Gophers Start Big Ten Tournament Wednesday vs. Nebraska

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin - pbp, Robbie Hummel - color, Andy Katz - sideline)
Tip Time: Approximately 8:06 p.m.
Radio: Learfield IMG: KTLK 1130 AM and 103.5 FM
Mike Grimm (Play-by-Play), Spencer Tollackson (Color)

SERIES INFORMATION
79th Meeting (54-24 all time)
Minnesota vs. Nebraska Neutral Site: First Meeting
Gophers All-Time vs. Big Ten: 786-900*
* - excludes vacated games

STARTING FIVE
• The University of Minnesota men's basketball team begins the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday, March 8 in Game 2 of the tourney. The Gophers will take on No. 11 seed Nebraska 25 minutes following the conclusion of the Wisconsin/Ohio State, approximately 8:06 p.m. Should Minnesota advance out of the first round, the Gophers would face Maryland on Thursday, March 9 in the last of four games that day and sixth of the tournament.
• The contest against Nebraska marks the first time the Golden Gophers will face the Cornhuskers in the Big Ten Tournament since the university joined the league in 2011-12 campaign. Nebraska is Minnesota's 12th all-time opponent in the Big Ten Tournament. The only other program the Gophers have not faced in conference postseason action is Maryland, who joined the Big Ten in the 2014-15 season.
• The Gophers fell in last year's Big Ten Tournament, also in the First Round when Penn State defeated the Gophers, 60-51 on March 9, 2022. Going into this year's tournament, only one Gopher has Big Ten Tournament experience in Jamison Battle, who played all 40 minutes and went 7-16 from the field, including 3-8 from three and scored 19 points.
• The 2023 tournament marks the first time its been held in the United Center since 2019. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, all were played in Indianapolis. In 2020 and 2022, it was held in what's now Gainbridge Fieldhouse, while in 2021 it was held in Lucas Oil Stadium, due to COVID-19 safety protocols.
• Minnesota closed out the Big Ten regular season splitting action the final week of play. The Gophers earned a 75-74 buzzer beater win over Rutgers on March 2 in Williams Arena. Battle scored three three-pointers in the final minute, capped by his buzzer-beating game-winner. Minnesota trailed 70-60 with 1:15 remaining, and Minnesota's only lead of the game came on Battle's winning shot in front of the Gophers' bench. Minnesota fell in its regular season finale to Wisconsin, 71-67. Dawson Garcia scored 19 points, while Braeden Carrington and Joshua Ola-Joseph added 11 and 10 points respectively.

GARCIA NAMED ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION
• Dawson Garcia was selected as an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention by both the coaches and media Tuesday, March 7. It is Garcia's first Big Ten honor of his career. In his first year with the Golden Gophers, Garcia led Minnesota in both scoring and rebounding this season averaging 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. His 15.6 ppg ranks 10th in league scoring, while his 6.6 rbp is 13th overall. Garcia has started in all 24 games he played, as he missed five due to a bone bruise injury from Jan. 22-Feb. 18. In those 24 games played, Garcia was Minnesota's top scorer and rebounder in nine contests. Shooting 45.8 percent from the field this season, Garcia is also shooting 34.6 percent from beyond the arc. Garcia has scored double-digit scoring in 21 of 24 games this season, including a career-high 28 points at Ohio State on Jan. 12. He also established a career-high in rebounds this season when he collected 15 against Nebraska earlier this year.
• Ta'Lon Cooper was Minnesota's Sportsmanship Award honoree. Cooper was the only Gopher to play and start in all 29 games so far this season for Minnesota. He holds a team-best 178 assists and 30 steals, while ranking third on the team in scoring averaging 9.8 points.

GOPHERS HONOR GRADUATING SENIORS
• In the season finale on Sunday, March 5, Minnesota honored its graduating seniors Jamison Battle, Ta'Lon Cooper and Taurus Samuels. Battle and Cooper have the option of using its fifth COVID-19 year, while Samuels will have exhausted eligibility. All three will earn degrees this spring/summer in sports management.

ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• Nebraska enters the Big Ten Tournament with a 16-15 overall record and finished with a 9-11 record in conference play, and won five of its last six games.
• Nebraska's Derrick Walker holds a team-best 13.7 points and 7.3 rebounds, which led to Second Team All-Big Ten honor by the coaches and honorable mention by the media. Keisei Tominaga is second on the team in scoring averaging 12.8, but has been averaging 16.8 ppg in the past eight games. Sam Griesel rounds out the top three scoring averaging 11.8 points and holds 110 assists and 34 steals, both team bests.
• As a team, Nebraska averages 67.7 points per game, while allowing 69.6. The Huskers average 34.7 rebounds and 63.8 from the free throw line. Nebraska is also shooting 45.8 from the field and 32.6 from three this season. In the past five games, the Huskers are shooting 51.4 percent and 37 from three.

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Players Mentioned

Jamison Battle

Braeden Carrington

Ta'Lon Cooper

Dawson Garcia

Joshua Ola-Joseph

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