Gophers-Alcorn State men's basketball game preview

Preview: The Gophers (10-1) experienced an early scare in their last outing, when they trailed Green Bay by a point at halftime in their 72-56 victory at home on Dec. 22. Struggles against a lower level nonconference opponent also happened in Minnesota's 79-71 win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 14. Ben Johnson's team has gotten off to a hot start in his first season as head coach, but it still can't afford to overlook a team, including Wednesday vs. Alcorn State (1-11). The Braves have only beaten Milwaukee this season, but they played a grueling non-league schedule, which included road losses at Gonzaga and Baylor when those teams were ranked No. 1.

Players to watch: Sophomore forward Jamison Battle led the Gophers with 23 points in the victory against Green Bay, including 15 points in the first half. Battle ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 18.9 points per game, but he also has scored in double figures in 26 straight games. Alcorn State junior guard Dominic Brewton had a season-high 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists in the loss at Baylor on Dec. 20. Brewton averages a team-best 9.0 points and shoots 38.3% from three-point range off the bench this season.

Numbers: Senior guard Payton Willis eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career in the last game when he had 14 points and 10 assists against Green Bay. Willis now has 1,013 points with Vanderbilt, College of Charleston, and Minnesota.