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A battle of the big men takes place on Thursday night with a matchup between the Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-8, 6-6 Big Ten) and the #2 Purdue Boilermakers (22-2, 11-2 Big Ten). Minnesota's Dawson Garcia and Purdue's Zach Edey are two of the most productive bigs in the league. Minnesota just took a close loss on the road, going down to Iowa 90-85, but covered as 7.5-point dogs. Purdue is fresh off a 20-point win over Indiana, winning 79-59 as 17.5-point home favorites. These teams met twice last season, with Purdue winning both matchups. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 EST from Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana and can be found on the Big Ten Network.
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Minnesota is in the middle of the Big Ten standings, they have a 6-6 record, which puts them 7th in the 14 team league. They are currently not projected to get a bid to the NCAA Tournament, but a win over Purdue and a strong finish could put them in. They had recently won three straight games, defeating Penn State on the road, then winning home games over Northwestern and Michigan State. In their last game, they were led by Dawson Garcia with 18 points and seven rebounds in the loss to Iowa.
Cam Christie. WITH THE SLAM.??@24CameronC x @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/vaaf5Ngjzz
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 11, 2024
Garcia is a 6'11, 230 pound junior center who leads the team with 17.3 PPG and 6.6 RPG. He has nice touch, and can shoot the three when necessary, he has 16 made threes on the season. Garcia has scored 10 or more in his last 11 games, and had a season high of 36 coming against Ohio State. Cam Christie is their top scorer from the perimeter, he is a 6'6 freshman guard adding 11.3 PPG and 3.8 RPG. Christie has scored 15 or more in each of his last four games. Mike Mitchell Jr. is another scoring option in the backcourt, the 6'2 junior is their final player averaging double figures with 10.3 PPG. Elijah Hawkins is a 5'11 junior running the point for Minnesota, he leads the entire nation in assists with 7.6 per game while scoring 8.3 PPG.
Minnesota is currently ranked 77th overall according to KenPom. They rank 93rd in offensive efficiency and 63rd in defensive efficiency. The Gophers play at the 234th fastest tempo in colle ge hoops. Minnesota is not projected to get an at-large bid, but still have opportunities to play their way into the NCAA Tournament.
Injury Report: Dawson Garcia left last game with a leg injury, and is questionable for this matchup.