Gophers face big test at Indiana, but they're keeping the focus on themselves

"If we're not right, it doesn't matter. We're talented enough where if we are right, we can make a competitive game out of it," Gophers coach Ben Johnson said.

The Gophers men’s basketball team is in for a big test, quite literally, when it visits Bloomington, Ind., on Friday for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against Indiana.

The Hoosiers’ frontcourt of 7-foot center Kel’el Ware and 6-foot-9 forward Malik Reneau is responsible for 31 points and 15.1 rebounds per game. Indiana runs its offense through its bigs, and Gophers coach Ben Johnson said it will be important to know the scouting report, be physical early and not let them into a rhythm and force them to take tough shots.

But the Gophers’ main focus entering Friday's game will be on themselves, like it has been all season. Yes they’ll prepare specifically for a Hoosiers team that boasts a strong frontcourt that will certainly challenge the Gophers' defense. But Minnesota has belief that if it can play its brand of basketball, have the right mindset and do the little things right, it can compete with and beat anyone.

“Mentality with us is such a big thing, and I think we respect every opponent, you do your scouting, you do your due diligence,” Johnson said, “but at the end of the day, I’ve learned with this group, if we’re not right, it doesn’t matter. We’re talented enough where if we are right, we can make a competitive game out of it.”

Johnson’s Gophers have proven that so far this season. They have a different energy about them and they’ve shown they can compete in the Big Ten Conference, already posting wins against Nebraska, Michigan and Maryland, their lone loss in conference play coming at Ohio State.

The Ohio State loss, Johnson said, was an experience they needed. It was their first road game in conference play, the first Big Ten road game for transfers Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr. as well as for freshman Cam Christie, who came off the bench in that game but has now been a regular in the starting lineup. Minnesota learned from that experience on the road and got off to a much better start when it beat Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Jan. 4.

And the Gophers made it three straight wins in conference play when they beat Maryland at home Sunday, when they made all the right plays down the stretch to edge out the Terrapins.

“I think the Maryland game, we had to go through a first half where there was a different type of energy in the building and a different type of expectation,” Johnson said. “And guys feel that. They can deny it all they want; I know they do. And that’s part of it, we haven’t gone through that. But that was a meaningful game, and I think everybody kind of sensed it.”

The expectations keep rising as the Gophers keep winning. And those wins are coming because the starting point is that focus on themselves. Leading scorer Dawson Garcia said the biggest difference between this year’s Gophers and last year’s squad is that they’re holding themselves to a much higher standard.

Teammates aren’t afraid to call each other out. And they’re not afraid to take criticism.

“I’m playing with a bunch of winners,” Garcia said.

As for how they’ll approach stopping the Hoosiers’ frontcourt of Ware and Reneau?

“It’s going to be a team effort, just playing physical and playing our game,” Garcia said. “We feel like we match up well with anybody.”

The Gophers are keeping the focus on themselves. No matter the day, week, time or opponent. And they’re embracing the expectations.

“Lot of confidence. We feel like we’re playing at a high level, so we got a lot of juice and confidence, and going into every game, we feel like we can win the game,” Garcia said. 

Minnesota forward Isaiah Ihnen (5) and guard Elijah Hawkins (0) celebrate during the second half against Maine at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Dec. 29, 2023 :: Matt Krohn / USA TODAY Sports