Noon vs. No. 21 Iowa • FS1, 100.3-FM
Two teams last met on Dec. 9
Preview: Iowa coach Fran McCaffery has been dealing with injuries all season. Don't expect McCaffery to make excuses playing Sunday without sharpshooting freshman C.J. Fredrick, who averages 10.7 points and a Big Ten-best 46.7% from three-point range. Fredrick suffered an ankle injury and missed the second half of Thursday's 89-77 loss at Indiana. The Hawkeyes (17-8, 8-6) have been playing most of the season without point guard Jordan Bohannon (hip) and forward Jack Nunge (knee). In his last Big Ten game, Bohannon had 10 assists and zero turnovers in a 72-52 win Dec. 9 against Minnesota (12-11, 6-7) in Iowa City.
Players to watch: Gophers center Daniel Oturu was named to the Naismith Award midseason team. The 6-10 sophomore had a career-best 32 points, to go with 16 rebounds and three blocks, in last Saturday's 83-77 loss at Penn State. It was his second 30-point game this season. Iowa center Luka Garza is averaging 27 points in Big Ten play, which included a 38-point performance Thursday against the Hoosiers.
Numbers: The Gophers' starting backcourt of Marcus Carr, Willis and Gabe Kalscheur scored just 10 points combined on 3-for-29 shooting in Iowa City. But they combined for 44 points in a home win against Wisconsin on Feb. 5.
MARCUS FULLER
