Meet the Opponent: Minnesota Brings Seven-Game Win Streak To Indiana

Minnesota is on pace to have by far its best season under coach Ben Johnson, thanks to strong 3-point shooting and a weak schedule. Here's a full breakdown of Indiana's Friday opponent, the Golden Gophers.

Jack Ankony | Jan 11, 2024

Meet the Opponent: Minnesota Brings Seven-Game Win Streak To Indiana /

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana returns home Friday to play Minnesota, aiming to erase the sting of Tuesday's 66-57 loss at Rutgers.

Minnesota is off to a 12-3 start in coach Ben Johnson's third season, including conference wins over Nebraska, Michigan and Maryland.

Here's a full breakdown of Minnesota.

Key returners

(2023-24 stats)

F Dawson Garcia: 16.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 24.2 3-pt FG%
F Joshua Ola-Joseph: 10.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 62.6 FG%
F Pharrel Payne: 9.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 65.2 FG%
G Braeden Carrington: 5.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 20.0 3-pt FG%
F Isaiah Ihnen: 5.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 37.8 3-pt FG%
F Parker Fox: 3.7 ppg, 2.7 ppg, 69.7 FG%

Key departures

(2022-23 stats)

F Jamison Battle: 12.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 31.1 3-pt FG%
G Ta'Lon Cooper: 9.8 ppg, 6.3 apg, 37.8 3-pt FG%
G Jaden Henley: 5.3 ppg, 37.8 3-pt FG%

Key newcomers

(2023-24 stats)

G Mike Mitchell Jr. (Pepperdine): 11.1 ppg, 2.7 apg, 41.0 3-pt FG%
G Cam Christie (No. 135 freshman): 10.6 ppg, 39.7 3-pt FG%
G Elijah Hawkins (Howard): 8.8 ppg, 7.8 apg, 38.8 3-pt FG%

Schedule (12-3, 3-1 in Big Ten)

W, 80-60 vs. Bethune-Cookman
W, 102-76 vs. UTSA
L, 70-68 vs. Missouri
W, 67-53 vs. SC Upstate
W, 86-67 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
L, 76-58 at San Francisco
W, 97-64 vs. New Orleans
L, 84-74 at Ohio State
W, 76-65 vs. Nebraska
W, 77-57 vs. Florida Gulf Coast
W, 101-65 vs. IUPUI
W, 80-63 vs. Ball State
W, 80-62 vs. Maine
W, 73-71 at Michigan
W, 65-62 vs. Maryland

Mike Woodson's history against Minnesota

W, 61-57 at Minnesota on Jan. 25, 2023
W, 84-79 at Minnesota on Feb. 27, 2022
W, 73-60 vs. Minnesota on Jan. 9, 2022

Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) looks to pass as Ohio State Buckeyes guard Evan Mahaffey (12) defends him during the second half at Value City Arena. — Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) looks to pass as Ohio State Buckeyes guard Evan Mahaffey (12) defends him during the second half at Value City Arena / Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths

Last year's leading scorer and rebounder, Dawson Garcia, is back for his senior year. At 6-foot-11, he's averaging a career-high 16.7 points and 7.6 rebounds blocks per game. His free throw percentage has increased to 84.5%, but his 3-point shooting has dropped to 24.2%, a 10.3% decrease, on 2.8 attempts per game. He's willing and able to score from all over the court, creating a difficult matchup for the Indiana front court. Joshua Ola-Joseph, a 6-foot-7 wing, has taken an important sophomore year jump. All shooting percentages are up, including an impressive 12-for-24 mark from 3-point range. Ola-Joseph has scored in double-digit points in seven consecutive games. Freshman guard Cam Christie has also given Minnesota an offensive boost from last season, shooting 39.7% from three on 4.9 attempts per game.

As a team, Minnesota has done a great job sharing the ball. The Gophers rank second in the nation with a 69.1% assist rate, a good sign an offense is working to get the best shot possible. That was especially evident in Minnesota's best win of the season, 76-65 at home against Nebraska on Dec. 6, when point guard Elijah Hawkins distributed 11 of Minnesota's 18 assists. The Gophers lead the Big Ten with 19.8 assists per game and rank fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio. Defensively, Minnesota has held opponents to a poor 44.9 2-point field goal percentage.

Weaknesses

It's hard to fully buy into this Minnesota team, given that it has played the 347th strength of schedule, the weakest of any power conference school. Nine of Minnesota's 12 wins have come against teams ranked 232nd or lower by KenPom, and the Gophers are 0-2 against Quad 1 opponents. Against its top nonconference opponent, San Francisco, Minnesota lost by 18 points and shot 44% with 17 turnovers. Minnesota's narrow home loss to Missouri was a similar story, shooting 41.4% with 16 turnovers. Two of the Gophers' Big Ten wins came against Maryland and Michigan, who sit at the bottom of the conference with 1-3 records.

Minnesota added mid-major transfer guards Mike Mitchell Jr. and Elijah Hawkins from Pepperdine and Howard, respectively. Both played poorly in losses to Missouri, San Francisco and Ohio State, so they'll have to prove themselves in order for Minnesota's success to continue in the heart of Big Ten play. Mitchell is Minnesota's second-leading scorer thanks to 41% 3-point shooting, but three of his lowest-scoring games came in losses. Hawkins leads the Big Ten with 7.8 assists per game, though his 2.7 turnovers per game rank fourth most in the conference. Indiana guards Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway have played much better at home than on the road this year, so Mitchell and Hawkins will need to be ready for the challenge.

Season outlook

Minnesota was picked to finish last in the preseason Big Ten media poll. That didn't come as much of a surprise, as the Gophers went 6-33 in conference play across coach Ben Johnson's first two seasons. So far, Minnesota looks much improved from the last two years, thanks to an offense that shoots 36.1% from three and leads the Big Ten in assist rate. Still, it's fair to wonder if Minnesota's 12-3 record is inflated by a soft schedule. The Gophers deserve credit for Big Ten wins over Nebraska, Michigan and Maryland, but they have plenty of work to do over the final 16 conference games.