5 Things to Know About Purdue's Next Opponent — Minnesota Golden Gophers
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On Wednesday night, No. 6 Purdue welcomes its first Big Ten opponent into Mackey Arena, hosting Minnesota. It will be the second conference matchup of the season for both teams, but it is the first league opponent the Boilermakers have played in West Lafayette.
Headed by first-year head coach Niko Medved, the Gophers bring a brand new team to Mackey Arena for Wednesday night's showdown. Here are a few things to know about Minnesota ahead of the Big Ten clash.
Isaac Asuma is the only returner
Medved assembled a brand new roster in his first season at Minnesota. The only player who stuck around the Twin Cities was Asuma, who has played a meaningful role for the Golden Gophers this year. He has started all nine games and is averaging 9.9 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per contest.
Everyone else on Minnesota's roster was wearing a different uniform a year ago. North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson has made a significant splash, averaging a team-high 21.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He's also shooting better than 52% from the floor and 37% from three-point range.
This is a Minnesota team that is still searching to find team chemistry. It's also not an incredibly deep team, as only eight players are part of the regular rotation.
No real three-point threat
Minnesota isn't a prolific three-point shooting team, converting at just a 31.7% success rate. That mark ranks 252nd in college basketball through the first month of the season.
There isn't a true three-point threat on the roster, either. Tyson is shooting 37.2% from deep, and Kai Shinholster is a 37.5% three-point shooter, but nobody else is above 33% in that category. Minnesota has a few guys who can knock down those long-range shots, but Tyson is really the only one with significant playing time who does it consistently.
Struggle to defend the perimeter
As poorly as the Golden Gophers shoot the three-ball, their defense around the perimeter is even worse. Teams are connecting from behind the arc at a 37.2% clip, which ranks 333rd nationally.
Three of Minnesota's opponents have shot 50% or better from behind the three-point line — unsurprisingly, all of those games were losses. Both Missouri and San Francisco made 11-of-22 shots from long range against the Gophers, and Santa Clara was 16-of-31 from distance.
Teams that can shoot the three-point shot effectively give Minnesota a lot of trouble, and it also opens up the painted area.
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson is a weapon
A lot has been made of Tyson's emergence since joining Minnesota, but Crocker-Johnson shouldn't be overlooked. The Colorado State transfer has been a weapon for Medved's team on both ends of the court.
Crocker-Johnson recorded three double-doubles in Minnesota's first four games. He's averaging 12.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per contest. At 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, the junior forward has been the top rebounder and arguably the best defensive player for the Gophers this season.
Crocker-Johnson isn't the most prolific three-point shooter, but he can knock down those shots when left open. He can also back down defenders and can take defenders off the bounce at times. He may not be the top scorer, but he's certainly a weapon for the Gophers.
Coming off best win of the season
Minnesota will be rolling into West Lafayette with some confidence after posting its best win of the season, a 73-64 victory over then-No. 22 Indiana at The Barn. It has been the brightest moment for the Golden Gophers amidst a 5-4 start.
The Gophers turned the ball over 16 times in that game, but won the rebound battle 40-25 and shot 49% from the floor to hand the Hoosiers their first loss of the season. Tyson had 17 points and eight rebounds in the game. Langston Reynolds finished the contest with 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Minnesota also scored just one bench point in that victory. It wasn't pretty, but the Gophers got the victory, and that's all that counts in Big Ten play.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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