The resurgent Gopher men's basketball team goes for its fourth straight win Tuesday night at Michigan State, one of their best stretches of basketball since Ben Johnson took over as head coach in 2021.
Johnson says he knew the team was improving, even when they weren't winning many games eary in the season.
"I'm sure people thought I was crazy when I said that we were getting better even though we weren't getting the results," Johnson said this week after a big win over a ranked Oregon team at Williams Arena. "I'm sure, you know, people were calling me an idiot. But I knew it because I'm here every day. I see it every day."
Two of those wins by the Gophers were against ranked teams with a win over Michigan followed by the program's first win at Iowa in a decade.
Michigan State comes into tonight's game ranked number seven so it's definitely a step up in competition even from those ranked Michigan and Oregon teams or a game in Iowa City. Sparty is 17-2 overall and unbeaten so far in Big Ten play.
Still, all of a sudden, the Gophers have one of the hottest teams in men's college basketball. Johnson says the players always knew they could win in the Big Ten even as the Gophers struggled early this season with a roster full transfers.
"It's coming together and the confidence never wavered," Johnson says about his players. "Even when we weren't getting the results, they were still a confident group because they knew we could show them through film, the steps and the growth they were making, and they believed it. They trusted it. They trusted each other. They kept working, you know? They're they're finally being rewarded."
Preview
Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-9, 3-6 Big Ten) at Michigan State Spartans (17-2, 8-0 Big Ten)
East Lansing, Michigan; Tuesday, 7 p.m. (CT)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Spartans -13.5; over/under is 139
BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota visits No. 7 Michigan State after Dawson Garcia scored 31 points in Minnesota’s 77-69 win against the Oregon Ducks.
The Spartans are 10-0 in home games. Michigan State scores 81.7 points and has outscored opponents by 13.6 points per game.
The Golden Gophers have gone 3-6 against Big Ten opponents. Minnesota has a 5-4 record in games decided by at least 10 points.
Michigan State’s average of 5.5 made 3-pointers per game is 1.3 fewer made shots on average than the 6.8 per game Minnesota gives up. Minnesota averages 6.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.2 fewer makes per game than Michigan State allows.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jaden is shooting 28.7% from beyond the arc with 1.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Spartans, while averaging 13.7 points. Jase Richardson is averaging 10 points over the last 10 games.
Garcia is scoring 19.7 points per game with 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Golden Gophers. Mike Mitchell Jr. is averaging 11.9 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Spartans: 10-0, averaging 81.8 points, 38.1 rebounds, 18.7 assists, 5.1 steals and 6.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.2 points per game.
Golden Gophers: 5-5, averaging 74.3 points, 32.2 rebounds, 16.3 assists, 5.5 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.4 points.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.