The Minnesota Gopher men’s basketball team has been a pleasant surprise this season but they realized on Wednesday that the Big Ten is a different beast.
The No. 19 Michigan State Spartans rolled into Williams Arena and handed Minnesota a 75-67 loss, knocking them from the ranks of the unbeaten.
The Gophers came out and played well early, hanging with the Spartans thanks to Eric Curry. The senior was one of the few players that shot well for Minnesota, knocking down 9-of-14 shots for 18 points and five boards.
But while Curry was able to find the bottom of the net, his teammates weren’t able to do the same. Minnesota shot just 40.3 percent from the floor on the night, allowing Tom Izzo’s squad to take over.
Tyson Walker led the way for the Spartans with 15 points and Gabe Brown did the same with 15 points and eight rebounds to build a lead that grew up to 19 points.
Although Jamison Battle (17 points, eight rebounds) led a rally to get the lead down to single digits, Michigan State’s depth helped it hang on and knock off the Gophers.
The Gophers (7-1, 0-1 Big Ten) will have the unenviable task of traveling to Michigan on Saturday night.
