Golden Gophers 71
Illinois Fighting Illini 84
Down three suspended players, the Gophers (8-19, 2-13) built a double-digit first-half lead only to lose to Illinois by double digits. Illinois outscored Minnesota 52-31 in the second half.
1. Three players violated team rules
Starting guards Nate Mason and Dupree McBrayer, along with backup freshman guard Kevin Dorsey, missed the game due to suspension for a violation of team rules. No word from the Gophers on what rules were violated, but the one-game suspension doesn’t appear to be as serious as the violation that got senior guard Carlos Morris kicked off the team a couple of weeks ago.
2. Gophers had to start a walk-on
With the three guards suspended, head coach Richard Pitino turned to true freshman walk-on guard Stephon Sharp to start at point guard. Sharp, the former Hopkins standout, finished with 19 points although he did turn the ball over 7 times.
Stephon Sharp is showing in the first half why he had D1 offers. #Gophers picked up a really nice walk-on with him.
— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) February 29, 2016
3. Murphy with another double-double
Freshman forward Jordan Murphy has been one of the few bright spots for the Gophers this season, and he didn’t disappoint again on Sunday. He finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his Big Ten-leading 11th double-double of the season.
Final: #Illinois 84, #Gophers 71. Murphy 22 pts 10 rebs (#B1G leading 9th double-double..third straight). Sharp 19 pts 7 TOs. King 17 pts
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) February 29, 2016
Tweet of the Night:
Who needs scholarship guys when you've got the #SharpShooter? #Gophers
— Nadine Babu (@NadineBabu) February 29, 2016
Up Next:
The Gophers wrap up the regular season this week with their home finale on Wednesday against Wisconsin and a road finale on Saturday at Rutgers.
