Gophers head coach Ben Johnson reminded his players to not put too much stock in the actual Big Ten standings going into Saturday’s game against Washington.
“This was a team picked ahead of us,” Johnson relayed to reporters on Friday. “We can’t forget who we are and you can never forget that perspective. We still have so much more to prove.”
The preseason poll had the Huskies picked ahead of Minnesota because, well, everyone was slated ahead of the U. Johnson didn’t want his team to get comfortable after winning three of four conference games in the last two weeks as the Huskies lost six straight games to sit in last place.
Johnson’s recent-history lesson was warranted with Washington leading 40-30 at halftime. The Gophers came back in the second half but fell short in a 71-68 loss at Williams Arena.
The Gophers beat two ranked teams at The Barn the previous two Saturday — then lost to the basement dwellers this weekend.
Washington (11-10, 2-8) gains ground on Minnesota (11-11, 3-8 Big Ten).
Dawson Garcia tried to put the Gophers on his back, finishing with 28 points, but only Femi Odukale also finished in double digits. He had 10 points.
The Gophers suffered three turnovers in the final two minutes to hurt the comeback attempt.
DJ Davis and Mekhi Mason each made two free throws in the final 10 seconds to put the game away.
Huskies forward Great Osobor reportedly receives $2 million in NIL this year, which is more than the entire Gophers roster. The 6-foot-8 senior transfer from Utah State finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Guard Tyler Harris scorched Minnesota with 23 points, including all four 3-pointers he shot.
In the first half, Garcia picked up two fouls and contributed five points in only 10 minutes. Parker Fox also picked up two fouls and was on the court for only three minutes.
That contributed to the Huskies having a 20-8 rebounding advantage, including 7-0 on the offensive glass. Washington led 33-25 for the game.
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