Richard Pitino has his first signature victory at the University of Minnesota.
In his third matchup with a ranked team as the Gophers head coach, Minnesota outmuscled Ohio State inside and forced the Buckeyes into enough mistakes to secure a 63-53 win.
Minnesota outscored the Buckeyes in the paint 38-20, outrebounded Thad Matta’s squad 37-25, and held Ohio State to just 35 percent from the floor in the win.
Outside of LaQuinton Ross, who led Ohio State with 22 points, the Buckeyes scored just 31 points on 34 shots.
The Gophers, in the middle of a brutally tough stretch of basketball in which they face four ranked teams in a row, shot 51 percent as a group, and Elliot Eliason put up a double-double for Minnesota, posting 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Deandre Mathieu led the Gophers with 13 points.
The Gophers are now 14-4 overall and are back above .500 in the conference at 3-2, while the Buckeyes, ranked as high as No. 3 in the country this season, have now lost three in a row.
Minnesota faces No. 14 Iowa Sunday before returning Wednesday to conclude their four game stretch vs. ranked teams with No. 3 Wisconsin.
