Last week, the Gophers men’s basketball team ran into COVID issues amongst the team. That led to a postponement in the game against Penn State. Minnesota fell below the roster minimum in the Big Ten Conference, having less than seven scholarship players available.
Ahead of the home game against Rutgers, Minnesota was again shorthanded, but this time, met the minimum requirements. Though it was not specified as to what exactly caused each player to sit out, the Gophers were without three student-athletes: Redshirt senior Eric Curry, sophomore Jamison Battle and senior Eylijah Stephens.
All three athletes were out because of “either illness, COVID-19 health and safety protocols or injury,” the team announced before the game.
The shorthanded Gophers prevailed and picked up their first home Big Ten win of the season 68-65 against the Scarlet Knights. Senior Payton Willis led the team with a career-high 32 points while senior Luke Loewe scored 19 points alongside Willis.
“It’s all about what’s on the front of the jersey, and it’s all about you’re gonna compete every single day,” head coach Ben Johnson said about the shorthanded win Saturday.
The conference win was a huge accomplishment for Johnson and the Gophers. It could be an important game to look at down the stretch as the turning point for the team. After a perfect 9-0 record in non-conference play, the Gophers are just 2-5 in conference.
Minnesota has a tough week ahead, facing not one but two nationally top-ranked teams. On Thursday, the Gophers play host to No. 16 Ohio State who is currently ranked fourth in the Big Ten.
Sunday, the Gophers travel to Madison, Wis., to play No. 11 Wisconsin in the first of two border battles. The Badgers are tied for second in the conference, and are just a half-game behind No. 10 Michigan State.
It’s not confirmed if Minnesota will be back to full strength ahead of these tough matchups, but fans got a glimpse of what they need to do if circumstances don’t change.
