6:30 p.m. at Purdue • Mackey Arena • BTN • (100.3 FM)
U hopes to break road drought
Preview: The No. 21 Gophers (11-5, 4-5 Big Ten) will try for their first road win this season Saturday at Purdue, coming off their first home loss a week ago vs. Maryland. This will be the first game away from home for Minnesota this season against an unranked opponent after losing to Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa by an average of 20 points per game. The Boilermakers (11-6, 6-4) saw their four-game win streak end Jan. 22 with a 70-53 loss against Michigan. It was their first home loss this season, but they've beaten Ohio State, Michigan State and Indiana on the road. Last season, the Gophers fell 83-78 in double overtime at Purdue.
Players to watch: Gophers junior Liam Robbins was named a top-10 finalist Friday for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award given to the best center in college basketball. Robbins is averaging 13.3 points, a team-best 6.9 rebounds and a Big Ten-leading 2.6 blocks. The 7-foot Robbins is looking to bounce back after foul trouble limited him to six points and two rebounds in 22 minutes vs. Maryland. Purdue junior Trevion Williams (15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game) is also a finalist for the top center award.
Numbers: The Gophers rank 303rd nationally and last in the Big Ten in three-point shooting percentage (29.5). But they rank 50th nationally and third in the Big Ten in threes attempted per game (25.4).
Marcus Fuller
