Column: Road win would be huge

I’m going to write a sentence that at first seems to be an extreme case of hyperbole.
When IU (14-8, 4-5) travels north to play Minnesota (15-8, 4-6), it could be the biggest win of the year for IU.

Now, stay with me.

Sure, the Hoosiers have been giant killers at Assembly Hall this year. They defeated previously-unbeaten No. 3 Wisconsin and then took down No. 10 Michigan on Super Bowl Sunday.

But this would be bigger.

IU is 1-4 on the road this season. Its only win was against Penn State, who opened up the season 0-6 in the Big Ten.

The Hoosiers need this. They need this to become .500 in the conference, and to take one more step toward making the NCAA Tournament.

When the Hoosiers play at home, they feed off the energy of fans in Assembly Hall. They exude confidence and intensity. The next step in becoming an upper-tier Big Ten team is to become a force on the road.

The Hoosiers melted in Lincoln, Neb., after building a 13-point lead at halftime, only to be outscored by 18 points in the second half. They put together one good half of basketball on the road.

The Barn will be a great test of whether or not they can sustain that intensity.

The Gophers beat Ohio State and Wisconsin by a combined 23 points. Minnesota barely lost to Northwestern by one point last Saturday, which suggests they might be vulnerable.

Guard Andre Hollins’ health will be a key factor. Hollins was doubtful for Wednesday’s game against Purdue, and ended up playing. But he looked very sluggish and rusty.

Against Purdue, the Gophers’ best player was 5-foot-9 guard Deandre Mathieu.

He was scrappy, quick and was always in the middle of everything. Expect Mathieu to drive a lot in this game, especially if Hollins still isn’t 100 percent.

But when Mathieu does drive, he will be met by the long arms of freshman forward Noah Vonleh, who has a propensity for stuffing players at the rim.

Everything about this game screams an IU win. The Gophers have lost three straight and four of their last five.

And those three losses weren’t to the Big Ten’s elite. Minnesota has been beaten by Nebraska, Northwestern and Purdue in its last three. But those were without a healthy Hollins.

IU is coming off its single best defensive performance of the year, holding the dynamic Wolverine offense to just 52 points. The Hoosiers didn’t have a midweek game, so their legs should be as fresh as ever.

But I just can’t do it. I can’t pick IU to win.

This team is too inconsistent. This team folded in the second half against Nebraska on the road. It beat Penn State by three. In its best-played road game, it lost to Michigan State by just five. And the Spartans were playing without NBA prospect Adreian Payne.

Until IU proves me wrong, which it has a chance of doing, I won’t pick it on the road against a decent Big Ten team. Which of course means it will probably win.

Nevertheless, my prediction – Minnesota 71, IU 70.

Evan Hoopfer is 8-5 in predictions this year.

­Follow columnist Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer