OPEN THREAD: Minnesota Basketball Gophers v Northwestern

Where

The Barn

When

6:30 PM

How

BTN

Who

Northwestern

According to KenPom, this is our most likely win until the final home game of the season when Nebraska comes to town. What does that mean? It means we really should win this game.

In my opinion, the Gophers are going to be pretty inconsistent and every game is going to be interesting this year. But this game needs to be a win.

KEYS TO A GOPHER WIN

Rebound - Currently the Wildcats rank 279th in offensive rebounding, we need to keep them at or below their 24.4% rebounding rate. And with Daniel Oturu, I’m feeling pretty good about that.

Avoid Foul Trouble - This team lacks depth, especially in the frontcourt. Keep the key guys out of foul trouble. I feel pretty strongly that losing Omersa in the Purdue game was huge. We need to keep our top 7 or 8 guys available. Also, NW gets to the free throw line a lot. Keeping them off would benefit us.

Reduce Turnovers - We have a few too many turnovers every game.

PREDICTION

This game should be a win and hopefully another confidence builder. This Gopher team needs Oturu, Kalscheur and Carr all playing well together. Get them some more confidence as we head to Michigan State on Thursday.

Minnesota - 81
Northwestern - 69