Former Gopher Jamison Battle makes his return to Williams Arena this week when Ohio State takes on the Gophers.

The Buckeyes (15-11, 5-10 Big Ten) play the Gophers (16-9, 7-7) at 7 p.m. Thursday. Ohio State beat the Gophers in December, a game that saw Battle score 25-points and appear to taunt the Gophers’ bench.

You can bet that the Gophers remember that.

That was among topics that came up when KSTP Sports spoke with Gophers coach Ben Johnson and guards Mike Mitchell Jr. and Elijah Hawkins on Wednesday.

***Click the video box above to watch Johnson, Mitchell Jr. and Hawkins meet with reporters***

Battle played two years for the Gophers before entering the transfer portal last spring.

Minnesota is coming off an 81-70 win over Rutgers at the Barn on Sunday. All five Gopher starters reached double-figures, led by Pharrel Payne’s career-high 21 points and game-high 11 rebounds.