Former Gophers Player Battle Thrilled to Face Ohio State in a Big Matchup

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Gophers men’s basketball team is set to start its Big Ten schedule with a game at Ohio State today. Here are three things to keep an eye on:

Battle tested

Back in Ben Johnson’s first year with the Gophers two seasons back, Jamison Battle was the face of the program.

The former DeLaSalle star was the Minnesota native who chose to return home to help Johnson rebuild, turning down bigger schools in the transfer portal. He was the team’s top scorer (17.5) and rebounder (6.3) in 2021-22, with a standout 39-point game at Maryland.

According to this report, Battle will face his former team, the Gophers, for the Big Ten opener, now playing for the Buckeyes. The 6-7 senior forward told the Gophers he wanted to play professionally, but he ultimately decided to join the Buckeyes for a better NIL opportunity and a shot at an NCAA tournament bid.

As Battle and the Gophers meet for the first time this season, personal feelings are sure to be at play. Their next game is on Feb. 22 at Williams Arena.

“Those relationships will never fade,” Battle told local reporters this week. “We’re teammates off the court, but once we step onto the court, we’re rivals. It’s something we’re all excited for, and I can’t wait to get out there and play. I’m feeling thrilled.”

It’s still early in the college hoops season, but as of Nov. 28 ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi’s projections have the Buckeyes (6-1) as an 8th seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Gophers (5-2) haven’t seen tournament action since 2019 under Richard Pitino, hoping for a similar turnaround after a rough 2022-23 season. Ohio State boasts a win against No. 17 Alabama. Meanwhile, the Gophers have the second-worst nonconference schedule ranking among major conference teams, with losses against Missouri and San Francisco.

“Garcia’s encore

Garcia is showcasing the best basketball of his college career, but the signs of a breakthrough season were apparent in his first year with the Gophers.

Early last January, the 6-11 former Prior Lake star delivered a career-best 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting, along with nine rebounds in a 70-67 win at Ohio State. That surpassed his 26-point game vs. Purdue while playing for North Carolina in 2021-22.

“Dawson’s performance was proof of a bright future,” Battle commented. “He’s the player we’ll need to contain.”

Garcia led the Gophers in scoring and rebounding last season, and this season, he’s off to an impressive start with career-best numbers: 18.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 blocks, 49.4% field goal shooting, and 85.4% shooting on free throws through seven games.

Determined to turn his home state Big Ten program into a winner, the All-Big Ten preseason forward sees Sunday’s game as an opportunity to prove the Gophers are ready to make a significant leap forward.

In Thursday’s 97-64 win against New Orleans, Garcia scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half and matched a career-high with three blocks in just 18 minutes, with reserve players seeing more game time in the second half.

Dunking Gophers

After a large defeat last Sunday at San Francisco, the Gophers treated home fans to a thrilling blowout victory on Thursday against New Orleans at Williams Arena.

Shooting 59.4% from the field, the Gophers had their highest field goal shooting since 2018. The night of successful shooting was bolstered by higher-percentage shots, including five dunks.

Pharrel Payne and Parker Fox were responsible for all of the U’s slam dunks against New Orleans. However, a viral above-the-rim play by Fox was disallowed, called an offensive foul to his disbelief.

Joshua Ola-Joseph leads the team with 11 dunks this season, fifth among Big Ten players and the leader among players under 6-8. Payne follows with seven dunks, and Fox has four. Minnesota has a total of 25 dunks so far.

Ohio State has 24 dunks this season, led by Felix Okpara (11), Zed Key (seven), and Roddy Gayle (five).

GAME INFO

Time: 5:30 p.m. CT, Sunday. Where: Value City Arena. Line: Gophers 12.5-point underdogs. Series: The Gophers trail the all-time series with Ohio State 55-92, but they won the last meeting 70-67 on the road on Jan. 12, 2023. TV: Big Ten Network. Online/Live video: Big Ten plus. Radio: 103.5 FM.

PROJECTED STARTERS

MINNESOTA GOPHERS (5-2)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G – Elijah Hawkins 5-11 Jr. 7.4

G – Braeden Carrington 6-4 So. 6.1

F – Joshua Ola-Joseph 6-7 So. 9.0

F – Isaiah Ihnen 6-9 Jr. 6.7

F – Dawson Garcia 6-11 Jr. 18.3

Key reserves – Cam Christie, G, 6-6, Fr., 11.0 ppg; Mike Mitchell Jr., G, 6-2, Jr. 9.3 ppg; Pharrel Payne, F, 6-9, So., 10.0 ppg; Parker Fox, F, 6-8, Sr., 3.4 ppg; Jack Wilson, C, 6-11, Sr., 2.3 ppg.

Coach: Ben Johnson 27-41 record (third season)

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (6-1)

Pos.-Player Ht. Yr. PPG

G – Bruce Thornton 6-2 So. 18.3

G – Roddy Gayle Jr. 6-4 So. 14.4

G – Evan Mahaffey 6-6 So. 3.0

F – Jamison Battle 6-7 Sr. 12.4

C – Felix Okpara 6-11 So. 6.1

Key reserves – Dale Bonner, G, 6-2, Sr., 6.9 ppg; Zed Key, F, 6-8, Sr., 10.4 ppg; Devin Royal, F, 6-6, Fr., 2.9 ppg; Taison Chatman, G, 6-4, Fr., 0.0 ppg.

Coach: Chris Holtmann 243-161 (13th season)

Fuller’s score prediction (5-2): Ohio State 76, Gophers 67.