The University of Minnesota’s men’s basketball team (18-8, 6-7) suffered a 72-51 blowout loss to Iowa (17-9, 6-7) in Iowa City on Sunday afternoon.
The Star Tribune reports the Gophers jumped out to a 16-point first half lead against their Big Ten rivals, but collapsed over the final 30 minutes of the game. Austin Hollins and Trevor Mbakwe combined for 27 points in the loss. Senior Rodney Williams missed the entire second half because of a sore left shoulder.
The Pioneer Press reports it was the Gopher’s worst defeat against the Hawkeyes since a 29-point loss in 1996.
After the game Tubby Smith said it was the worst loss of his career. His Gophers struggled against Iowa’s zone defense. Smith says “it’s not hard” to attack the zone but for some reason the players were treating the ball like a “hot potato.”
