Minnesota could be without two key pieces on Thursday night against Michigan State. According to head coach Ben Johnson, Golden Gophers' center Pharrell Payne and guard Elijah Hawkins will both be game-time decisions for the matchup.
GET THE INSIDE SCOOP EVERY DAY WITH YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION!
MORE: TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER | TRANSFER PORTAL THREAD | INSIDE GOPHERS NATION MESSAGE BOARD
Payne, dealing with a back injury played in just 14 minutes of the Gophers' 86-77 loss to Iowa last week. In those 14 minutes, Payne had just three points and four rebounds with one block. It was his lowest-scoring output of the season.
If Payne is unable to go, Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen will both see an increase in playing time. Combined, the two played 16 minutes in Monday night's game.
Hawkins played in 38 minutes of Monday night's loss but is dealing with an ankle issue as well. In those 38 minutes of action, Hawkins had just one point while also recording nine assists and five rebounds. He also had four steals in the game.
If Hawkins is unable to go for the Gophers, Braeden Carrington will likely enter the starting lineup. He played 24 minutes on Monday night with four points, five rebounds, and two assists.
The Golden Gophers and Spartans are set to tip off at 5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday night in East Lansing. The game will be televised on FS1.
============================
- Talk about it INSIDE GOPHER NATION.
- SUBSCRIBE TO LOGoldenGophers
- Follow us on Twitter: @MinnesotaRivals, @AlexCarlsonTGR, @SeanW_Rivals, @DylanCC_FB, @GopherKaneRob, @LOGoldenGophers, @drew_toennies
- SUBSCRIBE to The Gopher Report.
