Floundering Big Ten teams have a shot at getting it together when the Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-17, 9-13-2 ATS, 1-13 Big Ten) head to Champaign to play the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-9, 17-9-0 ATS, 8-7 Big Ten) for the second time this season. When these teams met in Minnesota a month ago, Illinois cruised to a 78-60 victory, dominating the second half. It marked the third straight Illinois win over Minnesota, all on the road. The Fighting Illini haven't hosted the Golden Gophers in basketball since December 2020, but have also taken three straight home games over the Golden Gophers. This game will tip off at 9:00 p.m. EST in the State Farm Center.
A seven-point loss to Penn State on Saturday night brought Minnesota's losing streak to nine games. They have a 1-13 record in conference play, predictably putting them in last place. KenPom agrees that they've been the worst Big Ten team this season, ranking them 222nd in the nation. The closest Big Ten school to them is ranked 96th.
Minnesota battled on Saturday although it ended in another loss. They were down 10 at halftime but managed to take the lead in the second half. A nearly four-minute scoreless stretch afterward doomed them though, spoiling a 50.0% shooting night for the team. Sophomore guard Dawson Garcia returned from injury for that game and didn't miss a beat, pouring in a team-high 23 points.
Garcia is the leading scorer for the Golden Gophers this season, averaging 15.4 per game for a Minnesota team putting up 61.2 a night. While that number is very low, 353rd natio nwide, it can be partially excused by their slow pace. However, their 30.2% three-point shooting, 341st in the nation and last in the Big Ten, can not be. Neither can their 60.3% free-throw shooting, the worst clip in the country. Overall, Minnesota shoots 42.1%, 12th in the Big Ten and 341st in the nation.
Defense doesn't mask Minnesota's awful offense, as they allow 69.5 points per contest, 13th in the 14-team Big Ten, despite playing at one of the conference's slowest tempos. They have the worst three-point percentage against, allowing foes to knock down 35.7%. Opponents shoot 43.7% against them, 12th in the Big Ten.
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