Michigan coach John Beilein had a simple message for his team heading into Sunday’s matchup at Minnesota: Don’t be weak going to the rim.
That’s easier said than done considering the Golden Gophers rank No. 2 in the nation with 176 blocked shots and lead the Big Ten at 7.3 per game.
Junior center Reggie Lynch (6-foot-10) mans the middle for Minnesota’s swat party and is one of the nation’s top rim defenders with 3.2 rejections a game. Lynch receives plenty of help as sophomore forward Jordan Murphy (6-6), junior center Bakary Konate (6-11) and freshman forward Eric Curry (6-9) average roughly a block each.