The Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s basketball team travels to Penn State for an exciting matchup on February 1. This will be their only meeting this season, following a split in their two matchups last year. Coach Niko Medved faced Penn State once before with Colorado State, but this will be his first game against them as the Gophers’ head coach.
Minnesota is hungry for a win after a tough 67-63 loss to Wisconsin. They had a strong first half, limiting the Badgers to only 17 points. However, Wisconsin fought back, ultimately taking the game in the second half. Cade Tyson missed that game due to injury, affecting the Gophers’ lineup.
One standout player for Minnesota recently has been Bobby Durkin. He has stepped up his game, scoring 20 points against the Badgers. Meanwhile, Grayson Grove filled in for Tyson and matched his career high with six rebounds while contributing nine points.
The all-time series between these two teams favors Minnesota, leading 33-16. Last year, the Gophers bounced back from a 10-point deficit to win 69-61 at Penn State. However, their most recent meeting in February 2025 saw Penn State come out on top with a 69-60 victory.
On the other hand, Penn State is coming off a tough loss to Northwestern and sits at 9-12 overall. Freshman Kayden Mingo shines as the team’s leading scorer, averaging 14.1 points per game. As a whole, the Nittany Lions score roughly 76 points per game but also allow about 78 points, indicating defensive struggles.
As the Gophers and Nittany Lions prepare to face off, both teams are eager to turn their season around. For Minnesota, a win would boost their confidence as they look forward to their next game against Michigan State. With the unpredictable nature of college basketball, fans can expect an intense and thrilling match-up.
If you want to dive deeper into the stats and performance of both teams, check out NCAA statistics.
