Hoosiers look to stomp Gophers in Assembly Hall

During the past three seasons, the IU men’s basketball team hasn’t had consistent success against Big Ten teams. Of the eight Big Ten wins No. 8/7 IU had in the three previous seasons, two of those came at home against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The Hoosiers (15-1, 3-1) will try to make it three straight wins against the Gophers (12-5, 0-4) on Thursday in their first home game since returning from winter break.

“We fully expect that they’re going to come out like their hair’s on fire, and we’ve got to do the same thing,” IU Coach Tom Crean said.

After a 12-1 start to the nonconference season, Minnesota is winless through its first four Big Ten games, including a double-overtime road loss to Illinois and a five-point setback at No. 13 Michigan.

In a preseason poll conducted by various media outlets in the Big Ten, Minnesota was picked to finish seventh in the conference thanks to the return of All-Big Ten forward Trevor Mbakwe.

Those predictions took a serious hit when Mbakwe’s season came to an end as he tore his ACL in the Gophers’ seventh game of the season. At the time, Mbakwe was averaging 14 points and nine rebounds a game, and with his loss, Minnesota has had to reshuffle its lineup.   

“You’re not only taking a great player out, but you’re taking away a double-double guy that is a lot more than 10 (points) and 10 (rebounds) at any given time, and he commands a double team,” Crean said of Mbakwe’s loss.

The Gophers slid 6-foot-7-inch forward Rodney Williams to the power forward slot alongside 7-foot center Ralph Sampson III. Guard Julian Welch was inserted in the starting lineup and is averaging 11 points a game in Big Ten play.

“Losing Mbakwe did hurt them in certain aspects, as far as rebounding and stuff like that, but they’re still a great offensive rebounding team, and they are still a very athletic team more than anything,” junior forward Christian Watford said. “They get up and down the court, and they do a lot of cutting and screens.”

Defensively, the Gophers lead the Big Ten in blocks and steals per game but are at the bottom of the conference in 3-point field goal defense. Minnesota is coming off a game in which it allowed Purdue to hit 10 first-half 3-pointers.

The 3-point weapon has been the Hoosiers’ strength all season long as they lead the nation in shooting with 47.6 percent from behind the arc.

It is still unclear whether sophomore forward Will Sheehey will return to the lineup, as he has missed the past five games with an
ankle injury.

Crean said Sheehey did return to practice this week, but once again, IU will have to rely on its depth, which has given the Hoosiers some crucial minutes without their top-bench performer.

“I’ve learned that when you take somebody out, you better get away real quick from hoping that they fill that role and figure out exactly how they are going to fill the role they can fill,” Crean said. “So now, as we move forward, that gives us that much more versatility.”