Minnesota hosts North Dakota, aiming for 4-0 start
Minnesota hosts North Dakota, aiming for 4-0 start Marcus Carr has driven the Minnesota basketball team to a 3-0 start. The redshirt junior guard from Toronto is the third-leading scorer in the country, averaging 29.7 points per game. In the Golden Gophers' most recent win on Monday, Carr scored 26 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left in regulation as Minnesota nipped Loyola Marymount 67-64. Next up is a matchup at home in Minneapolis with North Dakota on Friday night. The Fighting Hawks (0-2) are coming off a rough 74-73 loss at Dixie State, a Western Athletic Conference team from Utah that was playing its first Division I game. Against North Dakota, Golden Gophers coach Richard Pitino is looking for improvement on the boards. In the victory over Loyola Marymount, Minnesota was outrebounded 43-30, including 18-8 on the offensive glass. "It was more challenging with the big guys, saying, 'Hey man, we have to stop letting these guys get rebounds,'" Pitino said. "They were just manhandling us on the glass. The physicality of the game was evident. That looked like a big game in a lot of ways; we just had to grind it out and find a way to win." Pitino liked the fact that Carr was motivated to take -- and hit -- that last-second shot. "He doesn't need a lot of motivation from me, to be honest," said Pitino, who has a 130-108 record in seven-plus seasons with Minnesota. "He's very self-motivated and confident." Carr, a preseason All-Big Ten selection, scored 35 points in Minnesota's season opener, a 99-69 victory over Green Bay on Nov. 25. He followed that up with 28 points as the Golden Gophers beat Loyola Marymount 88-73 on Saturday. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in Minnesota, the Golden Gophers were allowed to  ly one opponent over a three-day span at home, which is why Pitino's team faced Loyola Marymount twice in that stretch. North Dakota is led by Mitchell Sueker, who had 19 points and eight rebounds against Dixie State. Filip Rebraca added 15 points, and Seybian Sims had 11. "I think those guys will improve and get better," second-year Fighting Hawks coach Paul Sather said. "I believe that because of the type of people they are. They won't walk out of here looking for excuses. I'd like (the learning curve) to go faster, and I need to do a better job preparing, but sometimes you've got to go through it." The Golden Gophers won last season's meeting 79-56 behind Gabe Kalscheur's game-high 18 points. --Field Level Media |