Minnesota will try to snap a four-game losing streak when it visits Penn State in a Big Ten matchup on Saturday evening in University Park, Pa.
Minnesota (12-7, 3-5) is coming off a 61-59 loss at home against No. 13 Wisconsin on Tuesday night. The Golden Gophers outscored Wisconsin 35-27 in the second half but barely missed out on their comeback bid as the Badgers’ Tyler Wahl made a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining.
Minnesota coach Ben Johnson was asked whether his team was right on the precipice of winning games, if not for some missed free throws and self-inflicted errors.
“I think we’re more than right there,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to do our job and stamp it and finish it.”
They will try to do so against Penn State (9-10, 3-5), which also is looking to bounce back after a 79-67 road loss against Ohio State last Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions have lost three of their last four games but did upset then-No. 11 Wisconsin 87-83 on Jan. 16.
Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said his players would be refreshed and re-energized after going a week between games.
“We’re excited to get back on the court,” Rhoades said. “Having some time off this week, (we wanted to) work on our bodies, get fresh, and be excited to get back on the court.”
Kanye Clary leads Penn State with 18.8 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 38.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Ace Baldwin Jr. ranks second with 13 points per game.
Minnesota’s top scorer is Dawson Garcia, who is averaging 17.3 points to go along with a team-high 7.3 rebounds. Three other players are scoring in double digits including Mike Mitchell Jr. (10.3 points per game), Joshua Ola-Joseph (10.2) and Cam Christie (10.1).
This will be the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams. They are scheduled to play in Minneapolis on March 2.
–Field Level Media
