(Photo credit: Nadine Babu, @NadineBabu on Twitter)
Trevor Mbakwe put the Gophers on his back and carried Minnesota to a 77-73 upset over No. 1 Indiana at Williams Arena on Tuesday night. It was Minnesota’s first win over a top ranked team since 1989.
Mbakwe got into foul trouble but was dominant whenever he was in the game. He finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and one huge block on National Player of the Year candidate Cody Zeller.
The Gophers, who had lost eight of their previous 11 games, played with more tenacity than they had all season. The aggressive style of play showed up in the box score as they crushed the Hoosiers on the glass, winning the rebounding battle, 38-25 — 17 of which were offensive rebounds.
Minnesota did things well in a couple of categories for the first time in weeks. They shot well from the free throw line (20-27) and limited turnovers (10).
The Gophers are now 19-9 overall and 7-8 in the Big Ten.
