Noon vs. Nebraska • BTN, 100.3-FM
Gameday preview: Gophers men's basketball vs. Nebraska
March 8, 2020 at 5:28AM
Senior Day offers an opportunity
Preview: The Gophers (13-16, 7-12 Big Ten) haven't won a home game in a month, so they hope to end a three-game home slide Sunday on Senior Day against Nebraska (7-23, 2-17). The Gophers are locked in to the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten tournament and plays Northwestern on Wednesday in Indianapolis, while No. 14 seed Nebraska faces Indiana. … The Gophers have dropped eight of 10, but six losses have been by single digits, including the past three. … he Cornhuskers under first-year coach Fred Hoiberg have lost 15 in a row. They are 0-11 on the road, but they have beaten Iowa and Purdue at home.
Players to watch: Gophers seniors Michael Hurt, Alihan Demir and Brady Rudrud will be honored. Hurt, a Rochester John Marshall product, has played in 23 games this season. Demir, a Drexel transfer, averages 6.7 points and 4.7 rebounds and started 28 games. Rudrud, an Eden Prairie native, is a former walk-on who earned a scholarship this season. … Nebraska's Sam Mack and Dachon Burke were suspended for violating team rules. Mack averages 12 points and a team-high 6.5 assists per game, and Burke averages 12 points and 3.4 rebounds.
Numbers: Daniel Oturu leads the Big Ten with 11.6 rebounds per game. Oturu, with Jordan Murphy (2018 and 2019), could give the Gophers the overall league rebounding leader for a third straight season. That hasn't happened since Iowa's Reggie Evans and Jared Reiner did it from 2001 to '03.
Marcus Fuller
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The Nittany Lions converted on three fourth downs while protecting a one-point lead to keep the Gophers from getting the ball back.
