Gophers men's basketball gameday preview vs. Iowa

1 p.m. vs. Iowa • Williams Arena • BTN, 100.3 FM

Preview: The Gophers (10-4, 1-4 Big Ten) can turn around their tough start to conference play by ending a three-game slide Sunday. Following a Dec. 11 victory at Michigan, first-year coach Ben Johnson has watched his team drop games against Illinois, Indiana and Michigan State, including 71-69 Wednesday on a last-second shot by Joey Hauser in East Lansing. The Hawkeyes (12-4, 2-3) had three consecutive losses last month, but they bounced back to win four of the past five games, including 83-74 Thursday over Indiana. They have won three of the past four games in the series against the Gophers but fell 102-95 on Christmas last season at Williams Arena.

Players to watch: Senior forward Eric Curry, who had a career-high 19 points Wednesday, is questionable for Sunday's game against Iowa with an ankle injury. Senior Charlie Daniels, who averages 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds, is likely to replace Curry in the starting lineup. Hawkeyes sophomore Keegan Murray leads the NCAA in scoring with 23.9 points per game, but his twin brother was the player of the game Thursday, with a career-high 29 points and 11 rebounds against the Hoosiers. Kris Murray averages 10.7 points.

Numbers: Gophers sophomore Jamison Battle has a streak of 29 consecutive games with double figures in scoring dating to his last season at George Washington.