Indiana @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 9, 2018 ) Minnesota 56, Indiana 80

Maybe Indiana will find the antidote for their malaise after dropping two straight at home and losing nine of its last 10 on Saturday afternoon against host Minnesota in a Big Ten game. Nebraska, Illinois and Michigan State have all found a cure for losing streaks this season when they've faced Minnesota.

Indiana has not played since losing back-to-back games at Assembly Hall to No. 17 Iowa on Feb. 7 and Ohio State on Sunday. The Hoosiers still entertain hopes of getting on a roll that could propel them into the NCAA Tournament field, but they're at best a bubble team that's running out of games to make a statement. And their schedule doesn't get any easier after Saturday, with games against Big Ten contenders No. 11 Purdue, Iowa, No. 23 Wisconsin and No. 12 Michigan State in the next two weeks. Minnesota is in a little better shape as far as overall wins, but the Gophers have hit the skids recently with four consecutive losses (three of those on the road).

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT INDIANA (13-11, 4-9 Big Ten): The Hoosiers' only win since Jan. 3 was, strangely enough, at Michigan State on Feb. 2 in overtime. Their struggles can be traced to inconsistent scoring, which was laid bare in the 55-52 loss to Ohio State in their most recent game. Indiana was as high as No. 2 nationally several weeks ago in field goal percentage, but in the last 10 games is shooting only 39.8 percent.

ABOUT MINNESOTA (16-9, 6-8): The Gophers' most recent loss came at Nebraska, which ended its own seven-game losing streak with a 62-61 win over Minnesota on Wednesday. Minnesota's weaknesses include 3-point shooting (29.7 percent in Big Ten games) and a shallow bench. The Gophers are more effective inside, with Amir Coffey averaging 15.2 points per game and Jordan Murphy leading the Big Ten in rebounding (11.9 per game.)

TIP-INS

1. Indiana's Romeo Langford leads all Big Ten freshmen in scoring at 17.5 points per game.

2. Indiana senior Juwan Morgan was held to a season-low three points Sunday but finished with a career-high 14 rebounds.

3. Murphy turned in his 17th double-double of the season (19 points, 13 rebounds) Wednesday.

PREDICTION: Minnesota 69, Indiana 65