BleedGopher
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Per the Herald Bulletin:
While Indiana men’s basketball fans will be understandably focused on the Hoosiers and their swirl of problems at present, it might escape notice Indiana’s next opponent is quietly putting together a solid season that has taken it out of pushover status.
Minnesota visits Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff Friday.
In 2023, the Golden Gophers were historically bad. They failed to crack the double-digit victory mark, and their Big Ten winning percentage of .105 represented the program’s worst conference mark since World War II.
Moreover, Minnesota lost two of its three leading scorers from that team, including Jamison Battle to Big Ten rival Ohio State.
However, Ben Johnson — like Indiana’s Mike Woodson, in his third year as head coach — has put together a solid squad for the 2023-24 season — one that has been far more competitive in Big Ten play to date.
Minnesota (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) has already exceeded both its overall and conference win total from a year ago and is currently just a game out of first place.
To be sure, it’s not as if Minnesota has run through a gauntlet of a schedule. The Gophers’ non-conference schedule is rated as the worst in Division I by Kenpom.com.
Also, Minnesota hasn’t overwhelmed opponents in the Big Ten, either, but it has found a way to emerge victorious. The Gophers won one-possession victories against Michigan and Maryland. Their most impressive victory is a 76-65 win against Nebraska in December. The Cornhuskers have lost just once since.
Still, it represents progress under Johnson.
“The fun part of this team is we can really improve in all areas. Some teams you feel you have a ceiling. With this group, we can tighten up on everything, which is a good thing,” said Johnson on his coach’s show this week.
www.heraldbulletin.com
Go Gophers!!
While Indiana men’s basketball fans will be understandably focused on the Hoosiers and their swirl of problems at present, it might escape notice Indiana’s next opponent is quietly putting together a solid season that has taken it out of pushover status.
Minnesota visits Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff Friday.
In 2023, the Golden Gophers were historically bad. They failed to crack the double-digit victory mark, and their Big Ten winning percentage of .105 represented the program’s worst conference mark since World War II.
Moreover, Minnesota lost two of its three leading scorers from that team, including Jamison Battle to Big Ten rival Ohio State.
However, Ben Johnson — like Indiana’s Mike Woodson, in his third year as head coach — has put together a solid squad for the 2023-24 season — one that has been far more competitive in Big Ten play to date.
Minnesota (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) has already exceeded both its overall and conference win total from a year ago and is currently just a game out of first place.
To be sure, it’s not as if Minnesota has run through a gauntlet of a schedule. The Gophers’ non-conference schedule is rated as the worst in Division I by Kenpom.com.
Also, Minnesota hasn’t overwhelmed opponents in the Big Ten, either, but it has found a way to emerge victorious. The Gophers won one-possession victories against Michigan and Maryland. Their most impressive victory is a 76-65 win against Nebraska in December. The Cornhuskers have lost just once since.
Still, it represents progress under Johnson.
“The fun part of this team is we can really improve in all areas. Some teams you feel you have a ceiling. With this group, we can tighten up on everything, which is a good thing,” said Johnson on his coach’s show this week.
With Garcia, Hawkins, Minnesota has quietly improved
Indiana hosts Minnesota at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Golden Gophers have already exceeded their overall and conference win total from 2023.
Go Gophers!!