Nebraska Huskers Basketball at Minnesota Golden Gophers Game Preview

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are back in action tonight as they continue a two-game road trek. Tonight takes them to Dinkytown to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers

When

7:01 p.m. CST/8:01 EST

Where

Minneapolis, MN – Williams Arena, aka The Barn

TV: Big Ten Network

Play-by-play: Dave Revsine
Analyst: John Beilein

Online Broadcast: Fox Sports app & foxsports.com/live

Radio

IMG College Sports Network
1400 AM in Lincoln, 590 AM in Omaha, 880 AM in Lexington
Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka
Analyst: Jake Muhleisen
Online Radio: Available on Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn.com/Huskers and TuneIn App.
SIRIUS: N/A
XM: 382
SiriusXM (internet): 972

The 11-7 (4-7 in Big Ten) Gophers are a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde squad this season. The Gophers are 11-1 at home but 0-6 on the road. Home wins include an overtime thriller over Iowa and blowouts over Michigan and Ohio State,. The most recent home game, however saw Minnesota embarrassed by an equally sporadic and inconsistent Maryland squad.

Meanwhile, Minnesota enters the matchup against the Huskers coming off a two game road trip and suffered a late collapse at Rutgers in its most recent game. Despite leading 70-66 with 2:22 left, Geo Baker helped spur a 10-2 run to get the win for the Scarlet Knights, 70-66. Eight of his 16 points came in those final minutes of action.

The Gophers rely heavily on Marcus Carr offensively. The junior guard ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring with 19.9 points per game and second in assists with 5.3. He also averages 4.2 boards per game, while junior big man and transfer Liam Robbins leads the team on the glass with 7.1 boards per game and is second on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game. On top of that, Robbins leads the Big Ten in blocks per game with an average of 2.7. Interestingly, four of Minnesota’s top six scorers are in their first season wearing maroon and gold in Dinkytown.

The series, just like in football, is the longest running of any Big Ten opponent for Nebraska. Tonight’s game marks the 79th all-time between the two programs and dates back to 1902. Minnesota leads all-time 56-22, but the Cornhuskers have been on a hot streak of late with wins in seven of the last 11 matchups. Dating back to 2012, however, 12 of the last 13 games have seen the home team win. Finally, Nebraska is 7-7 in Big Ten action against Minnesota since joining the league.

Given the prowess of both Carr and Robbins, if the Huskers manage to find a way to shut one down, expect the other to light up the scoreboard. If the postponed game in Lincoln can be rescheduled once the Huskers get rid of some of the rust, that game could be a prime opportunity to snap the losing streak. This one tonight, not so much.

Prediction

Gophers win by double-digits.
Minnesota 88 – Nebraska 63