Gophers men's basketball vs. Michigan State
THREE THINGS TO WATCH:
Post presence – The Gophers don't often get dominated in the post like they did in the last meeting against Michigan State in a 79-55 loss Feb. 9 in East Lansing. Spartan center Nick Ward outscored Minnesota's starting frontcourt himself 22-17, to go along with nine rebounds. Gophers All-Big Ten senior Jordan Murphy had just five points on 1-for-4 shooting and six rebounds in 30 minutes. You would think Murphy was in foul trouble, but he had zero fouls and the field goal attempts were the fewest in a Big Ten game since his sophomore season. Freshman center Daniel Oturu had 12 points and seven rebounds, but Ward gave him trouble early and often. Oturu was replaced by senior center Matz Stockman throughout the game due to foul trouble. Stockman, who had six points and four rebounds in 16 minutes last month vs. Michigan State, was not fully cleared in Saturday's morning shootaround and is expected to be sidelined for the third straight game with a concussion. Ward, who is averaging just five points in 11 minutes the last five games, has been limited since returning from a broken hand. Minnesota might see the Spartans play Ward more than in the their win Thursday against Bradley, but Xavier Tillman and Kenny Goins will likely get the bulk of minutes in the frontcourt. Stockman's absence means freshman Jarvis Omersa and junior Michael Hurt will play backup roles behind Oturu and Murphy. Murphy was suffering from back spasms after getting banged up in Thursday's 86-76 win vs. 7-seed Louisville, but he felt much better in Saturday's shootaround after sitting out practice Friday. Murphy and Oturu combined for 31 points and 12 rebounds vs. the Cardinals.
Cassius and Coffey – Spartan guard Cassius Winston, who was the Big Ten player of the year, had 26 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field and 8-for-8 from the foul line in Thursday's win against Bradley. Winston struggled scoring in his last outing vs. Minnesota with 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting, but he also had nine assists and zero turnovers. Gophers junior guard Amir Coffey is averaging 21.7 points in his last six games, but he only had four points and four turnovers in a loss at Michigan State last month. Coffey never got his rhythm going after being spending most of the first half on the bench with foul trouble. In Thursday's win against Louisville, Coffey scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half. With the Cardinals' defense focused on Coffey, freshman Gabe Kalscheur took advantage with 17 of his 24 points in the second half, including four of his five three-pointers. Kalscheur will likely get the toughest defensive assignment in the backcourt to guard Winston, so he will need to avoid foul trouble to stay on the floor. Spartan guard Matt McQuaid probably should've been on the All-Big Ten tournament team with 27 points vs. the Wolverines in the title game. McQuaid, who had 18 points vs. Minnesota last month, is also a member of the all-league defensive team.
Transition defense – The Gophers are at their best running the floor and scoring on the fastbreak, but the Spartans might be the best in the Big Ten at scoring in transition. Winston doesn't hesitate to push the ball up the court and Michigan State's big men are basically thoroughbred getting out on the break. Minnesota was outscored 18-0 in fastbreak points in the 24-point road loss in East Lansing. Gophers coach Richard Pitino relies a lot on his starters (they scored all 86 points) and plays them heavy minutes, but they might need some rest if Saturday's game becomes a track meet.
GAME INFO
Time: 6:45 p.m. CT, Saturday. Where: Wells Fargo Arena. Line: Gophers 11.0-point underdog. Series: Michigan State leads the series 70-60, including winning the last meeting 79-55 on Feb. 9 in East Lansing.TV: CBS. Online/Live video: NCAA.com Radio: 100.3 FM.
PROJECTED STARTERS
