When people talk about the Big Ten being a competitive league from top to bottom this season, the Gophers men's basketball team is often left from the conversation.
Second-year Gophers coach Ben Johnson is optimistic, though, that better days are coming as Big Ten play resumes Tuesday at No. 14 Wisconsin.
A big reason for that is the Gophers (6-6, 0-2) still haven't seen talented forwards Dawson Garcia and Jamison Battle play their best together, but there have been recent glimpses of that potential.
Garcia leads the team in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (5.6) after hitting his stride last month. Battle, who missed the first four games with a foot injury, is still trying to regain his form, but his long-range shooting skills showed up with five three-pointers in a game twice.
The tandem combined for 32 points in each of the Gophers' past two games — wins against Chicago State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
"You wish it happened sooner, but sometimes it just takes time," Johnson said. "Both are becoming confident in their own individual ability."
Getting the most out of Garcia and Battle together hasn't been easy for the Gophers, who suffered through a five-game losing streak from late November through mid-December. They've tried to stay consistent with their work ethic.
"Showing up every day in practice locked in," Garcia said. "That's what carries over to the game. Those small details that you might think are minor. Coming to practice every day with a teachable and good mindset — just working hard."
Garcia had his second-best scoring game as a Gopher with 20 points and six rebounds in a 69-51 loss Dec. 11 against Mississippi State. But Battle had his worst game at home as a Gopher with just five points on 1-for-8 shooting and zero rebounds that night.
In Big Ten-opening losses to Purdue and Michigan, the Gophers didn't have their top two scoring threats healthy at the same time. Battle had a season-high 21 points at Purdue on Dec. 4, but Garcia had been battling the flu for a week.
The 6-11 North Carolina transfer and former Prior Lake star had just 11 points and three rebounds combined on 5-for-17 shooting against Virginia Tech and Purdue. Battle was also shut down in the Hokies loss with just six points and one board.
"When Dawson was sick, he lost a ton of weight," Johnson said. "He's been able to gain all that back and then some. I think you saw that last game. His power is back. When you lose near 25-30 pounds, it makes a difference. But now his confidence is back. You saw last game he's becoming more comfortable with everything. Same thing with Jamison."
Garcia has been playing lately like the player who some analysts predicted would be an All-Big Ten candidate. In the past four games he's averaging 16.3 points, six rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks, and shooting 51%. Battle's been in double figures in four of the last five games, but his scoring average (17.5 to 12.9) is still down from a season ago.
Chemistry between Garcia, Battle, point guard Ta'Lon Cooper and the four freshmen in the rotation is a work in progress. The 12-day break between games allowed the Gophers to get more practice time to build more confidence as a unit.
"There are times when we struggled," Battle said. "But there are times when we played really well. I think it's just learning from all of it."
Offense in particular has been an issue for the Big Ten's lowest-scoring team (63.4). That could change soon if Battle and Garcia can both have success and create more opportunities for everyone else.
"To both of those guys' credit, they haven't complained one bit," Johnson said. "They both have been dealing with stuff that a lot of times can be really frustrating. It's been pleasant to see that every day their drive and their attitude has been what it is."
