Oklahoma State vs. Gophers men's basketball (inaugural U.S. Bank Stadium Classic)
THREE THINGS TO WATCH:
Handling the pressure – Oklahoma State knows exactly what its identity is -- playing fast on offense and defense. Cowboys second-year coach Mike Boynton was an assistant under Brad Underwood at Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma State, so he adopted the same uptempo and aggressive ball pressure that pushes the ball and creates havoc defensively. Illinois leads the Big Ten forcing 18.4 turnovers a game. Boynton's squad isn't quite at that level yet, but the Cowboys did upset No. 19 LSU 90-77 after forcing 16 turnovers, including six from Tigers sophomore guard Tremont Waters. The Gophers love to run and play a transition style as well. But the last time Amir Coffey faced this type of pressure it didn't look good when he committed six of Minnesota's season-high 20 turnovers against Texas A&M, which included 16 for the team in the first half. Dispersing the ball-handling duties between Coffey, Dupree McBrayer and Isaiah Washington will be a must, but so will passing instead of dribbling out of trouble.
Paint touches – The Gophers have faced primarily zone defenses the last several games daring them to shoot the ball – and they have failed miserably (36 percent shooting in the last four games). Outside shooting isn't a strength no matter how much time you spend practicing. So why not play to your strength. That's definitely playing through All-Big Ten forward Jordan Murphy, who is leading the Gophers with 14.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per game (second in the Big Ten). Murphy had 11 of his 16 points in the first half of Monday's loss at Boston College. Minnesota trailed by one. Even before he fouled out in the second half, Murphy was not getting consistent touches when he was in the game. Zone defenses make it difficult to score in the paint, but the Gophers need to find ways to get Murphy the ball. Whether it's flashing to the middle or on the baseline. He's averaging a team-best 3.7 assists per game, so Murphy should be able to find the open man when he's double teamed. Daniel Oturu got some good looks inside by crashing the offensive boards Monday, but he was just 3-for-9 from the field, including two missed dunks. The 6-foot-10 freshman becoming more of a scoring threat will allow Murphy to get more touches as well.
Time for some Jelly – This might be the perfect game for Isaiah Washington to get going. The sophomore point guard from New York is off to a rough start this season after his 11-assist performance in the opener against Omaha. Minnesota hasn't been able to play much in transition and speed up the tempo since then. That has affected Washington's effectiveness. He's not the type of player who can sit back and pick apart defenses with his jump shot. Making plays off the dribble will be a challenge against Oklahoma State's ball pressure, but Washington is the team's best ball handler. Shot selection is always his Kryptonite. Can the Jelly Fam king play under control and have his first breakout game this season? The Gophers need Washington to show the potential he did at the end of last season (averaged 13 points and three assists in the last nine games) sooner than later. He's averaging just 4.3 points on 21 percent shooting from the field this season.
GAME INFO
Time: 9:00 p.m. CT, Friday. Where: U.S. Bank Stadium. Line: plus-4. Series: Minnesota and Oklahoma State are tied 3-3. Last victory came with the Cowboys 66-62 win in Sioux Falls, S.D. in 2015. TV: Big Ten Network. Online/Live video: BTNPlus Radio: 100.3 FM.
PROJECTED STARTERS
