Gophers Take Game-2 vs LMU Thanks to Marcus Carr Buzzer-Beater
The Minnesota Gophers came out slow vs Loyola Marymount again on Monday evening. This time however, they couldn’t find the 2nd-half jets that pushed them to an easy victory on Saturday. Nope, game 2 of this 2-game series went down to the wire and it took a Marcus Carr miracle to finish.
Sure, you don’t want to see your Big Ten basketball team be taken down to the wire vs a mid-major like LMU, but we got to see this game-winner from Carr and that made it all worth it. Minnesota moves to 3-0 after this 67-64 barn-burner.
MARCUS CARR FOR THE LEAD! ?
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 1, 2020
That's a CLUTCH #B1GStandout!
? @AutoOwnersIns pic.twitter.com/bezA7WH1ex
This was the first time the Minnesota Gophers basketball team had ever played in a regular season 2-game series, which turned out to be its own monster. Credit Loyola Marymount for making adjustments that really made life difficult for the Gophers.
It wasn’t all LMU, however. Minnesota struggled to hit shots from deep, shooting just 4/16 on the night (25%). But luckily, Marcus Carr was there to bail everyone out again, posting another ridiculous 26 points on 9/16 shooting, 7 rebounds and that game-winner.
Gabe Kalscheur Riding Struggle Bus
He was a regular passenger throughout 2019-20 and he’s started on the struggle bus again in 2020-21. Gabe Kalscheur somehow continues to climb up the Minnesota Gophers record books from 3-point land… but we might need a recount because that dude can’t hit anything.
Gabe was 0/4 from deep tonight and 1/11 from the field. Through three games this season, Kalscheur is shooting 36% from the floor and 12.5% from behind the 3-point line. If Richard Pitino is going to lead Minnesota back to the NCAA Tournament, Gabe Kalscheur will have to be better.
Big Man Foul Trouble
Liam Robbins has now fouled out in 2 of his first 3 games as a Minnesota Gopher. That’s not going to work during the Big Ten schedule. He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stay clean tonight. He, Jarvis Omersa and Brandon Johnson all fouled out by the time Marcus Carr was dribbling up the court, preparing to hit the game-winner.
Minnesota’s next scheduled game is at Williams Arena vs the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, on December 4 at 8 PM. Life will get more difficult after that, when they play host to Boston College as part of the B1G/ACC Challenge (12/8).
Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan
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