Gophers men’s basketball coach Johnson previews Saturday’s home game vs. Washington
The Gophers host the Washington Huskies on Saturday at 11 a.m. after Dawson Garcia scored 21 points in Minnesota’s 73-51 loss to the Michigan State Spartans.
The teams match up Saturday for the first time this season. Minnesota is 3-7 against the Big Ten, and Washington is 1-8 against conference opponents.
KSTP Sports spoke with Gophers coach Ben Johnson on Friday for a game preview.
***Click the video box above to watch Johnson’s Fri. Jan. 31st media session***
Below is information on the game, courtesy of the Associated Press:
Washington Huskies (10-10, 1-8 Big Ten) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-10, 3-7 Big Ten)
Minneapolis; Saturday, 11 a.m.
BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota plays Washington after Dawson Garcia scored 21 points in Minnesota’s 73-51 loss to the Michigan State Spartans.
The Golden Gophers have gone 10-4 in home games. Minnesota ranks eighth in the Big Ten with 15.9 assists per game led by Lu’Cye Patterson averaging 3.6.
The Huskies are 1-8 against Big Ten opponents. Washington is ninth in the Big Ten with 8.8 offensive rebounds per game led by Great Osobor averaging 2.8.
Minnesota is shooting 44.4% from the field this season, 0.7 percentage points lower than the 45.1% Washington allows to opponents. Washington averages 71.7 points per game, 2.8 more than the 68.9 Minnesota allows.
The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams in conference play.
TOP PERFORMERS: Garcia is averaging 19.8 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Golden Gophers. Mike Mitchell Jr. is averaging 11.7 points over the past 10 games.
Osobor is averaging 15.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals for the Huskies. Zoom Diallo is averaging 11.6 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Gophers: 5-5, averaging 72.7 points, 32.0 rebounds, 16.6 assists, 5.1 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.5 points per game.
Huskies: 3-7, averaging 71.9 points, 27.6 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 6.7 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.0 points.