Three Keys For Indiana To Win Third Straight Game Wednesday at Minnesota
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana hasn't won three straight games since a late-December run against Morehead State, North Alabama and Kennesaw State.
But following wins over Wisconsin and Maryland, which snapped a four-game losing streak, the Hoosiers have a chance to win three in a row when they travel to Minnesota for a 9 p.m. ET tipoff Wednesday. Indiana defeated Minnesota 74-62 on Jan. 12 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, getting double-digit scoring performances from Kel'el Ware, Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako and Trey Galloway.
Wednesday's rematch is the Hoosiers' final road game of the regular season, and they could finish anywhere between fifth and 13th in the Big Ten standings. Avoiding playing Wednesday in the Big Ten Tournament is important for Indiana, which would need to win the conference tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Here are three keys for the Hoosiers, aiming for their third consecutive win.
Freshmen on fire
Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako and Minnesota's Cam Christie are in contention for Big Ten Freshman of the Year, along with Iowa's Owen Freeman. After a slow first few weeks, Mgbako has found his groove, averaging 13.5 points and shooting 36.4% from 3-point range in Big Ten play. In the first matchup against Minnesota, the 6-foot-8 freshman led Indiana with 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting. He was aggressive driving to the basket and also hit a pair of threes. Mgbako has scored 20-plus points in three of his last five games, each setting new career-highs, and Indiana needs him to play with that same assertiveness against Minnesota.
For the Gophers, Christie is on a similar hot streak. He scored 23 at Illinois and 19 against Penn State in his last two games, part of a 10-game stretch in which he's averaging 15 points and shooting 45% on 3-point attempts. Across the Big Ten, Christie is tied for fifth with his teammate, Mike Mitchell Jr., with 62 3-pointers made. Indiana's chances for securing a road win start with limiting Minnesota from beyond the arc.
Interior matchups
Dawson Garcia, a 6-foot-11 senior, is Minnesota's leading scorer and rebounder at 17.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Though he's shooting a career-low 31.6%, Indiana must keep an eye on him from 3-point range as well. In the first matchup against Indiana, 6-foot-9 sophomore Pharrel Payne led Minnesota with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting, 10 rebounds and five blocks off the bench. He moved into the starting lineup for 10 of the following 12 games, but he did not start most recently against Penn State. Compared to the more versatile Garcia, Payne does all of his scoring near the basket and shoots 61.3%.
Indiana will combat Minnesota's bigs with Malik Reneau and Kel'el Ware, who've been the team's leading scorers and rebounders all year. The 7-foot Ware, averaging 15.3 points and 9.7 rebounds, creates an intriguing matchup against Garcia, due to both players' ability to play on the perimeter. And whether Reneau is positioned inside against Payne or following Garcia all over, staying out of foul trouble is key. Reneau has picked up at least four fouls in each of the last eight games, and he's fouled out five times in the last nine.
The X-factor
Senior point guard Xavier Johnson has returned from injury after missing six games, a stretch in which the Hoosiers went 1-5. Indiana is 2-0 since Johnson's return, and he played especially well in the second half at Maryland. Playing the final 19 minutes, Johnson scored eight points on 3-for-4 shooting with four assists, one steal and zero turnovers. He tied with Reneau for a team-high plus-14 in the box score and finished with 13 points, six assists and one turnover.
Johnson adds a burst of speed that Indiana's offense missed while he was out for 13 games with various injuries. His presence takes some pressure off Trey Galloway, too, and gives Indiana two ball-handlers capable of getting to the basket and assisting teammates. Against Minnesota, Johnson's defense against the Big Ten's assist leader, Elijah Hawkins, is crucial. Johnson came off the bench against Wisconsin and Maryland, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him back in the starting lineup on Wednesday.
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- HOW TO WATCH: Indiana continues the 2023-24 season on Wednesday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. Here's how to watch, game time and TV information, the point spread and over/under, the coaching matchup, series history, predicted score, stats, rankings and more. CLICK HERE
- POINT SPREAD: Minnesota is No. 1 in the nation against the spread this season, and the Gophers are favored again Wednesday night at home against Indiana. But the Hoosiers have won two straight since Xavier Johnson returned. Here's the latest on the point spread, with a great history of both teams against the number this season. CLICK HERE
- REYNOLDS VISITING IU: Indiana's senior day game on Sunday against Michigan State coincides with an unofficial visit from 2026 guard Steven Reynolds III from South Bend, Ind. CLICK HERE
- WOODSON RADIO SHOW: Here are the highlights from Monday's "Inside Indiana Basketball" radio show with Mike Woodson, recapping the Hoosiers recent wins over Wisconsin and Maryland, and previewing Wednesday's road game against Minnesota. CLICK HERE
- MGBAKO'S DEVELOPMENT: Freshman Mackenzie Mgbako scored a game-high 24 points in Indiana's 83-78 win over Maryland on Sunday, the third time in the last five games that he's set a new career-high in points. He has looked like a completely new player from November to March. CLICK HERE
