Gopher seniors play final regular season game at the Barn, hosting Purdue - OPEN THREAD

Jordan Murphy and Dupree McBrayer close out their Gopher home careers

By GopherNation Mar 5, 2019, 6:00pm CST

NCAA Basketball: Alabama A&M at Minnesota — Nov 21, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Gophers guard Nate Mason (2), forward Jordan Murphy (3) and guard Dupree McBrayer (1) celebrate a basket at the end of the first half against the Alabama A&M at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Where

The Barn

When

7:00 PM

How

BTN

Who

Purdue

Jordan Murphy, Dupree McBrayer, Matz Stockman and Brock Stull will finish out their Gopher careers at The Barn tonight in a pivotal game for the Gophers. Purdue is holding on to first place in the Big Ten and fighting for a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament, this is a big game for both squads.

Last time the Gophers were running away from Purdue for the first 25 minutes before Purdue clamped down on defense and went on to win by double-digits. Can the Gophers avenge this loss, adding a huge win to their resume?

KEYS TO A GOPHER WIN

Find offense, then adjust - Purdue packed the paint in the second half, taking away all penetration and the Gopher offense had no answer. Whether it is getting to the rim, hitting threes or pounding the ball inside to Murphy/Oturu...the Gophers have to find a way to score points.

Make Threes - I think that is what is going to have to happen tonight to keep the offense open. I expect the paint will be very crowded so Gabe Kalscheur or Amir Coffey or even McBrayer need to hit some threes to open the lane up.

Vintage McBrayer - I think a strong outing from someone other than Murphy or Coffey is also key tonight. At times McBrayer has had huge games where he is hitting shots, getting to the rim and igniting the offense. Tonight would be the night for him to do that again.

PREDICTION

What the heck, I have a good feeling about tonight. The Gophers have won their last two Senior Nights, maybe this starts to become a thing. I’m expecting a big shooting night from the Gophers and the Barn always seems to spark up when Purdue comes to town.

Minnesota - 72
Purdue - 68