Gophers coach Richard Pitino knew his team had no business looking ahead to a potential second-round matchup with Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament this week in Indianapolis.
Gophers have a win in hand over Buckeyes
The Gophers beat their second-round foe Jan. 3.
March 11, 2021 at 4:39AM
After all, the Gophers had lost seven straight games entering Wednesday's opening round, but the talk quickly shifted to the next opponent after a 51-46 win against Northwestern.
Pitino and his players respect the No. 5-seeded Buckeyes, but they're also confident since they won going away 77-60 against them on Jan. 3 at Williams Arena.
"We had a great game against them earlier, but this is a new season right now," point guard Marcus Carr said. "We're obviously two different teams, but we're going to go out to look to execute and do the same thing — get the same result."
Carr was the Buckeye killer last season. He had 35 points against them in a victory at the Barn – and 23 points with the game-deciding three in the win in Columbus last year.
In the last meeting, Carr took a back seat to 7-footer Liam Robbins, who had 27 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and four assists in the one-sided affair.
The Gophers might not have seen their season collapse if Robbins continued to play at that level, but he has missed the past five games with a sprained left ankle. His status for Thursday's game is uncertain.
"I don't know about Liam," Pitino said. "I guess we'll kind of see tomorrow. He was terrific in that [last Ohio State game]. That was his best game of the year by far. He was the difference maker."
Pitino's defense took a hit this season with injuries to Robbins and starting guard Gabe Kalscheur, who is out with a broken finger. But the Gophers stole the win down the stretch Wednesday with clutch defense and rebounding.
Frontcourt starters Eric Curry and Brandon Johnson combined for just nine points on 3-for-13 shooting, but they had 22 rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
"This team with Liam out and Gabe out had not guarded well at all," Pitino said.
"We had not had a defensive identity, but that was probably the change. We got gritty. We got uncomfortable. We got stops and got the rebound."
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