Minnesota beat MSU on Monday, 81-56
MINNEAPOLIS » Three days after surging back to beat Iowa in overtime behind a stream of 3-pointers, Minnesota followed with a decisive victory over Michigan State on the strength of a stifling defense.
The Gophers have made their case to be included in the crowd of contenders in this loaded Big Ten.
Liam Robbins had 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, helping No. 21 Minnesota beat No. 17 Michigan State 81-56 on Monday night while holding the Spartans to 25.7% shooting.
“It confirmed that we’re a tough team and a determined team,” Robbins said. “It just shows this group is just willing to do anything to get it done.”
Marcus Carr scored 19 points with five assists, as the Gophers (9-1, 2-1) never trailed the sputtering Spartans — who missed 52 of 70 field goal tries — and outrebounded them 52-36. This was Minnesota’s largest margin of victory ever over Michigan State, matching a Jan. 4, 1997 game later vacated by the NCAA.
Despite three transfers — Robbins, Brandon Johnson and Both Gach — in the starting lineup and a freshman getting sixth man
minutes — point guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. — out of a limited offseason, Minnesota has made the most of this pandemic.
“We try to spend as much time as possible together,” Johnson said. “Our bond, it grows every game.”
Aaron Henry had 11 points and three assists for paltry team highs as the Spartans (6-3, 0-3) hit their first 0-3 start in conference play in 19 years. They lost last week to Northwestern and Wisconsin, two of the record nine Big Ten teams that landed in the latest Associated Press poll.
“We don’t have great leadership. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s just hard to find one of those alpha dogs. I’ve had four or five
of them my whole career,” coach Tom Izzo said.
Robbins, the 7- foot transfer from Drake, held his own against Iowa star Luka Garza and found more room to roam with a 3-inch edge on Michigan State’s Joey Hauser. Robbins hit a 3-pointer on the opening possession, mixed in a handful of successful soft hooks and showed off his passing skill with a slick high-low feed to Gach for a layup and a threepoint play after a foul on Hauser that gave the Gophers a 46-21 lead.
“That’s my guy. He had this type of performance in him,” Johnson said. “He just had to relax, find his tempo of the game, and pick his spots.”