Most of Minnesota’s players spent at least part of their winter break distributing presents.
Now that the Golden Gophers are back on campus, coach Niko Medved wants to see those same players maintain the giving spirit by distributing the basketball.
Minnesota (7-5) will look to get back into its good habits when it tips off against Fairleigh Dickinson (3-9) on Monday night in Minneapolis. It will be the first game for the Golden Gophers since Dec. 21 and the first for the Knights since Dec. 22.
“They are really sharing the ball, sometimes almost too much,” Medved said. “But I would rather have a team that is trying to play unselfish and help each other get great shots. When the ball has energy, your team has energy, and I really think they buy into that.”
Minnesota posted back-to-back wins against Texas Southern and Campbell before taking a break for the holidays. The Golden Gophers have not lost since Dec. 10 against then-No. 6 Purdue.
Cade Tyson leads Minnesota with 22.8 points to go along with 5.3 rebounds per game. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson is next with 12.9 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per contest.
Isaac Asuma ranks third in scoring with 10.2 ppg. He is the Golden Gophers’ top playmaker with 4.7 assists per game, and Medved praised him for his development.
“He is just continuing to grow,” Medved said. “He is getting more confident and playing more aggressive.”
Fairleigh Dickinson is coming off a 72-61 loss on the road against Boston College. The Knights have lost five of their past seven, with victories sprinkled in during that span against non-Division I opponents Manor College and Lehman College.
Eric Parnell leads Fairleigh Dickinson with 10.9 ppg. Noah Melson is the only other Knights player who is scoring in double digits with 10.3 ppg.
