Minnesota coach Ben Johnson believes his team is on the right track to success.
Would Johnson and the Golden Gophers prefer to have a clean sweep of the early season against non-conference opponents?
Yes, of course.
But according to the coach, the early bumps are part of a new lineup that is coming together.
“The hardest thing is that we all want it now,” said Johnson. “But it’s just a work in progress. We just need to get game reps so the guys can relax.”
Minnesota (3-1) will get its next matchup when it hosts Cleveland State (3-2) on Tuesday evening in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers will go for back-to-back wins after rallying for a 59-56 victory over visiting Yale on Saturday.
Cleveland State will aim for its third straight victory. The Vikings beat Eastern Michigan 71-63 in their last game on Saturday, which followed a 75-67 win at Valparaiso on Nov. 12.
Tevin Smith led Cleveland State with 24 points and seven rebounds against Eastern Michigan. He shot 7 of 13 from the field, 2 of 5 from 3-point range and 8 of 11 from the free throw line.
Smith is averaging 11.8 points on 45.7 percent shooting this season. Dylan Arnett leads the team with an average of 13 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 68.2 percent from the field.
Cleveland State has won 20-plus games each of the past three seasons. They have played in the College Basketball Invitational tournament for the past two seasons.
“Our guys have played, what they expect now is to play in the postseason,” Vikings coach Daniyal Robinson said. “They know what that’s like. It helps when the new guys come in, they see the standard set.”
Minnesota is led by Dawson Garcia, who is averaging 25.5 points and 7.3 rebounds through the first four games of the season. Lu’Cye Patterson leads the way with 8.5 points per game, while Brennan Rigsby ranks third with 7.5 points per contest.
Golden Gophers guard Mike Mitchell Jr. he has missed two consecutive games with an ankle injury. His condition was unclear Tuesday night.
–Field Level Media
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