Minnesota kicks off their conference schedule tonight as they host a tough Michigan State team at Williams Arena! Minnesota stands at 7-0 on the season, and these are three keys to the game if they hope to continue that winning streak.
Rebound The Ball
I know this seems like a fairly basic task for a basketball team, but despite being 7-0 Minnesota has struggled to win the battle on the glass. The Gophers are coming off two straight games against teams with tough big men, and that should help prepare them for their Big 10 schedule. Although they did a better job at defending 6'11 Tolu Smith of Mississippi State, there were still stretches were they just couldn't keep opposing players off the glass, and were giving up 2 or 3 shots on some possessions. Eric Curry does a solid job on the glass, but I think a lack of any explosive athletes in the starting five really hurts in attacking the ball out of the air. Especially when the team goes into a zone defense, Minnesota has to improve at finding a man to box out, and then elevating to rebound instead of waiting for the ball to come to them. I think that Charlie Daniels could help out if he sees solid minutes, and a possible return of Sean Sutherlin would also be key.
A Spark From The Bench
Now that the Gophers enter Big 10 play, I don't think they'll be able to last with the (for the most part) 6 man rotation they had against Mississippi State. Only Eric Curry was subbed out in the second half if I remember correctly. It didn't help that Sean Sutherlin was out with an injury, but Minnesota needs to get some sort of outside scoring from the bench. Charlie Daniels was the only player to score off the bench last game with 2 points, and although I thought he made some big plays on defense, Minnesota needs more than 2 points from their bench. Charlie Daniels and Sean Sutherlin (if he returns) will see their usual minutes, but Abdoulaye Thiam may need to step up if guards are to get in foul trouble or just get fatigued. If he can find some of that shooting touch he showed at the Juco level, that would be key.
Stay Out Of Foul Trouble
This is actually something that the Gophers have excelled at this season, but it's especially important against their first nationally ranked opponent of the year. Minnesota ranks 11th nationally, and 1st in the conference for fewest fouls this season. With a limited rotation, it's important that Minnesota's starters don't give the refs opportunities to get them for cheap fouls, especially away from the basket. I think this is especially key for Jamison Battle, as Minnesota doesn't really have anyone else to play at the 4, which is why we've seen Jamison play 40+ minutes multiple times this season. We've seen what a big and physical center like John Hugley (Pittsburgh) can do to this defense while putting Gopher defenders in foul trouble, and I think that was a good learning experience for these guys, especially Charlie Daniels, to get adjusted to what the physicality will be like down low in the Big 10.
Key Players For Minnesota
Jamison Battle (6'7 Sophomore Forward)- 17.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg
Payton Willis (6'4 Senior Guard)- 17.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.9 apg
EJ Stephens (6'3 Senior Guard)- 11.1 ppg, 4 rpg
Key Players For Michigan State
Gabe Brown (6'8 Senior Forward)- 12.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Marcus Bingham Jr. (7' Senior Center)- 10.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.2 bpg
Max Christie (6'6 Freshman Guard)- 8.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg
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