Nearly a month ago Minnesota traveled to Madison to take on the Badgers, ultimately falling 66-60 against a tough team. This week, Minnesota hosts Wisconsin at Williams Arena looking to get some revenge. The game will tip at 8:00pm central time and is airing on the Big Ten Network. Fresh off of an encouraging win against Northwestern, here are three keys to the game for tomorrow night!
Have A Healthy Lineup
Even though two of Minnesota's conference wins this season have come with a depleted roster on gameday, it's key that Minnesota has their full rotation at their disposal tomorrow night. Payton Willis missed Saturday's game due to COVID protocols, while Eric Curry was a game time decision with flu symptoms. Curry ended up playing that game, while I'm not sure if Payton Willis will be active in time for tomorrow's game. Willis scored 17 points against Wisconsin earlier this season, so getting him back would be a huge boost. With an already short rotation, it's important for Minnesota to have everyone healthy for this rivalry game.
Don't Give Tyler Wahl Time
The former Minnesota high school standout plays a key role for Wisconsin, and at 6'7 he's become a strong and smart player who can take opposing forwards on to the block. His patience and ability to turn over either shoulder makes him an efficient scorer down low, but in watching him he can take a while to back his man down before scoring. Yes, he may be able to recognize a double team and kick it out to a shooter, but I also think it's important for Minnesota to speed him up down low and not give him the time to back his man down into deep post position.
Remain Energized And Have Fun
Although I wasn't able to watch the Northwestern game live, it just looked like Minnesota was competing like they were to start the season, playing with a bunch of energy and having fun. I'm a firm believer that athletes play better when they're having fun, and that can be sparked in a variety of ways. The bench hyping guys up, the student section going crazy at home games, or a leader on the floor whose energy is contagious. If Minnesota comes out with the type of energy that they played with on Saturday, they have a chance to surprise Wisconsin. The Gophers already showed that they can keep it close against the Badgers, they just have to take that next step forward to pick up a win.
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