Minnesota and Northwestern both ended the Big Ten regular season on two-game losing streaks.
The 12th-seeded Golden Gophers and 13th-seeded Wildcats realize wiggle room will be out the window on Wednesday when they meet in the opening round of the conference tournament in Indianapolis.
“Yeah, I think it’s just motivation,” Minnesota leading scorer and rebounder Dawson Garcia said. “I don’t think anyone wants to lose or go out, just because I think everyone understands the circumstances. It’s really, as far as guaranteed games are concerned, it’s win or go home. And so we have our goals set on high expectations for ourselves.”
Minnesota (15-16) and Northwestern (16-15) both finished 7-13 in conference play. The Wildcats netted a 75-63 road victory against the Golden Gophers on Feb. 25, pulling away down the stretch behind a big effort from conference leading scorer Nick Martinelli, who scored 19 of his 29 points after halftime.
Garcia paced Minnesota with 26 points and nine rebounds. Golden Gophers reserve Frank Mitchell was the only other player to score in double figures in the game, contributing 10 points.
The Golden Gophers hope a revved-up Garcia can help them get back on track. After combining for just 23 points in his previous two games, Garcia scored 19 points to go with eight boards on Sunday in an overtime loss at Rutgers.
Martinelli, who averages 20.2 points and 6.2 boards, helped the visiting Wildcats stay afloat Saturday before suffering a 13-point loss at then-No. 13 Maryland. He scored 28 points for his third 20-point effort in the past four games.
Ty Berry followed with 10 points. As they have since second- and third-leading scorers Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach sustained season-ending injuries, the Wildcats are searching for complementary offense behind Martinelli.
“If you don’t see that Nick Martinelli is one of the very best players in this league,” Wildcats coach Chris Collins said, “then I don’t know what you’re watching. … He’s a warrior, man. I love that he’s on my team.”
Wednesday’s winner advances to face fifth-seeded Wisconsin (23-8) on Thursday afternoon.
–Field Level Media
