Gophers men's basketball at No. 22 Wisconsin
THREE THINGS TO WATCH:
HANDLING HAPP – As Gophers coach Richard Pitino stated in his Wednesday press conference, Wisconsin senior center Ethan Happ is basically "unstoppable" 1-on-1 in the post, but Minnesota actually held him in check in their last meeting in a 73-63 overtime loss in Madison. Happ scored 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting in 40 minutes against former backup Bakary Konate, but he did have a basket that tied it 59-59 at the end of regulation. The challenge of limiting Happ this year will most likely fall on 6-foot-10 freshman Daniel Oturu, who has been one of the top young big men in the league this season. He's averaging 14.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks during Minnesota's 5-0 run since a Dec. 2 loss at Ohio State. Happ struggled finishing against 6-10 freshman Charles Bassey in Wisconsin's loss at Western Kentucky last week. Oturu has similar length to Bassey with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. They're both Nigerian and were on the Nike Hoop Summit World team roster in April. Bassey is considered a potential NBA first-round pick this year. Oturu's has next-level potential, but it will be a lot to ask him to shut down the best low-post player in college basketball. If Oturu gets into early foul trouble, the Gophers won't want All-Big Ten senior forward Jordan Murphy to guard Happ. That responsibility will carry over to 7-foot senior Matz Stockman or redshirt sophomore Eric Curry, who made his season debut Thursday against Mount St. Mary's. Curry is Minnesota's best low-post defender and had experience facing Happ two years ago.
MINNESOTA FLAVOR – The Gophers have three Minnesotans in the starting lineup. The rival Badgers have a couple of their own. That will mean a lot of familiar faces going head-to-head on Thursday. Amir Coffey (Hopkins High School), Gabe Kalscheur (DeLaSalle) and Oturu (Cretin-Derham Hall) have started all season for Pitino. Brad Davison (Maple Grove) and Nate Reuvers (Lakeville North) have also been two of Greg Gard's regulars. Oturu and Reuvers faced off in the Minnesota Class 4A third place game won by Cretin in 2017. Kalscheur, Oturu and Davison were AAU teammates with Howard Pulley. An All-Big Ten freshman last year, Davison was having a sophomore slump until scoring 20-plus points twice in his last three games, including 26 points in the loss at Western Kentucky. Coffey might be the spark the Gophers need to get their first win in Madison since 2009. He had a career-best 32 points in the last Big Ten game Dec. 5 in a win against Nebraska at home.
CURRY'S CONTRIBUTION – After missing last season with torn ligaments and meniscus in his left knee, Curry was sidelined for the first 12 games this season after cleanup knee surgery in the fall. Curry made his season debut Dec. 30 with four points and six rebounds in 17 minutes. His role could be similar to his freshman year. The 6-9 Memphis native averaged 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 19.9 minutes off the bench on the U's NCAA tournament team in 2017. Curry was projected as the starting center this year until surgery in late October after an MRI revealed cartilage damage with his previously injured left knee swelling. Swelling continued to push his recovery time past the four-to-six week timetable, but Curry said doctors have assured him the issue was resolved. Curry's last Big Ten regular season game was also against No. 22 Wisconsin in Madison, but it was in a 66-49 loss in 2017.
GAME INFO
Time: 8 p.m. CT, Thursday. Where: Kohl Center. Line: Gophers 9-point underdogs. Series: Gophers and Badgers are tied 96-96, excluding vacated games. Last meeting 73-63 overtime loss at Wisconsin. TV: BTN. Online/Live video: BTNPlus Radio: 100.3 FM.
PROJECTED STARTERS
