Minnesota Info
Head Coach: Ben Johnson (4th year)
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Conference: B1G
Nickname: Golden Gophers
Mascot: Goldie the Gopher
Shirt to wear: Red or White depending on where you sit
Line: Nebraska by 9
Last Time Out: Lost to Nortwestern
Typical Rotation Depth: 7+
KenPom rank: 91
Nota bene:
- Minnesota PG Lu'Cye Patterson and Brice Williams were teammates at Charlotte, winning the CBI in 2023
- Minnesota has won their last 3 road games
- Minnesota hasn't won a game yet at the Pinnacle Bank Arena and in fact have not won at Nebraska since the Doc Sadler era in 2012
- The Gophers and Cornhuskers have faced off 87 times, the most Nebraska has faced a B1G opponent
- Ben Johnson was an assistant for 1 year under Tim Miles
- Gophers Frank and Mike Mitchell are not related
- Nebraska is the 2nd most experienced team in the B1G per KenPom's D-1 experience stat (26th overall). Minnesota is the most experienced, clocking in at 4th most experienced in D-1.
- Minnesota doesn't play a ton of bench minutes, ranking 294th in that stat. The Gophers have 4 players averaging over 29 mpg
- Minnesota lost 4 players to the transfer portal in what appears to be NIL related issues and that doesn't even include Nebraska flipping Andrew Morgan from the Gophers
Player to watch: Dawson Garcia
Garcia is the focal point of Minnesota offense, leading the team in rebounds and assists. While shooting 35.8% from 3 on the season, he's currently at just 31.7% in conference play. Garcia averages 5.5 fouls draws per 40 minutes so he certainly can put your posts in foul trouble. While you could consider him a center, functionally Garcia mostly operates as a stretch 4 when paired with non-3pt shooting forward Parker Fox or undersized center Frank Mitchell.
Player to watch: Lu'Cye Patterson
A former teammate of Brice Williams at Charlotte, Patterson is the primary ball handler and only other Gopher scoring in double digits. Patterson's shot has been unreliable after moving up to this level and he has a putrid 42.3% eFG%, shooting poorly from 2 and 3.
Minnesota's Roster
| Player | # | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | Summary |
| Dawson Garcia | 3 | SR | F | 6-11 | 230 | 19.6 Pts 7.6 Reb 2.0 Ast |
| Lu'Cye Patterson | 25 | SR | G | 6-1 | 230 | 11.5 Pts 3.6 Reb 3.4 Ast |
| Mike Mitchell | 2 | SR | G | 6-2 | 185 | 9.5 Pts 2.0 Reb 2.9 Ast |
| Femi Odukale | 11 | SR | G | 6-5 | 185 | 6.8 Pts 4.5 Reb 3.5 Ast |
| Parker Fox | 23 | SR | F | 6-8 | 210 | 6.2 Pts 2.6 Reb 1.1 Ast |
| Isaac Asuma | 1 | FR | G | 6-3 | 196 | 5.8 Pts 2.9 Reb 2.0 Ast |
| Frank Mitchell | 0 | JR | F | 6-8 | 240 | 4.4 Pts 3.9 Reb 0.8 Ast |
| Brennan Rigsby | 24 | SR | G | 6-3 | 180 | 4.3 Pts 1.7 Reb 0.6 Ast |
| Trey Edmonds | 5 | SR | F | 6-9 | 240 | 2.6 Pts 2.4 Reb 0.2 Ast |
| Kadyn Betts | 4 | SO | F | 6-8 | 215 | 1.6 Pts 0.5 Reb 0.0 Ast |
| Caleb Williams | 6 | SR | G | 6-2 | 200 | 1.8 Pts 0.2 Reb 0.0 Ast |
PG turned SG Mike Mitchell came into this season as a 40% 3pt shooter; he's currently hitting 33.1% from 3 this season though he's a guy that will start hucking if one goes in. Much traveled forward Femi Odukale leads the team in assists, blocks, and steals. He's a glue guy defender type on this roster and is likely to shadow Brice Williams. Freshman guard Isaac Asuma gets plenty of run off the bench as while he doesn't shoot a ton he's been an accurate outside shooter for the Gophers at 37.1% on the year. Between Mike Mitchell, Patterson, Odukale, and Asuma your 1-3 guards minutes are covered with the occasional 4 guard lineup. Parker Fox and Frank Mitchell are in a time share of undersized centers who don't shoot 3s. Both of them score inside at over 60%, are poor FT shooters, and tend to be foul prone. Mitchell is beefier and is a human offensive rebounding advantage.
UNL Game Notes
Roster/infirmary report
Possible starters for Nebraska
3 Guard Brice Williams 6-7 214 lbs Senior
4 Forward Juwan Gary 6-6 226 lbs Senior
24 Guard Rollie Worster 6-5 210 lbs Senior
23 Forward Andrew Morgan 6-10 242 lbs Senior
1 Guard Sam Hoiberg 6-0 185 lbs Junior
Bench
9 Forward Berke Büyüktuncel 6-10 244 lbs
0 Guard Connor Essegian 6-4 190 lbs Junior
2 Guard Ahron Ulis 6-3 190 lbs Senior
34 Center Braxton Meah 7-1 264 lbs Senior
31 Guard Cale Jacobsen 6-4 195 lbs Sophomore
12 Guard Gavin Griffiths 6-7 193 lbs Sophomore
8 Guard Jeffrey Grace III 6-3 200 lbs Junior
35 Forward Henry Burt 6-7 222 lbs Sophomore
*20 Forward Justin Bolis 6-8 225 lbs Sophomore
*25 Guard Nick Janowski 6-4 208 lbs Freshman
*5 Forward Braden Frager 6-7 220 lbs Freshman
*Redshirting
Out for year
51 Forward Rienk Mast 6-10 260 lbs Senior
Hoiberg's takeaway was that we played with the type of intensity that gives us a chance to win any game
The Skinny:
This is as must win as it gets at this point in the season as a loss to the Gophers would be a black mark on Nebraska's resume that they cannot afford. While Minnesota does offer some challenges in terms of being skilled at moving the ball around to find holes in Nebraska's defense, overall the Gophers are the type of team Nebraska is set up to defeat; Minnesota doesn't shoot a ton of 3 nor do they shoot them well. Conversely, they're trying to take away the 3 though may adjust for the Huskers.
Minnesota will try and run things towards the rim on offense but with the exception of Dawson Garcia, no one draws a lot of fouls. In part with working the ball around, they can get sloppy with the ball. When Frank Mitchell is in the game, Minny is a larger threat for offensive rebounds. When he's out? Nebraska should lean into transition to cut into the legs of the Gophers. As we've already established, Minnesota is trying to run you off the 3pt line where they excel at generating poor looks. There are points to be found here though as once you penetrate into the paint there are chances to get to the FT line or kick out for an open 3.
This might sound simplistic but teams typically beat Minnesota by simply outscoring them. Pace is something to keep track of as a low possession game favors the Gophers. As long as Nebraska can play a solid game on both ends, they should walk away with a home win.
Prediction: Nebraska 80 - Minnesota 70
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