Minnesota Arrives to Breslin Center on 3-Game Win Streak

The last time MSU and Minnesota squared off, it was December 4th, and it marked the beginning of Big Ten play and the Spartans dominated. That began a long skid for the Golden Gophers afterward and was the second-straight win for MSU (17-2, 8-0 1st) who have not looked back since. The same cannot be said about Minnesota (11-9, 3-6) who travel across Lake Michigan on a 3-game win streak of their own with impressive, ranked wins over Michigan and Oregon, while notching a road victory at Iowa.

Xavier Booker sinks a pair of second-half dunks to help @MSU_Basketball to a 88-54 win over Washington 💪#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/LYy3e63gYZ

— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 10, 2025

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PILLOW: REMATCH

While the Gophers are riding their second, three-game win streak but they still fall short in several key metrics to make a serious push against MSU. Coach Izzo will be emphasizing defense, transition offense and patience in the half-court offense to wear out the Gophers. Xavier Booker might be relieved to see them as he scored 11 points with 2 rebounds and a pair of blocks in 19 minutes in the last contest. In-fact, 4 Spartans finished in double figures as they crested 90 team points with Jaxon Kohler recording a double-double.

The beat goes on for the MSU offense, where 1-2 may have an off night, 1-2 more step right in and fill and the bench roared to life vs Rutgers accounting for 50 of the team’s 81 points Sunday; 34 combined between Jase Richardson and Coen Carr. They continue to get to the FT line at a conference best pace (38th nationally per Bart Torvik), but more importantly, converting those into 20+ points a game in Big Ten play (161/193) and a whopping 83.4% (81.4% overall average ranks 3rd in Division 1). This is where the difference has been made in most of MSU’s under 10-point wins.

With tougher opponents upcoming with a West Coast swing to see both California schools, USC and UCLA, the coaching staff will not allow them to “…get fat and sassy,” as Coach Izzo has repeatedly addressed the team in staying humble and staying focused on their areas of improvements. Those have largely been their outside shooting, improving their first-chance defensive rebounding and closing out games when up 10+ points and not allowing teams back in by playing all 40 minutes with the same energy. One of the oldest sayings of the program stems from their last National Championship as it’s painted on the exterior of the team’s locker room wall among the other legends over the decades. It can be found in a 5-letter hashtag as #PPTPW, those who have been fortunate enough to be a part of the program since the hire of Coach Izzo know it best as “Players Play, Tough Players Win,” and that is mindset they have proven not having lost in 63 days, going into Tuesday night. A win would complete two full months (December and January) without defeat. It is such a streak that has not been seen since 2018-2019 when MSU made a Final Four run.

Ultimately, it’s a home game and the Gophers don’t have the defensive talent to keep MSU at bay long enough. Given the blueprint, the physicality will continue to wear down Minnesota as MSU’s depth should continue to deplete the opponent’s energy as they have repeatedly shown the ability to answer opposition runs, with runs of their own. Look for a bounce back game for Booker, Kohler and Aikins. Also keep an eye on Carson Cooper as he did not return from an ankle injury late against Rutgers and as always, a balanced attack with plenty of free throws.

TELECAST: Game can be seen on Peacock at 8:00pm EST, Tuesday 1/28.