Gophers-Nebraska game preview
January 12, 2016 at 6:39AM
About the Gophers (6-10, 0-4 Big Ten): Their 77-52 loss to Northwestern on Saturday was the Gophers' most-lopsided home defeat to the Wildcats. They were outscored 45-26 in the second half, when Northwestern connected on 65.2 percent (15-for-23) from the floor. The Gophers, having lost five consecutive games and eight of its past nine, are one of two Big Ten schools still without a conference victory. A loss Tuesday would equal last season's 0-5 conference start. … Freshman forward Jordan Murphy has managed only 13 points and 10 rebounds in the past two games, his worst two-game total since putting up nine points and 11 rebounds against Missouri State and Texas Tech in Puerto Rico on Nov. 20 and 22. … The Gophers are shooting only 41.2 percent from the field, worst in the Big Ten.
About Nebraska (9-8, 1-3): The Cornhuskers broke an 11-game regular-season conference losing streak that dated to last February, as well as a 10-game losing streak in road conference games, when they plowed past Rutgers 90-56 Saturday. Now Nebraska is hoping for its first back-to-back victories since beating Southeast Louisiana and Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 22 and 24. The Huskers never trailed at Rutgers, which was playing without four post players and had only seven scholarship athletes available due to injuries, and bested the Scarlett Knights 52-20 in the paint. The 34-point win was the largest margin of victory ever for Nebraska in a conference road game. Junior Andrew White III, who leads the Huskers with 17.5 points a game, finished with 28 points on 11-for-14 shooting and had nine rebounds.
AMELIA RAYNO
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Basketball Across Minnesota: Aaliyah Crump, who committed to Texas, is spending her senior year at Montverde Academy in Florida on a team filled with Division I recruits.
