Ta'Lon Cooper grew up in the Midwest footprint in Detroit before moving to the South, so he already knew what Big Ten basketball was about before transferring to the Gophers.
Cooper's favorite team was the Michigan Final Four squad led by Trey Burke in 2013, but he also remembered what the style of play and atmosphere looked like in the conference.
"I just remember how physical it was and how big the environment was," he said earlier this season. "That's what I liked about it."
The 6-4, 190-pound Morehead State transfer has fond memories of the Big Ten as a fan, but this will be his first time playing in a Big Ten game in his home state Sunday against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.
There hasn't been as big a learning curve since he moved up to a higher level with the Gophers. Cooper's averaging 13.1 points (second on the team) and 5.8 assists (third in the Big Ten) in his first seven conference games.
Cooper scored in double figures in his first six Big Ten games, including with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and the clinching free throw with 1.7 seconds left in last week's win at Ohio State.
But Cooper's double figure scoring streak ended with his season-low four points on 2-for-7 shooting in Thursday's 61-39 loss against No. 3 Purdue.
Purdue freshman Braden Smith got the best of the point guard matchup with 19 points and seven assists against Minnesota. So, what will Cooper and his backcourt mates do against another talented freshman in McDaniel on Sunday afternoon?
GAME INFO
Time: 12 p.m. CT, Sunday. Where: Crisler Arena. Line: Gophers 12.5-point underdogs. Series: Michigan leads 93-63, including 90-75 win in Minneapolis on Dec. 8, 2022. TV: Big Ten Network. Online/Live video: BTN-Plus. Radio: 103.5-FM
PROJECTED STARTERS
MINNESOTA GOPHERS (7-10, 1-6 BIG TEN)
Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG
G – Ta'Lon Cooper 6-4 195 Jr. 10.6
G – Taurus Samuels 6-1 195 Sr. 2.6
F – Jamison Battle 6-7 220 Jr. 11.9
F – Joshua Ola-Joseph 6-7 215 Fr. 7.2
F – Dawson Garcia 6-11 230 So. 15.1
Key reserves – Pharrel Payne, F/C, 6-9, Fr., 7.2 ppg; Jaden Henley, G, 6-7, Fr., 3.9 ppg; Treyton Thompson, C, 7-0, So., 1.6 ppg.
Coach: Ben Johnson 20-27 career (2nd season)
Notable: Freshman guard Braeden Carrington's expected to be sidelined four weeks with a right leg stress reaction injury, the team announced Monday. Carrington averaged 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds this season. … Gophers forward Jamison Battle, who missed the first four games this season after foot surgery, has been hampered the last two games with a back injury suffered in Monday's loss vs. Illinois. Battle, who averages 12 points per game, only has eight points combined on 4-for-20 shooting in the losses to Purdue and Illinois. … The Gophers announced 6-8 freshman forward Kadyn Betts will redshirt the 2022-23 season after reclassifying and joining the team early this year. Betts will be part of a highly touted 2023 class that was signed Nov. 9, including five-star center Dennis Evans III and four-star guard Cameron Christie. Christie and Evans were named McDonald's All-American nominees last week. … The Gophers have won three of the last meetings against the Wolverines, including 75-65 on Dec. 11 last season in Ann Arbor.
MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (10-8, 4-3)
Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG
G – Dug McDaniel 5-11 160 Fr. 6.9
G – Kobe Bufkin 6-4 195 So. 12.1
F – Jett Howard 6-8 215 Fr. 15.4
F – Terrance Williams 6-7 225 Jr. 7.1
F – Hunter Dickinson 7-1 260 Sr. 17.8
Reserves – Joey Baker, F, 6-7, Sr., 4.6 ppg; Tarris Reed Jr., F, 6-10, Fr., 3.4 ppg; Isaiah Barnes, F, 6-7, So., 1.2 ppg, Jace Howard, G, 6-8, Jr., 1.3 ppg; Will Tschetter, F, 6-8, So., 2.6 ppg.
Coach: Juwan Howard 66-35 (5th season)
Notable: Wolverines point guard Jaelin Llewellyn suffered a torn ACL during a Dec. 4 loss against Kentucky. Llewellyn, a Princeton transfer, started the first eight games and averaged 7.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Freshman Dug McDaniel has averaged 9.2 points and 5.3 assists replacing Llewellyn in the starting lineup the last nine games. … Redshirt freshman Will Tschetter, who is from Stewartville, Minn., had six points and two rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench in his first game against the Gophers in his home state on Dec. 8.
Fuller's score prediction: Michigan 72, Gophers 57.
