Drake @ Minnesota preview

Richard Pitino isn't panicking yet, but chances are that panic is just one loss away. The Minnesota coach hopes for an improved effort Monday when the 15th-ranked Golden Gophers host Drake in non-league action.

Minnesota has lost three of its last four games, including back-to-back double-digit losses at Nebraska and Arkansas. "Certainly we have our deficiencies we have to fix, but the sky's not falling," Pitino told reporters after the Gophers allowed the Razorbacks to shoot 57.4 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. Jordan Murphy, who leads the team in scoring (19.9) and rebounding (12.5), has posted a double-double in all 11 games and will certainly be a handful for a Drake team that ranks tied for 291st in the nation in points allowed (78.6). The Bulldogs defeated Wake Forest earlier this season and, more recently, snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday with a 19-point win over Omaha.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT DRAKE (5-4): Reed Timmer scored 27 points to pace Drake in its win over Omaha, and the senior guard enters this game with terrific shooting percentages across the board. Timmer is shooting 49.5 percent from the field, a blistering 56.1 percent from 3-point range and 57-of-62 from the foul line. After Timmer (22.1 points), De'Antae McMurray is the next highest scorer on the team at 11.6 points, although he has surpassed that number only twice all season.

ABOUT MINNESOTA (8-3): Amir Coffey has scored at least 10 points in six straight games and averages 14.2. Nate Mason chips in 15.8 points and has at least 15 in five consecutive contests, although he has struggled with his shooting in three of the last four games. Reggie Lynch, like Murphy, is a force on the interior with averages of 11 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.2 blocks - which is second in the nation.

TIP-INS

1. Minnesota ranks 26th in the nation in scoring (86.5) but 217th in points allowed (74.0).

2. Lynch recorded three total blocks in last week's back-to-back losses after totaling 12 in his previous two games.

3. Murphy has shot at least 53 percent from the field in eight of his team's 11 games.

PREDICTION: Minnesota 89, Drake 66