The Northwestern Wildcats (13-3, 1-2 Big Ten) face off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-9, 0-3 Bg Ten) in an afternoon matinee in the Twin Cities. The Wildcats look to stop a two-game skid that has seen them shoot the ball very poorly while the Golden Gophers are looking for their first conference win.
The Wildcats remain without senior center Alex Olah, who has been sidelined for the last few weeks with a stress fracture in his foot. But there are some signs of improvement from the big man, with a big step being taken today. For the first time since the injury, Olah participated in partial warmups with the team without the walking boot he has been wearing since the injury first happened. He's on the left below (NOTE: All pictures via Henry Bushnell.)
After Dererk Pardon's 28-point, 12-rebound outburst in Lincoln, the Wildcats have struggled to score, having gone cold from three. Northwestern also needs Tre Demps to break out of a major slump, as the senior shooting guard is 7 of 33 from the field in the past two games combined. Demps, who has always been a streaky player, needs to step up, as Bryant McIntosh has had to shoulder a lot of the backcourt scoring load over the past two games.
As for Minnesota, Richard Pitino's bunch has struggled this season, but played Michigan State close at home, and Williams Arena is a great venue for basketball. This is a hugely important game for Northwestern's March hopes. Here's how you can watch, and here are some pictures from warmups.
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