After a roughly two week hiatus, the Gophers return to action as they host Illinois at William's arena. The game that was originally scheduled for January 2nd, will now tip off at 6pm on Tuesday, January 4th and will air on FS1. I'll be taking a look at three keys to the game for Minnesota, as well as a few players to watch on both teams!
Make Things Difficult Down Low
Let's face it, there aren't too many teams in the country, if any, that can stop Kofi Cockburn down low. But the Gophers have to make things difficult for him if they want to come away with the win. Minnesota will be outmatched in size, especially when you factor in 6'10 sophomore Coleman Hawkins who will also get heavy minutes alongside the the 7 footer. When running man to man wings will need to have active hands to help prevent entry passes, and down low guys will constantly need to put a body on Kofi after shots to make sure he can't get any easy offensive rebounds. I wouldn't be surprised to see Minnesota throw in some zone defenses to catch Illinois off guard and try to cause some chaos throughout the game as well.
Stay Within Striking Distance
The Gophers have the homecourt advantage this week, and because of that, they have to make sure to keep the crowd engaged. If the game is staying close, those fans will be making noise for every big play and key possession throughout the game. If Minnesota allows Illinois to pull ahead, the crowd will likely die down and won't be as big a factor. It was something I witnessed recently in the Iowa State vs Baylor game, as ISU's crowd was a deciding factor in forcing timeouts from Baylor and getting their team hyped up. Minnesota needs to take advantage of the home crowd if they want to get a win.
Let Jamison Battle Create
Most of Illinois' production will come from their two bigs or from smaller guards. Because of this, things could open up for the 6'7 Jamison Battle. He could be guarded at times by a 6'10 forward, giving Jamison the quickness and leverage advantage on the perimeter. If the Gophers can get the ball in his hands on the perimeter, he'll have the opportunity to take his man off the bounce and create his own shot. He may not be able to have as much success inside due to all of the Illini size, but if his shot is falling he could have a big game on the perimeter.
Key Players For Minnesota
Jamison Battle (6'7 Sophomore Forward)- 18.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg
Payton Willis (6'4 Senior Guard)- 16.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.1 apg
EJ Stephens (6'3 Senior Guard)- 11 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Key Players For Illinois
Kofi Cockburn (7' Junior Center)- 21.8 ppg, 12.1 rpg
Alfonso Plummer (6'1 Senior Guard)- 17.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Coleman Hawkins (6'10 Sophomore Forward)- 8.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.4 apg
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