Loyola Marymount @ Minnesota preview
Williams Arena
Last Meeting ( Nov 28, 2020 ) Loyola Marymount 73, Minnesota 88
In a season that is sure to feature different and unusual things, Loyola Marymount and Minnesota are certainly doing something not normally seen in college basketball.
The Lions (1-1) and Golden Gophers (2-0) are in the midst of a two-game "series," with the teams playing back-to-back games against each other in Minneapolis, with Monday's game coming two days after the Gophers' 88-73 win.
Minnesota's Marcus Carr scored a game-high 28 points -- 22 in the first half -- after posting 35 in a season-opening win over Green Bay.
"Marcus is unbelievable," Minnesota teammate Brandon Johnson said. "He's one of the best point guards I've ever played with and come across. Once he gets that look in his eye, he knows, ‘Can't nobody stop me. I'm about to get a bucket. We're going to get a stop and we're going to do the same thing coming down.' That's my guy.'"
Another player who stood out for the Golden Gophers was Both Gach, a transfer from Utah who had 17 points, six assists and six rebounds.
If Loyola Marymount is to make the rematch any closer, it will have to do a better job of corralling Carr and Gach.
"He's a stats sheet stuffer," Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said of Gach. "When you've got him, Gabe (Kalscheur) and Marcus going downhill, getting into the lane, good things can happen. Offensively, we've got to do a better job of driving and getting somebody else a shot."
While preventing points was a problem in the first game for Loyola Marymount, offense certainly wasn't.
The Lions had five players score in double-figures, led by 19 points from Joe Quintana.
Senior Eli Scott, who was named to the West Coast Conference's preseason team, finished with 14 points.
"We're playing against a really good basketball team, terrific coach and a great program who has won and had success," first-year Loyola Marymount coach Stan Johnson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune before Saturday's game. "They have really good players. We'll be tested. That's what you want. You want to find out who you are."
Loyola Marymount, which committed 19 turnovers on Saturday, defeated visiting Southern Utah in its season opener.
--Field Level Media