The No. 9/10 (AP/Coaches) Hoosiers face its third Big Ten road test when the team travels to Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers. IU has not fared well at "The Barn" in recent years (or anywhere on the road for that matter), but has a 3-0 road record this season. IU is 1-4 at Williams Arena since 2000, with the lone win coming in the 2003-2004 season. IU did not play in Minneapolis during the 2002-2003 and 2006-2007 seasons.
For Thursday's paper, Mike previewed the match-up while I wrote about Armon Bassett's big game against Illinois and his importance to the Hoosiers. There has been no word on Bassett, so I assume Bassett will see about 20 minutes again this game. Jon asked in his column if the No. 9 Hoosiers can fare better at the Barn than the last time IU came in ranked the ninth-best team in the country. The Gophers are led by a trio of seniors - Spencer Tollackson, Dan Coleman and Lawerence McKenzie (who played for Coach Sampson at Oklahoma). Coach Tubby Smith has the Gophers playing beyond the expectations of the so-called experts heading into the season, posting a 12-3 (2-1 Big 10) record.
This is an important game for the Hoosiers who want to keep pace with Wisconsin atop of the Big Ten standings. Winning road games is what makes a champion in this league.
How do the Hoosiers stack up to the Gophers? Can IU get a big road win in the Twin Cities? Mike and I are leaving at 6 am to drive there - we will post from the game.
Game Info: IU @ Minnesota 9pm on ESPN
