Gophers facing sellout crowd, hot Penn State squad Saturday
Marcus Carr scored 27 points and had nine assists in Minnesota's 75-69 win over Penn State on Wednesday at Williams Arena. ((credit: University of Minnesota))
MINNEAPOLIS - Richard Pitino won’t have to worry about the University of Minnesota men’s basketball team having to create its own energy in a Big Ten match-up at Penn State on Saturday.
A sellout crowd is expected Saturday when the Gophers face the Nittany Lions, looking for a season sweep.
Happy Valley hasn’t been a great college basketball atmosphere in recent years, but a lot changes when you win consistently. The Nittany Lions, in the ninth season for Pat Chambers as head coach, are 17-5 and 7-4 in the Big Ten. One of those four losses came to the Gophers at Williams Arena back on Jan. 15.
Penn State has won five straight since, including three of its last four on the road. The Nittany Lions accomplished a rarity Tuesday night, beating Michigan State at the Breslin Center 75-70. They’re led by Lamar Stevens, who is averaging 16.9 points and seven rebounds per game for Penn State this season.
He’ll likely be playing in the NBA next year, or exploring a professional opportunity.
“They are not surprisingly playing really, really well. When Lamar Stevens made the decision to come back instead of test the waters and do all that, he sent a message that he’s coming back to go to the NCAA Tournament,” Pitino said Friday. “So credit to him, he’s having a terrific year.”
The game is a sellout, which means the Gophers will have their hands full on the road in the Big Ten. They’re just 1-7 in true road games this season, with the lone victory coming at Ohio State.
Pitino wants his team to embrace the experience that the sold out arena will provide Saturday afternoon. It will be loud, but it’s the way college basketball should be.
“That’s an NCAA Tournament team, so it’s going to be more of a true road game than before where you had to talk about bringing your own energy. I like it that way, I want a packed house,” Pitino said. “I think our guys like that better than an empty building.”
The Gophers (12-10, 6-6) are coming off a much-needed 70-52 win over Wisconsin at Williams Arena Wednesday night. They limited the Badgers to 22 percent shooting in the second half, including just 1-of-16 from the perimeter.
Payton Willis scored a career-high 21 points, shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range after missing Minnesota’s loss at Illinois with a shoulder injury. It was just his second game in the last 10 scoring in double figures as he’s also been battling an ankle injury. He called the shoulder injury a blessing this week, saying it allowed his ankle to heal.
Daniel Oturu was one of four Gophers in double figures Wednesday night with 17 points and 14 rebounds. When Minnesota beat Penn State last month, Oturu went off for 26 points and 14 rebounds.
Oturu and Stevens also did their fair share of trash talking with each other during the game. It got heated enough that Oturu had choice words for him in the postgame hand shake, and they had to be separated as they went to their locker rooms. It makes for an intriguing rematch on Saturday.
“I think in this league, it’s such a competitive league. In this world with so many cameras on you, I think Dan had a learning experience after that game that the camera is always on you. You’ve got to act the right way,” Pitino said. “I know Lamar Stevens is a really good kid, Daniel is a great kid, but they’re competitors. More than anything, find a way to compete at the highest level and push each other, but do it the right way.”
It makes for fun fodder, but the bottom line is the Gophers are looking for a quality road win to add to their NCAA Tournament resume. Minnesota is currently one of 10 teams ranked in the top 42 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, which carry weight for at-large bids on Selection Sunday. Six of Minnesota’s last eight opponents are currently considered Quad 1 win opportunities.
The Gophers likely need to win all four of their remaining home games, and steal a road win Penn State, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Indiana to not be sweating an NCAA bid heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
Penn State is the next opportunity in front of us, and we’ve got to do our very, very best to take advantage of it.