Gameday preview: Gophers men's basketball at Iowa

1:30 p.m. at Iowa • Big Ten Network, 100.3 FM

Preview: No. 5 Iowa (10-2, 4-1 Big Ten) hasn't lost since falling 102-95 in overtime at Minnesota on Christmas Day. After beating ranked opponents Northwestern and Rutgers, the Hawkeyes won at Maryland by 22 points on Thursday. Iowa leads the Big Ten and ranks second only to No. 1 Gonzaga nationally with 92.4 points per game. The No. 16 Gophers (10-3, 3-3) hit 17 three-pointers (Brandon Johnson shot 8-for-9) and set a school record with 42 attempts from beyond the arc against Iowa at home this season, but they haven't beaten the Hawkeyes in Iowa City since 2015.

Players to watch: Gophers center Liam Robbins is healthy after being limited to five points on 2-for-9 shooting in just nine second-half minutes dealing with an injury at Michigan. Robbins, an Iowa native, is the Big Ten's top shot blocker. Leading scorer Marcus Carr had just two points on 1-for-10 shooting in a 72-52 loss in Iowa City last year. But Carr scored 30 points on Dec. 25 against the Hawkeyes, including the tying three at the end of regulation. Iowa senior Luka Garza leads the nation with 27 points per game. The All-America center has five 30-point games this season, and his last was a 32-point, 17-rebound effort at Minnesota.

Numbers: The Gophers have allowed teams to score 134 points combined in the paint in three road losses: at Illinois (48), Wisconsin (40) and Michigan (46).

Marcus Fuller