Gophers basketball drops out of AP Top 25 after loss at Purdue
Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) reaches for the ball as Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Both Gach (11) makes a pass during the Big Ten conference college basketball game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Illinois Fighting Il ((Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - For the first time in six weeks, the University of Minnesota men’s basketball team is not among college basketball’s top 25.
The Gophers fell to 11-6 on the season, and 0-5 in road games, after an 81-62 loss at Purdue Saturday night. Minnesota had a 35-30 lead at the half, then got out-scored 51-27 over the final 20 minutes.
The Big Ten has six teams ranked in this week’s top 25, and the Gophers are not one of them. The ranked teams include Michigan (4), Ohio State (7), Iowa (8), Illinois (12) Wisconsin (19) and Purdue (24). Minnesota had been as high as No. 16, and as low as No. 21 this past week in the AP Top 25 Poll.
The Gophers also dropped out of the USA Today Coaches Poll after they were ranked No. 20 last week.
The Gophers have now lost two straight, and four of their past five as they finished the first half of the Big Ten season 4-6. Minnesota received 42 votes in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Gophers started strong against the Boilermakers, including making six of their first eight shots from the perimeter, but they finished just 4-of-20 the rest of the game.
The Boilermakers shot 18-of-30 in the second half and out-rebounded the Gophers 44-27 to pull away for the win. Minnesota heads to Rutgers Thursday night.