Four things learned from Gophers men's basketball loss against Illinois

Ben Johnson's Gophers cut a 16-point deficit down to just seven points in the first half of Tuesday's 76-53 loss to Illinois, but there still seemed to be something missing with their energy.

So when the Illini went scoreless from the field for nearly six minutes, the Gophers didn't capitalize much before the game got away from them in the second half.

Johnson, who saw his team only lose for the second time this season, was surprised there wasn't more spark and fight. The result was a humbling loss where they trailed by nearly 30 points in front of the home crowd.

"I don't know what the funk was, but that is something we need to find out," Johnson said after the game. "It was the first time it was quiet out there and it was the first time all year that I thought the ball stuck a little bit. … There just wasn't that energy or vibe that we need to have to win."

The Gophers (10-2, 1-2 in the Big Ten) were clearly outmatched in the frontcourt with 7-foot junior Kofi Cockburn bruising his way to 29 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks.

But there were other areas besides Cockburn's inside presence that made it a one-sided affair. Here are four things learned from Tuesday's game against Illinois.

Third option

Jamison Battle and Payton Willis have been on the top of the scouting report for every opponent, but the attention they'll receive in Big Ten play will be magnified.

There were moments this season when the Gophers spread the scoring load around to make it difficult for teams to focus on their top two scorers. The best example that comes to mind was in the Dec. 11 win against Michigan when four starters scored in double figures.

But even in Minnesota's most impressive victory this season, Battle and Willis combined for 44 points, including 34 of the team's 43 points in the second half that night.

That sent a message to every Big Ten opponent moving forward that they would force other players to beat them against the Gophers. Willis and Battle had just 19 points combined on 7-for-21 shooting against Illinois.

"We talked to both of those guys that teams are going to start doing that," Johnson said. "They are going to start to figure out ways to take those two guys out of it. Illinois proved that [Tuesday]. We just have to find ways to play through other people."

Possible candidates would be senior guards E.J. Stephens and Luke Loewe, who scored in double figures in wins vs. Mississippi State and Michigan. But they finished with 13 points combined on 5-for-16 shooting against Illinois. For the first time all season, Stephens also didn't attempt a three-pointer. Senior big man Eric Curry had a solid 10 points, but he spent most of his energy trying to battle Cockburn in the post.

The Gophers are better when sixth-man Sean Sutherlin provides instant offense from the bench. But Sutherlin was limited to two points on 1-for-4 shooting in just 11 minutes Tuesday. He missed the second half to rest an ankle injury.

Lack of depth

Getting the most out of their starters has been the theme so far for the Gophers, who were sitting around last among 358 Division I teams in bench minutes percentage this season.

It's been a known fact that Johnson's squad severely lacks depth. But that really hadn't been a huge concern until Tuesday when Sutherlin was sidelined in the second half.

The 6-5 senior guard was averaging nearly nine points off the bench this season, but he's capable of having a 20-point performance. Backup center Charlie Daniels looked to be more of a scoring threat Tuesday, but he still only had five points in 13 minutes.

The Gophers were looking for someone to give them a lift with the starters struggling, so they played sophomore walk-on Will Ramberg a season-high 14 minutes. Freshmen Abdoulaye Thiam and Treyton Thompson still haven't earned the coaches trust to see meaningful time with just six minutes combined.

Daniels has been asked to do more away from the basket within the offense than he did at Stephen F. Austin. And he's primarily a defensive and rebounding presence.

Where can the Gophers get more offensive bench production if Sutherlin is hampered with his ankle Sunday at Indiana?

Rebound margin

Illinois coach Brad Underwood tried to downplay the significance of his team's obliteration of the Gophers on the board on Tuesday night.

The Illini doubled up their opponent in rebounding margin 52-26 at the Barn, but Underwood thought much of that was from what Minnesota gave up willingly.

"In all fairness, one of the things that Ben is doing is he knows they don't have a really deep team," Underwood said. "So they're not going to the offensive boards. They're selling out that consideration for great, great transitions. They're controlling the possessions that way."

Johnson didn't think the wide difference on the glass was cause for too much of an alarm because Illinois had 13 offensive rebounds. Sounds like a lot but not necessarily for them.

The Illini are the top rebounding team in the Big Ten in margin (plus-14) and offensive boards per game (14.0).

On the other side, the Gophers are 13th in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (minus-5.6) and last in offensive rebounding (plus-5.7). Offensive rebounding percentage (16.5) is actually last in the country for Minnesota, per Kenpom.com.

How much the lack of rebounding hampers the Gophers in the Big Ten the rest of the way will be interesting to track. It should be noted that Michigan State outrebounded them 44-29 in the U's only other loss this season. And the rematch is next Wednesday in East Lansing, Mich.

Mental toughness

It goes without saying that teams have to be physically tough to win in a rugged, grind-it-out league like the Big Ten, but the mental toughness side is equally as important.

The Gophers have more experience than most teams. Five fifth-year seniors and a sixth-year senior in their rotation keep the team dialed in on most nights.

That wasn't the case for most of the game Tuesday, as Johnson mentioned earlier. That might be due to the 13-day hiatus from playing during the Christmas break. One game canceled and another postponed was far from ideal due to opponents having COVID-19 issues.

But the Gophers know their opponents are going through the same unpredictable schedule during the pandemic. Nobody's going to feel sorry for them.

"We're not going to blame it on anything like that," Loewe said. "I think we just played kind of flat tonight and we're going to learn from it and just move forward. We are excited for the next one. I think it's a good learning opportunity for us and I think it's a great chance for us to bounce back."