Florida International @ Minnesota preview
Williams Arena
Minnesota is closing out 2019 on a roll, having just upended No. 2 Ohio State and walloped Oklahoma State by 20 points over the last two weeks. Now, the Golden Gophers will put the wraps on the non-conference portion of their schedule Saturday as they host Florida International.
The 86-66 win over Oklahoma State in Tulsa, Okla., last Saturday marked Minnesota’s first win outside the Twin Cities in five games this season. The itinerary has been demanding, though, with a neutral-site loss to Oklahoma and road defeats at Butler, Utah and Iowa. “We’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the country. It’s not even close, and although it’s disappointing when you’re losing games, I think (we’re) learning from every game,” Gophers coach Richard Pitino said following the win in Tulsa. “(We’ve) been able to bounce back, and I think our guys are really responding. I think maybe if we didn’t play Butler or Oklahoma or Utah, we don’t play the way we did tonight.” FIU, of Conference USA, also brings momentum into Saturday’s contest, having won six straight after a 3-3 start.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
ABOUT FIU (9-3): The Panthers’ schedule certainly hasn’t been as demanding as Minnesota’s with three of their wins coming against non-Division I foes and only two games – early season road losses at Mississippi State (77-69) and N.C. State (86-77) – against major conference opponents so far. Senior forwards Devon Andrews (team-leading 16.7 points per game) and Osasumwen Osaghae (13.4 points, team-most 8.2) rebounds have led the way, while guards Trejon Jacob (12.0 points) and Antonio Daye Jr. (10.7, team-leading 5.1 assists) also are averaging double figures. FIU is shooting 48.0 percent and averaging 84.1 points and 17.7 assists as a team but also is averaging 16.5 turnovers and owns a minus-3.0 rebound margin.
ABOUT MINNESOTA (6-5): 6-10 sophomore Daniel Oturu has been a force down low, averaging a team-best 18.0 points and 10.9 rebounds while shooting 65.3 percent from the field, but it was sophomore guard Gabe Kalscheur who exploded for a career-high 34 points, including seven 3-pointers in nine attempts, against Oklahoma State. Guards Marcus Carr (13.3 points) and Payton Willis (11.0) join Oturu and Kalscheur (13.3) with double-digit scoring averages, with Carr also averaging 7.1 assists, which ranks ninth nationally. Behind Oturu and Carr (5.5 boards), Minnesota owns a plus-4.7 rebound margin.
TIP-INS
1. Minnesota is 5-1 at home this season, losing only to DePaul (73-69), while FIU is 3-2 in true road games.
2. Carr scored a career-high 35 points in the 84-71 upset of visiting Ohio State on Dec. 15, and is averaging 17.5 points and 7.8 assists over his past four contests.
3. Both teams rank in the bottom third nationally in free-throw percentage with Minnesota shooting 66.1 percent and FIU connecting at a 67.9-percent clip.
PREDICTION: Minnesota 78, FIU 70