Gophers point guard Elijah Hawkins hopes his team can extend its season into the NIT after Thursday’s 77-67 loss against Michigan State, but he said he’ll be back next season, either way.
Hawkins, who led the Big Ten in assists during the regular season, was a big part of the turnaround for the Gophers after transferring from Howard.
The 5-11 junior didn’t waste any time talking about his future after a deflating quick exit in the Big Ten tournament second round at Target Center. He made it clear he’s not looking to transfer.
“I know we did a lot better than people expected,” said Hawkins, who had 10 points and seven assists against the Spartans. “I’m definitely coming back next year. In the offseason we have to grind it out — and we’ll have more experience next year.”
The Gophers’ backcourt was outplayed by Michigan State’s Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard, who combined for 32 points Thursday. But the play of Hawkins and freshman Cam Christie kept the Gophers in the game before the Spartans pulled away in the second half. Christie and Hawkins combined for 16 points in the second half, including 4-for-5 from three-point range.
“Hopefully we can make the NIT and get to keep continuing our season,” Hawkins said.
Christie, who was named to the All-Big Ten freshman team, was disappointed in not being able to make a run in his first Big Ten tournament. He talked about how this team still wants to prove it can play better basketball than it has in losing five of its last six games.
“We don’t want our season to end,” Christie said. “We want to play in as many games as possible. Getting to play in the [NIT] would be great. It would be a step forward for the program and get this bitter taste out of our mouth.”
