OPEN THREAD - Gophers at Utah Utes

Where

Williams Arena

When

8:00 PM

How

PAC-12 Network

Who

Utah

The challenging early schedule continues as your 1-2 Gophers get another P5 opponent on the road.

KEYS TO A GOPHER WIN

Key 1 - Keep Daniel Oturu hot.

Oturu has been one of the few bright spots so far this year for the Gophers. Any victory is going to have to include a big performance from the big man. And now he shoots threes!

Key 2 - Get Gabe Kalscheur going

Kalscheur, who averaged 10 points per game in his freshman year, has yet to get going offensively in his sophomore season. The Gophers desperately need Kalscheur to have a big season if they want to make a mark, and this is especially true against these early power conference opponents.

Key 3 - Cut down on turnovers

The Gophers have turned the ball over 17, 13, and 18 times in their three games, which has led to a ton of points for opposing teams. That many turnovers isn’t going to cut it against Utah.

PREDICTION

The Gophers once again are true underdogs in this one, though only by three or four points. More concerning was their performance against Butler, which leaves them firmly in the “prove it to me” camp for the time being. Until this team shows that it can take care of the ball, minimize opponent second chance points and find more consistent ways to score they’ll find themselves firmly in the loss column for a while.

Minnesota - 63
Utah - 70