Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson searches for answers to better backcourt play

No Big Ten team has been able to slow down Gophers senior Dawson Garcia lately, especially off the dribble.

The 6-11 forward entered this week averaging 21.4 points in Big Ten play, leading the conference. He has averaged over 25 points over his past five contests.

Opponents might just have to accept Garcia getting his baskets, but the Gophers also need their backcourt to put pressure on defenses as well.

“Can you get by your guy and create for others?” Gophers coach Ben Johnson said. “Can you be another threat like Dawson to kind of be a playmaker?”

Entering Tuesday’s game at Penn State, the Gophers (11-11, 3-8 Big Ten) are trying to answer those backcourt questions. They need to unlock consistent playmaking from Femi Odukale and Isaac Asuma — and that hopefully helps fellow guards Lu’Cye Patterson and Mike Mitchell Jr., end their shooting slumps.

Patterson and Mitchell, the top two scorers in the Gophers backcourt, went from combining for 42 points in a Jan. 16 overtime win against Michigan to only 10 points together in Saturday’s disappointing 71-68 loss to last-place Washington at home.

“Now it’s not losing your confidence in what you do and what we do,” Johnson said. “It’s just doing it with aggressiveness to just go make a play within the system. Don’t be hesitant and don’t shy away to still attack and be aggressive.”

Mitchell shot 7-for-12 from three-point range in his first two Big Ten games in early December after missing seven games because of an ankle injury, but he’s just 7-for-28 from beyond the arc in the four games since his 20-point effort vs. the Wolverines.

Patterson, who scored in double figures in four of his first five Big Ten games in January, has averaged only seven points in four games since he scored 22 points against Michigan.

The answer to shooters such as Mitchell and Patterson finding their rhythm again could be Odukale and Asuma setting them up by being in attack mode, driving into the paint.

Odukale tried to pick up the slack with 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting Saturday. Asuma scored all eight of his points in the first half before being benched in the second half. Johnson said he decided to ride with more backcourt experience during a second-half comeback.

A freshman from Cherry, Minn., Asuma had 15 points in 32 minutes in a Jan. 13 loss at Maryland. But he hasn’t scored in double figures in the past five games. He came close with eight points apiece in losses at Michigan State and vs. Washington, but he didn’t play as much in the second half in both games.

Johnson said there’s been no change in Asuma’s role as a player off the bench whom they need to create offense for himself and others.

“In that game that was just more kind of a rhythm thing,” Johnson said of Asuma not playing in the second half vs. Washington. “There are some times when he gets sped up a little bit and he gets away from making some of those natural plays he makes that are really good.

“I want him to stay even more aggressive. I want him to be a guy where he’s thinking downhill and just playing off his instincts.”

Odukale, a 6-6 senior, typically has been asked to defend the opponents' top perimeter player, but he also has scored in double figures in three of the past four games. His season-high 18 points on 5-for-8 field goals and 7-for-11 free throws was a game-changer in the Jan. 21 win at Iowa.

“The expectation for Femi isn’t to go out there and give us 25 [points],” Johnson said. “It’s all coming together for him in terms of picking and choosing when to go. He’s got more confidence in his shot, which is a big part of it.”

Odukale said Saturday that the Gophers can’t look to “make superhero plays, but just make the best plays for the team.

“Sometimes people on the court look for the best shot we can take and sometimes we took tough ones,” he said.

The Gophers made things harder on themselves with a lack of ball movement. The ball failed to reverse to the opposite side 10 times against Washington. Johnson said they can’t afford the “ball sticking” too much with their guard play.

“Some of that could be due to their pressure,” Johnson said. “We’re just not built like that. We’ve got to get the ball moving.”

6 p.m., Tuesday at Bryce-Jordan Center

TV; radio: BTN; 100.3-FM

The Nittany Lions (13-9, 3-8 Big Ten) started off conference play with wins against Purdue and Northwestern in their first three games, but they are 1-7 since in Big Ten action. Since a home victory against Rutgers, Penn State has three consecutive losses, including 83-64 vs. Ohio State at home Thursday. Parker Fox, who had 11 points and four blocks in a win at Penn State last season, played only seven minutes because of a back injury against Washington. He could see limited time Tuesday.