Indiana @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 16, 2019 ) Indiana 63, Minnesota 84

Indiana looks to keep its fading NCAA Tournament hopes alive when it visits Minnesota on Wednesday. The Hoosiers have dropped five of their last six games, including an 89-65 setback to Michigan on Sunday, to fall into the bottom half of the the Big Ten standings.

“Right now on the road it’s disappointing that we’re not able to hang in there,” Indiana coach Archie Miller told reporters. “We’re at the point in the season where the one thing you can never question is how hard you have to compete.” Minnesota missed a chance to add a resume-boosting win to its tournament portfolio following a 58-55 loss to No. 20 Iowa on Sunday. The Golden Gophers have lost four of their last five games to leave them on the wrong side of the bubble, and they hope to give their NCAA Tournament hopes a shot in the arm by avoiding falling below .500 in February for the second time in three seasons. “It’s obviously in the back of our minds because we want to go to the tournament,” Minnesota point guard Marcus Carr told reporters. “When each game approaches we are focusing on that game and that game only.”

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT INDIANA (16-9, 6-8 Big Ten): De’Ron Davis went a perfect 9-of-9 from the field en route to a season-high 18 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Hoosiers lost their third straight road game. Aljami Durham added 17 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists while Trayce Jackson-Davis, who is averaging 13.6 points and 7.7 rebounds, was held to five points and two boards against the Wolverines. “We need more consistency right now and we’re not getting enough of that,” Miller said. “You can’t go on the road with just one or two guys showing up.”

ABOUT MINNESOTA (12-12, 6-8): Daniel Oturu filled up the stat sheet with 15 points, six rebounds, four blocked shots and a steal, but missed an opportunity to tie the game at the free throw line with under four seconds left in the loss to Iowa. Gabe Kalscheur added 12 points while Carr registered 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but the Hawkeyes ended the game on an 11-0 run. Payton Willis scored eight points while Alihan Demir finished with five points and a game-high nine rebounds as the Golden Gophers were held to 35.6 percent shooting from the floor.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Carr leads the Big Ten in minutes played (37.2).

2. Indiana has dropped its last three road games by an average margin of 12.8 points.

3. Oturu is ninth nationally in rebounds per game (11.3).

PREDICTION: Minnesota 73, Indiana 65