Late comeback not enough, Gophers' losing streak against Wisconsin grows

In its final home game of the season, the Gophers men's basketball played in front of its largest home crowd of the year at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. But the lively crowd wasn't able to spark the U to an upset as No. 12 Wisconsin came into The Barn and left with a 74-67 win Wednesday night.

Minnesota recognized 10 players for its annual Senior Night ceremony before Wednesday's game. It looked like the emotions got the best of them early, as Wisconsin quickly jumped out to a 12-3 lead heading into the first media timeout.

The Gophers quickly responded with a run of their own, tying the game at 12. It was a defensive battle in the first half, with both teams shooting below 45% from the field. Frank Mitchell picked up the slack in the front court with a team-high seven first-half points, while Dawson Garcia was held to only three. Wisconsin carried a 33-27 lead into the half.

Wisconsin quickly extended its lead to 40-29 to begin the second half, but once Mitchell checked back into the game, everything changed. The Gophers slowly chipped away at the lead and cut it all the way down to 46-41 heading into the under-12 media timeout.

Much like Saturday's win against Nebraska, Brennan Rigsby came off the bench and provided Minnesota with another huge spark. A solo 5-0 run tied the game, then a Lu'Cye Patterson pull-up 3-pointer gave the Gophers the lead at 53-51 with 8:33 to go.

PATTERSON. BOTTOM. THE BARN IS ROCKING.

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/7OTrGuiBCY
— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) March 6, 2025

Wisconsin had every chance to crumble in front of a raucous Gophers crowd, but the Badgers showed why they're a top-15 team in the country as they turned back the tied and pulled away for the win. John Blackwell scored a game-high 25.

Mitchell had his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Rigsby added a team-high 18 points. Garcia was held in check for only 14 points on 6-for-17 shooting from the field

The Gophers now fall to 15-15 overall and 7-12 in the Big Ten. Wednesday was their fifth consecutive loss at home and their ninth consecutive loss to the Badgers. They will play their final home game of the regular season on Sunday afternoon at Rutgers.

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