Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson opted for two exhibition games in October — instead of one preseason game and one clandestine, closed scrimmage held in previous years. He wanted his vastly remade roster to get better acclimated to Williams Arena.
The first exhibition game came Saturday against Division II Bemidji State, and Minnesota was not ready for the light of day in the first half.
Getting out-rebounded and leading only 41-40 at the break, the U struggled with a Beavers team that had a 13-16 record last season and has been picked to finish fifth in the Northern Sun conference this winter.
But Minnesota’s defense tightened in the second half and the U ran away in a 90-65 victory. Veteran returners Dawson Garcia, Parker Fox and Mike Mitchell helped turn it on. Mitchell had a game-highs 19 points and eight assists, Garcia added 15 and Fox 14.
“The first half of every (exhibition), I don’t care if I was player or you watch on TV, you just got to get through the first 20 minutes. It’s a nightmare,” Johnson said. “But that’s the reason why I wanted to play two exhibition games, kind of get an actual game in us, with the crowd, with the refs and the other team. The first half is what it is. Pretty standard. But it’s the response.”
Minnesota had five kills — a set of three defensive stops in a row — in the second half, after only two in the first half.
The U will play Hamline on Oct. 29 at the Barn before the regular season starts at home against Oral Roberts on Nov. 6.
Deep threat
Brennan Rigsby, a transfer guard from Oregon, showed off a nice shooting stroke Saturday, going 3 for 6 from 3-point range, including one that was a step (or two) in from the block M logo. The senior finished with 17 points, also scoring in mid-range and with a springiness to get above the rim for dunks.
“I try to not just score in one way, be one dimensional,” Rigsby said. “It’s pretty easy (Saturday) when you have weapons like Dawson out there and Mike.”
Rigsby shot 35 percent from deep for Ducks last year and can help the U replace what current L.A. Clippers guard Cam Christie did from behind the arc last year.
Three injuries
The Gophers played without three guards — Lu’Cye Patterson, Femi Odukale and Tyler Cochran. Two of which were news.
Patterson has a shoulder injury and Odukale has a hip bruise, Johnson said postgame. Both are considered minor injuries. Ten days ago, Johnson shared Cochran will be out until approximately December after having surgery on his left left foot earlier this month.
“I didn’t want to risk anything,” Johnson said. “Get some other guys some opportunities.”
Odukale, a transfer from New Mexico State, and Patterson, a transfer from Charlotte, might be ready for Hamline.
Early rotations
Without those three guards, the Gophers’ first five were Mitchell, Garcia, Rigsby, Kadyn Betts and Canisius transfer forward Frank Mitchell. The first U players off the bench were Fox, true freshman Isaac Asuma and Texas-San Antonio transfer center Trey Edmonds.
Asuma had eight points and eight assists in his first tune-up for the collegiate level. The Cherry, Minn., native looks like a likely rotation piece to start the season.
Six-foot-8 Frank Mitchell, who has slimmed down to 265 pounds, will be able to bang down low in Big Ten play and help fill void left by Pharrel Payne. He had seven rebounds in 17 minutes.
One big highlight
Betts, a redshirt sophomore forward, had a posterizing dunk on Beavers forward John Sutherland of Grand Rapids, Minn., in the first half, but Betts was issued a technical foul for shouting in Sutherland’s face afterward. Late in these second half, the 6-foot-8 forward hung in the air and finished through contact, but he couldn’t completed the 3-point play.
After playing eight games last season, Betts might be stepping into a bigger role this year. His ability to guard small forwards will be key to him seeing the court more this season, Johnson said.
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