Indiana opens Big Ten play tonight against Minnesota at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Golden Gophers are 6-4 and lost their Big Ten opener 90-72 to Michigan State at Williams Arena.

Game Tips Tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1:

Indiana will look to continue its recent dominance against Minnesota as it begins Big Ten play tonight in Bloomington. The Hoosiers lead the all-time series against the Golden Gophers 109-69 and have won eight straight.

Minnesota has lost three of its last four games, which included hard-fought neutral-court games against Wichita State and Wake Forest and a home loss to Michigan State last Wednesday.

The Hoosiers, meanwhile, have won three straight and are 6-0 this season on Branch McCracken Court.

MEET THE GOPHERS

Ben Johnson is in his fourth season in Minneapolis. Last season, he led the Golden Gophers to the playoffs for the first time, an NIT appearance that included a win at Butler and a loss at Indiana State.

With limited NIL resources, Minnesota was hit hard by transfer portal departures as point guard Elijah Hawkins left for Texas Tech, Pharrel Payne left for Texas A&M and Joshua Ola-Joseph left for Cal. Minnesota also lost Cam Christie to the NBA after his freshman season.

Headlining Minnesota are two seniors, Dawson Garcia and Mike Mitchell.

The 6-foot-11 Garcia is a versatile threat who averages 19 points and 7.4 rebounds in 33.9 minutes per game. Garcia is shooting 35.9 percent on 3s and 82.9 percent on free throws. Getting to the line is an important strength for Garcia, who attempts seven free throws per game.

Mitchell injured his ankle in a win over Omaha on Nov. 9 and didn’t return to the lineup until Wednesday’s loss to the Spartans. The 6-foot-2 guard was 71-of-178 (39.9%) from 3 last season and was 8-of-18 (44.4%) in three games this season.

The Gophers started two transfers, Lu’Cye Patterson and Brennan Rigsby, in the backcourt. Patterson, a 6-foot-2 transfer from Charlotte, averages 3.9 assists and is second on the team in scoring with 10 points per game. He struggled with his 3-point shooting in the first 10 games. Patterson is just 12 of 52 (23.1%) from distance.

The same was true for Oregon transfer Brennan Rigsby. The 6-foot-3 senior shot 35.3 percent on triples last season for the Ducks, but is just 10 for 45 (22.2 percent) this season.

Senior wing Femi Okudale is now at his fourth school after previous stops at Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and New Mexico State. The 6-foot-6 Okudale has started the last eight games and is shooting just 35 percent from the field.

Joining Garcia in the frontcourt is Frank Mitchell, a 6-foot-8 transfer from Canisius. Mitchell is shooting 59.3 percent and averaging four points and four rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game.

The main reserves to be aware of for the Gophers are freshman guard Isaac Asuma and senior forward Parker Fox. Asuma plays 27.2 minutes off the bench and averages 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds. He’s shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 40 percent (12-for-30) from 3.

Fox, now in his fifth year of college basketball but only his second season in Division I, is Minnesota’s fourth-leading scorer with seven points per game. He is shooting 65.9 percent from the field and is tied for the team lead with 10 blocked shots.

TIMELESS PREVIEW

According to KenPom, Minnesota plays the third-slowest pace of any team in the country. The Gophers do a good job handling the ball, but have had poor shooting numbers through 10 games.

Minnesota ranks 294th in 3-point shooting percentage (29.7), 184th in 2-point shooting percentage (51) and 352nd in free throw percentage (61.7). The Gophers score 28.5 percent of their points from 3rd place, which ranks them 245th in the nation. Nearly 38 percent of their field goal attempts are 3s, which ranks them 219th nationally.

Defensively, Minnesota does a solid job of forcing turnovers and defending without fouling. Gopher opponents turn the ball over on 19.1 percent of their possessions and have a free throw rate (FTA/FGA) of just 26 percent. Minnesota also ranks 61st nationally in 2-point defense percentage (46.3).

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?

KenPom’s projection is Indiana at 10 with an 82 percent chance of a Hoosier victory. Bart Torvik’s projections have IU at 11 with an 85 percent chance for the Hoosiers to win.

Minnesota has just had its worst defensive performance of the season. In a loss to Michigan State, the Gophers were torched for 90 points (1.4 points per possession). It was only the second time this season the Gophers allowed more than one point per possession.

This is Minnesota’s first road game of the season, and it will be imperative that Indiana takes care of the ball and doesn’t allow the Gophers to get comfortable behind the 3-point line. The Garcia matchup could also be tricky for the Hoosiers because of his ability to play on the perimeter and stretch the floor with the 3 ball.

Most importantly, Indiana needs to show more urgency and consistency throughout the game. The Hoosiers played well in stretches, but had mistakes throughout the games that allowed inferior competition to hang around. With official Big Ten play here and an unimpressive start to the season, will the Hoosiers be able to change the narrative? Or is top-to-bottom performance exactly what Indiana is as a team?

(Photo credit: Minnesota Athletics)

Deposited at: Minnesota Golden Gophers