting frontcourt of Oturu and Demir. Minnesota gave up the ball away too often, but it also scored 28 points on 16 Cleveland State turnovers earlier this week. The Sooners forced 15 turnovers in their opening win, but nine of their 15 turnovers committed came from their new backcourt of Harmon, Reaves and Jamal Bieniemy.
GAME INFO
Time: 7 p.m. CT, Saturday. Where: Sanford Pentagon. Line: 4.5-point underdogs. Series: Minnesota and Oklahoma series tied 4-4, including last meeting 67-54 loss in Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 27, 2004. TV: Big Ten Network. Online/Live video: BTNPlus Radio: 103.5.
PROJECTED STARTERS
