The Lobos (6-3), winners of two straight, will hit the road to The University of Minnesota (6-2), who will probably be the best team the Lobos will face this season. It will be important for the Lobos to take care of the basketball and make the most of every single offensive possession to give them a good shot to win this game. It can’t be stressed enough how important it is for Khadijah Shumpert and Cherise Beynon to have great games and to stay out of foul trouble, as they have been the heart and soul of this Lobo team. I think the Lobos have a chance in this game, but it will have to be their best performance of the season.
A few things that I will be keeping my eye on in this game are the pace of play and the quality of shots that each team gets. Minnesota will be one of the better teams in the Big Ten this season and they are shooting at a very high percentage from all three areas: 45.1% from the floor, 35.8% from three, and 72.6% from the foul line. The Lobos, on the other hand, are shooting 41.3% from the floor, 30.4% from three, and 60.9% from the free throw line. Looking at all the numbers, Minnesota has an advantage in every category, including on the glass, which is where the Lobos have been best so far this season. At this point, Minnesota is averaging 3.5 more rebounds a game than the Lobos.
It is very important that the Lobos don’t allow Minnesota to go on extended runs so they can keep the game close or have a lead through three quarters to give them a chance to win this game. Minnesota has a great offense, with two players averaging over 20 points a game, so it is very possible for them to go on a 10-0 run. The Lobos need contributions from everyone on the team, from the starters to the bench, to be productive by outworking and out-hustling the Minnesota players. I am interested to see how our Lobos respond to Minnesota’s punches throughout the course of the game.
Minnesota:
The Gophers are led by second-year head coach Marlene Stollings. In her first year on the job, she led the Gophers to a 23-10 overall record, going 11-7 in Big Ten play and getting the Minnesota program to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. They look like they have improved as a team this season and have a chance to be an upper tier Big Ten team. The Gophers on the court are led by Minnesota’s all-time leading scorer in redshirt senior Rachel Banham. So far this season, Banham is averaging 24.1 points, 7 rebounds and already has 22 steals on the season. Banham is a great scorer and has hit 25-62 threes so far this season, which is 40.3%.
The Gophers also have sophomore guard Carlie Wagner, who is averaging 20.5 points and 5.9 rebounds a game. However, probably the second most important player for the Gophers is senior point guard Shayne Mullaney, who is averaging 9.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. Something that will be interesting to watch is how the Lobos small points guards are able to handle all three of the Gophers 5-10 guards. I am not sure I have ever seen a team that has their three leading rebounders all be guards. The pressure will be on the young Lobos guards to have a great came against the very experienced guards of Minnesota.
Matchup to Watch:
For the second straight game, it will be Cherise Beynon with the toughest matchup for the Lobos starters. Beynon will be tasked in guarding Banham and will have the best wing defender of the Gophers guarding her. Much like the Pepperdine game, Beynon must play close to even terms with the Banham to give the Lobos a chance in this game. I think that Beynon will have a good game, but I don’t know if it will be enough to knock off the Gophers.
Prediction:
In my opinion this will be the best team the Lobos will play this season, unless the make the NCAA Tournament and get matched up against one of the top 10 teams in the country. I don’t feel confident in the Lobos getting a win, but I do think that the Lobos will compete and this game will give them insight into the team that they can be. I will put the odds of the Lobos winning the game at 15% with the final score being 80-65, Minnesota, with the game being around a 6 to 8-point game for most of the game. I don’t think we should be discouraged with a loss in this game unless the Lobos don’t show fight and energy in this game. I hope the Lobos prove me wrong and beat this very good Minnesota team.
Game Info:
Who: New Mexico 6-3 VS. Minnesota 6-2
Where: Williams Arena AKA The Barn, Minneapolis, Minnesota
When: Wednesday December 16, 11 AM MT
Radio: 610 AM
Stream: BTN2GO (Requires Subscription to BTN, using TV Login)