Jamison Battle was barely removed from a thrilling 75-74 victory against Rutgers on his buzzer-beating three-pointer Thursday night, when his attention quickly turned to Sunday's matchup vs. rival Wisconsin.
The Gophers junior forward and former DeLaSalle star was excited for his team's first Big Ten home win, especially with its spectacular ending. But finishing the regular season with a victory over the Badgers in front of the home crowd would mean a lot.
"I'm really excited for this next one," said Battle, who had 15 of his 20 points in the second half Thursday on 5-for-9 three-point shooting. "Because it's Wisconsin."
Battle is one of seven Minnesota natives on the U's roster on scholarship, including leading scorer and rebounder Dawson Garcia.
The Gophers (8-20, 2-16 Big Ten) ended a 12-game losing streak Thursday, but that doesn't overshadow what has been an overly difficult season. Two wins to end Big Ten play would equal what they did in the first 16 games. That would give them motivation for the offseason.
"Not a lot is guaranteed," Battle said. "But to start March with those two [victories] like that, you can't write it any better. ... That was a big moment for us, but let's build on it."
Ben Johnson's team was playing competitive basketball the last time it faced Wisconsin. A 63-60 loss on the road to open the new year was tough to swallow. Then came the U's 81-79 overtime loss against Nebraska at home. Minnesota's players got to celebrate the following game, though, after their first Big Ten victory Jan. 12 at Ohio State.
Johnson had been trying to get the Gophers to recapture the confidence and toughness from that first victory against the Buckeyes for the bulk of Big Ten play with no success — until Thursday.
