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One more game remains the regular season. Luckily for the Gophers and their fans it no longer matters, which means you can watch the game (or don’t) without any fear of being disappointed. If they win? 12 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. If they lose? 12 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. I suppose a loss would probably really damage their NIT hopes but who cares at this point, right? NCAA Tournament or bust!
Minnesota has done a tremendous job of shooting themselves in the foot all season, having dissolved a once promising season into a putrid cocktail of miserable letdowns and hair-rising blow-ups. All that remains now is hoping not to get embarrassed at home against the conference’s worst team and praying that Daniel Oturu doesn’t leave for the NBA draft.
Essentials:
Opponent:
Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-17, 7-23)
Date and Time:
Sunday, March 8 @ 12 p.m. CT
Location:
Williams Arena
TV:
BTN
Radio:
KFAN 100.3-FM
Tell me more about the opponent.
Nebraska is bad. They’ve lost 15 straight games. They haven’t won a road game all season. The last time they won a game was Jan. 7 against Iowa. They almost beat Maryland on the road a few weeks ago (which reminds me of a line from Connie in The Mighty Ducks: “one was pretty close, though, we only lost by five, and we almost scored a goal, too.”)
Haanif Cheatham leads a trio of Cornhuskers who average double figures, scoring 12.8 points per game. The problem for the Huskers is that the other two leading scorers, Dachon Burke and Cam Mack, have been suspended for the game for violation of team rules. The Huskers will have seven players available for the game and the starting point guard is a freshman who was a walk-on in the first semester and is battling a balky knee. The only two players available off the bench are also freshmen, both shorter than 6-foot-8, both asked to play in the post.
The Huskers lead the Big Ten in turnovers forced (14) per game, and are second in turnover margin (2.1).
Predictions
If the Gophers don’t win then it’s truly going to get messy around here. They should roll by 10 or more.