STrib: Is Gophers backcourt Big Ten ready? Elijah Hawkins, Mike Mitchell Jr. lead the way

[BleedGopher]

Per Marcus:

Ben Johnson's first Big Ten victory as Gophers men's basketball coach came three years ago at Michigan with a team that was led by a veteran backcourt.

As the Gophers resume conference play Thursday in Ann Arbor, Johnson sees similarities between his first backcourt and the one led by transfers Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr. this season.

Hawkins, who leads the nation in assists, led Howard to the NCAA tournament last year.

Mitchell, arguably the team's hottest offensive player, had some of his biggest games at Pepperdine the past two seasons playing in tough West Coast Conference games.

The experience of Hawkins and Mitchell, complemented by promising younger guards, could be the difference for the Gophers (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) as they try to extend their winning streak to six.

"You're looking at a lot of trust in your backcourt," Johnson said. "I don't think they'll be rattled. I don't think they'll be shaken by the [road] environment. That trickles down to everybody else."

Is Gophers backcourt Big Ten ready? Elijah Hawkins, Mike Mitchell Jr. lead the way

Big Ten play resumes Thursday at Michigan with the Gophers led by Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr., their most experienced backcourt since 2021.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[goldenboy]

That Meatchicken win was TWO years ago, Marcus. Not that we’ve grown to expect anything close to accuracy from the media these days.

 

[Classof 66]

That Meatchicken win was TWO years ago, Marcus. Not that we’ve grown to expect anything close to accuracy from the media these days.

It might have made more sense to bellyache about the column BEFORE the Michigan game was played. Based on that one game sample, Marcus piece seems pretty prophetic. It does look like the new backcourt is BIG ready, capable of competing in BIG - and may start to gain some national attention. Those were Marcus points.