Gameday preview: Gophers men's basketball vs. Northwestern

6:30 p.m. vs. Northwestern • Williams Arena • BTN, 100.3-FM

Close ones have gotten away from U, Wildcats

Preview: The Gophers (7-6, 1-2 Big Ten) saw their three-game winning streak end Thursday in an 83-78 double-overtime loss at Purdue. They fell to 0-5 this season in games decided by single digits; they have defeated opponents by an average margin of 24.4 points per game. Winning close games has been tough for the Gophers. The same could be said for Northwestern (5-7, 0-2), which has lost three consecutive games by a combined 11 points. The Wildcats are the only winless team in Big Ten play after losing last month to Purdue and Michigan State.

Players to watch: Gophers sophomores Daniel Oturu and Marcus Carr combined to score 56 points in the loss against Purdue, including 29 of the team's 32 points in the second half to erase an eight-point deficit. Oturu scored nine points in the two overtimes, but Carr was scoreless with three of his seven turnovers. Northwestern's top three scorers are freshmen Miller Kopp (12.6), Ryan Young (10.8) and Boo Buie (10.8). Kopp has 45 points combined in his past two games on 17-for-31 shooting.

Numbers: The Gophers on Thursday lost for the first time this season when leading with five minutes left. They were 24-1 the previous two seasons, including 7-0 this season.

MARCUS FULLER