University of Minnesota Athletics
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Willis Towers and Badgers Stopped: Wisconsin Postgame Notes
2/5/2020 11:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SERIES, ETC.
Tonight's 70-52 win was the 195th all-time meeting between Minnesota and Wisconsin (not counting vacated games), with the Gophers leading the series, 98-97 (Minnesota leads 64-36 in Minneapolis). Tonight's game marked the first of two meetings between the teams this season, as the Gophers and Badgers will play in Madison on March 1. The 18-point victory margin versus the Badgers was the widest for the Gophers since a 76-57 win at Williams Arena on March 4, 1992. Minnesota improved to 12-10 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten, while Wisconsin fell to 13-10 overall and 6-6 in the conference. Richard Pitino is 3-9 versus the Badgers. Minnesota's all-time record now stands at 1,499-1,123 overall and 767-841 in the B1G (not counting vacated games). Coach Pitino's seventh-year record at Minnesota is 124-102, and his eight-year career mark is 142-116.
STARTING FIVE
Coach Pitino utilized a starting lineup of senior Alihan Demir (21st start at Minnesota, 76th career start), redshirt junior Payton Willis (17th start at Minnesota, 33rd career start), redshirt sophomore Marcus Carr (22nd start at Minnesota, 49th career start), sophomore Gabe Kalscheur (22nd start this season, 58th career start), and sophomore Daniel Oturu (22nd start this season, 53rd career start). Minnesota improved to 9-7 this season when using that starting lineup.
FIRST HALF RECAP
Both teams started the game clicking on offense, as the Gophers made 8-of-12 (2-of-3 three-pointers) in the opening minutes, and the Badgers were 4-of-5 from beyond the arc at the outset. Payton Willis knocked down his first four field goals, including three from long distance, for a quick 11 points to help Minnesota build an 11-point lead. The Gophers stretched the lead to as many as 17 points, 45-28, before settling for a 45-32 lead at the half. Willis led all scorers with 13 points at the break, while Daniel Oturu added 10 points and seven boards at the break. Marcus Carr added eight points and seven assists, and Gabe Kalscheur also had eight. Minnesota's 45 points was the most allowed in a first half this season for Wisconsin.
OTURU NOTCHES 12TH DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Daniel Oturu recorded his 12th double-double this season (20th career) with 17 points and 14 rebounds versus the Badgers. The game was Oturu's 21st this season in double figures, including a current streak of 17 straight, and he added four blocked shots in 29 minutes. Oturu connected on 6-of-10 field goals, which included making his lone attempt from behind the arc. In 12 Big Ten games, Oturu has seven double-doubles and is averaging 20.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Over his past 15 games, he's had nine games with 20+ points. Oturu, who leads the Big Ten with 12 double-doubles this season, has recorded double-doubles in eight of his past 14 games.
WHAT'S UP, WILLIS?
Payton Willis had his best night as a member of the Gophers, as he led all scorers with a career-high 21 points. Willis connected on 7-of-10 field goals and was 5-of-7 from three-point range. He added five rebounds, two steals and an assist in 37 minutes. It was the seventh double-figure scoring game for Willis, but exceeded his previous career-best of 18 points versus Central Michigan on Nov. 21.
CARR NARROWLY MISSES TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Marcus Carr once again logged a full 40 minutes for the Gophers, and he was one rebound shy of recording a triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds versus the Badgers. It's Carr's second straight game with nine boards, which is just one shy of his career-high. The point-assist double-double was Carr's second in Big Ten play, as he had 21 points and 12 assists versus Michigan on Jan. 12. Mychal Thompson owns Minnesota's lone triple-double, with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocked shots versus Ohio State on Jan. 26, 1976.
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS AND NOTES
The Gophers had four players reach double figures for the first time since the 77-68 win versus Northwestern on Jan. 5. It's the fifth time this season with four in double-digits and just the second time in B1G play ... Minnesota improved to 4-2 this season when wearing its Gold uniforms ... the Gophers are 10-2 at Williams Arena this season and 23-5 the past two seasons ... Marcus Carr had seven assists in the first half (10 in the game), giving him 11 games this season with at least seven assists ... Payton Willis made his 100th career three-pointer during the game .... Daniel Oturu reached 800 career points during the game ... tonight's attendance was 11,389.