Indiana basketball to take on Minnesota in the Hoosiers’ first conference game of the season. Read more for a full Indiana vs Minnesota prediction and preview.
Indiana will have a quick turnaround after beating Miami of Ohio 76-57 on Friday night. On Monday night the Hoosiers will play the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first conference game.
Game Information:
Teams: Indiana (7-2) and Minnesota (6-4, 0-1)
Tip Time: 6:30 p.m. EST
Watch:Â Big Ten Network
Latest on Minnesota basketball:
Minnesota is currently 6-4 and 0-1 in conference play with a loss to Michigan State this past Wednesday. The Spartans defeated the Gophers 90-72. Senior forward Dawson Garcia led the way for Minnesota providing 18 points and 11 rebounds. Last season Garcia averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 rebounds. Another notable player for Minnesota is senior guard Lu’Cye Patterson. Patterson, a Charlotte transfer, had 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in the game against Michigan State. Senior Guard Mike Mitchell was also a huge contributor with 17 points. The team had a strong start to the season, but have lost three of their last four games.
The Gophers are led by head coach Ben Johnson who is in his fourth year with Minnesota. Last season, he led the team to a 19-15 overall record and No. 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Latest on Indiana basketball:
Indiana is coming off of their win against Miami of Ohio and while it was a 19-point win, the RedHawks kept it close until about the last 5 minutes of the game. Sloppy defense in the first half was a huge contributor to Indiana’s slow start and a defensive identity appears to be something the team is still trying to find. However, the Hoosiers came into the second half with more intensity and held Miami to 21 points.
The leading scorers for IU on Friday night were Malik Reneau with 19 points and Myles Rice with 17 points. Oumar Ballo had his first double-double with Indiana posting 14 points and 18 rebounds. Coach Mike Woodson seems to be very pleased with Ballo’s performance and optimistic about what he can do for the Hoosiers going into conference play as his size could become vital to the team’s success going into the rest of the season.
Monday night is important for Indiana as it is their first game of conference play and will be a huge indicator of where this team will fall the rest of the season.