The two worst teams in the Big Ten are set to tangle when Minnesota visits Nebraska on Wednesday night in Lincoln, Neb.
Minnesota (11-9, 2-9 Big Ten) has dropped four straight games and eight of nine, while Nebraska (6-17, 0-12) has lost 10 in a row and is riding a 15-game skid against Big Ten opponents.
The Golden Gophers come to town after a 71-59 loss at Iowa on Sunday, when they led by five in the second half before giving up a 29-7 run. They shot 36.1 percent, their second-lowest rate of the season, and failed to attempt 10 free throws for the third time in five games.
“They were playing downhill,” Minnesota coach Ben Johnson said of the Hawkeyes. “And for whatever reason, we were on our heels.”
The Gophers, who averaged 72 points per game during a 10-1 start, have only topped 70 twice since then.
Nebraska has allowed 80 or more points six times during its losing streak, including Saturday, when it fell 87-63 at home to Northwestern. The Cornhuskers’ previous four losses had all been decided by single digits, but the Wildcats jumped ahead by 22 at the half and Nebraska never had a chance to get back into it.
“I did not anticipate us coming out like that,” said Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg, who is 5-46 in Big Ten play in three seasons. “We’ve been playing with great effort. We’ve been playing with great intensity.”
The game will be a clash of playing speeds, as Nebraska plays at the fastest pace in the conference while Minnesota is second slowest. The Cornhuskers and Gophers are 13th and 14th, respectively, in defensive efficiency, so players such as Minnesota’s Jamison Battle (16.9 points per game) and Payton Willis (16.7) and Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens (16.7) and Alonzo Verge Jr. (13.6) could all be in for productive games.
The Cornhuskers have won seven in a row at home over Minnesota, which last won at Lincoln in February 2012.
–Field Level Media
