BREAKING: Mike Woodson won’t coach the team on Wednesday
Game Day Essentials:
Indiana (13-6, 4-4) at Minnesota (7-11, 1-7)
- Tip Time: 9:00 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Williams Arena (14,625), Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Television: BTN (Cory Provus and Robbie Hummel)
- Stream: Fox Sports
- IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
- Point Spread: Indiana is a 10-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: No. 20 Indiana 74 No. 191 Minnesota 63
- Series: Indiana leads 106-69. IU won last meeting 84-79 on Feb. 27, 2022
Minnesota’s Ben Johnson:
Ben Johnson is in his 2nd season as head coach of the Golden Gophers.
In his first season in Minneapolis, he led the team to a 13-17 record and 4-16 mark in Big Ten play. Although the team struggled, they did win at Michigan for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
On the recruiting trail, Johnson signed the No. 60 ranked class of 2022 according to 247sports and as of right now has the No. 38 ranked class of 2023.
Prior to becoming head coach at Minnesota, Johnson was an assistant coach at Xavier for three seasons. While there, the Musketeers had a 51-37 record and secured consecutive top-30 recruiting classes in 2019 and 2020.
Johnson, who graduated from Minnesota in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, played two seasons for the Golden Gophers. He scored 533 points in 59 games.
Minnesota’s results and roster:
Minnesota is 3-10 in their last 13 games and have only beaten one Power 5 opponent this season — Ohio State. That was when Buckeyes starting center Zed Key was out with an injury, however. That was also Minnesota’s only KenPom top-100 win.
They are currently on a three-game slide and have lost five of six. Minnesota has already lost six games on their home court this season.
Minnesota Notes
• Leading scorer and rebounder Dawson Garcia, a former Indiana recruiting target, is out of the game with an ankle injury.
• Minnesota freshman guard Braeden Carrington has suffered a right leg stress reaction and will be sidelined for approximately four weeks, announced Jan. 19. His status will be re-evaluated after that time.
• The Gophers look to snap a five game losing skid to the Hoosiers with the last win coming on Feb. 16, 2019. Minnesota is 46-37 all time against the Hoosiers on its home court.
• Wednesday’s game marks the only game contested between the two teams this year. Minnesota played Indiana both at Williams Arena and Bloomington, Ind., last year.
• Wednesday’s game is the annual Coaches vs. Cancer game. For nearly 30 years, the Coaches vs. Cancer program, in collaboration with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, has united coaches and fans nationwide to help the American Cancer Society defeat a common enemy – cancer.
• The Gophers are coming off 60-56 loss to Michigan Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich. Ta’Lon Cooper led Minnesota with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his second point-rebound double-double of the season, while Jamison Battle (14 points), and Dawson Garcia (13 points) also finished in double figures. The Gophers never trailed in the first half and were tied at halftime at 23-23. However, Michigan took an early lead in the second half and fended off the Gophers for the win.
Minnesota’s 2022-23 KenPom Highlights:
Tempo – No. 288 (Offense No. 308 / Defense No. 222)
Offensive Efficiency – No. 262
- Minnesota’s effective field goal percentage of 48.2 percent is No. 280 nationally. They are No. 256 nationally in two-point percentage (48.2) and rank No. 260 in three-point percentage (32.1).
- The Gophers share the ball, as assists occur on 58.5 percent of field goals made, No. 28.
- Minnesota struggles making shots and the foul line hasn’t been much of a help. Free throws occur on just 30.2 percent of field goal attempts, No. 215. Furthermore, when they get to the line they don’t cash in, making only 59.3 percent as a team, No. 363.
- The Gophers don’t help themselves much on the offensive end, with a 19.5 percent turnover rate (No. 246) and 25.8 percent offensive rebounding rate (No. 269).
Defensive Efficiency – No. 111
- Minnesota ranks No. 76 in overall opponent effective field goal percentage (47.6), including No. 183 in three-point percentage (33.9) and No. 45 in two-point percentage (46.1).
- Free throws come at a premium against the Gophers, as opponents free-throw attempts are just 21.0 percent of field goal attempts, No. 6.
- Taking away the 3-point shot is something Minnesota is good at, with three-point attempts making up just 31.8 percent of opponents field goal attempts, No. 34.
- Minnesota doesn’t turn teams over. Their 16.4 percent forced turnover rate is just No. 305.
- The Gophers allow a lot of offensive rebounds — on 31.8 percent of possessions, No. 295.
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