Gophers scout

In scouting the Gophers, one of Weber's first talking points was sharpshooter Blake Hoffarber. The junior is shooting 52.6 percent (61 for 116) on three-pointers over the past 20 games. "Don't lose him!" Weber said in practice. Finding the shooters is particularly important today; Minnesota is 8-0 when it makes more threes than its opponent. It helps that freshman D.J. Richardson has gradually evolved into the team's best defender. "D.J.'s been very, very solid for us," Weber said. Richardson claims his toughest assignment in Big Ten play was Penn State's Talor Battle. "I've been defending all my life, so it's kind of natural," Richardson said. Illinois spent time working against a zone in practice, and Richardson said he expects to see a zone from Minnesota today.

Klee