Jordan Murphy definitely wasn't hunting for points or rebounds trying to reach double figures in Saturday's 75-71 Gophers loss against Indiana.
There was little doubt the 6-foot-7 junior forward would score at least 10 points when he was only a few points away even in foul trouble at halftime. But Murphy faced an uphill battle having to grab nine rebounds in the second half to tie ex-Wake Forest star Tim Duncan's double-double streak to start the season with 17 in a row.
Like some of his teammates, Murphy missed on opportunities to tie the game late, including the front end of a one-and-one and a desperation three-pointer.
He still finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. And, of course, Murphy's amazing streak that hasn't been done in 21 years in college basketball is still alive – with a chance to pass the San Antonio native's idol Duncan in Wednesday's game at Northwestern.
It was a lot tougher on Murphy than even previous games when he would face double teams, especially with the absence of suspended center Reggie Lynch. Murphy shot 5-for-14 from the field and had four turnovers, but he was 7-for-8 from the foul line.
"He battled," Gophers coach Richard Pitino said. "I'm proud of him to tie that record. Forget about today's game. As disappointed as I am that we didn't win, you take a step back. Seventeen double-doubles ties a record. I may not be happy with anything right now, but I'm really proud of him. He's come a long way and that's an awesome streak that he should be proud of."
Murphy's mother, Celia, who is from the Virgin Islands like Duncan, said this week she always saw the same quiet and humble but driven personality in her son that the San Antonio Spurs legend had. Murphy's family loved following and watching Duncan for so many years.
"I almost had a heart attack watching this game," Murphy's mom said Saturday. "But hopefully this will be a positive thing for fans to focus on, at least for a moment."
