EVANSTON, ILL. – The Gophers have been trying all season to get some consistent production from their big men other than Daniel Oturu, but it's been a frontcourt-by-committee approach.
Freshman forward Isaiah Ihnen missed Sunday's game with a wrist injury, but Minnesota got contributions inside from several others in an 83-57 win against Northwestern.
Ihnen, a 6-foot-9 German native, had been displaying major improvement in recent games. It seemed like he even might even have a chance to become a starter, but he aggravated a previous injury Saturday.
"He hurt his wrist in practice," coach Richard Pitino said. "It's too bad, because Isaiah is starting to play well. He's been getting some good minutes, but that's what a team is all about. Next man up."
Ihnen had 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks combined in his past two games. Without him Sunday, the pressure still wasn't all on senior starter Alihan Demir, who had six points and six rebounds in 23 minutes.
Sophomore Jarvis Omersa scored his first basket since Jan. 19 on a strong drive in the first half. He finished with four points and three rebounds in 14 minutes. Senior Michael Hurt didn't score but grabbed a Big Ten-career high five rebounds in nine minutes.
Even rarely used freshman Sam Freeman showed potential with five points and two rebounds in three minutes. The 6-10 Texan's three-point play in the waning minutes made the bench erupt with cheers.
"When opportunities like this come for guys like Sam and Jarvis, they're ready for it," Oturu said.
The status for Ihnen is uncertain for Wednesday's game vs. Maryland. He missed the first three games this season with the same injury.
Second chances
The Gophers had zero second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds in Wednesday's loss against Indiana. So, they crashed the offensive glass and focused on converting in Sunday's win.
The result against Northwestern was 16 second-chance points on 12 offensive rebounds, including 10 points in the first half.
"Being able to take advantage of the offensive rebounds and points today really helped us," Oturu said.
