Illinois’ first half shooting was about as cold as the weather outside Williams Arena during Wednesday night's matchup with the Gophers. The Fighting Illini shot just 5-for-26 from the floor to open the game. Things started to warm up in the second half as Minnesota’s 20-point lead dwindled to just four. However, the Gophers managed to fend off two late Fighting Illini runs to claim a 77-67 victory. Nate Mason led the Gophers with 17 points and six assists, while Jordan Murphy added 17 points and 17 rebounds to power Minnesota to their second Big Ten win.
The Gophers were showing excellent energy on defense to open the game.