Northwestern, Minnesota meet in Big Ten tourney

No. 13 seed Northwestern (8-22, 3-17) vs. No. 12 seed Minnesota (14-16, 8-12)

Big Ten Tourney First Round, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis; Wednesday, 5 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Northwestern and Minnesota are prepared to square off in the first round of the Big Ten tourney. Minnesota swept the two-game regular season series. The teams last met on Feb. 23, when the Golden Gophers outshot Northwestern 48.4 percent to 38.7 percent and made 11 more 3-pointers en route to a 26-point victory.

LEADING THE CHARGE: The dynamic Daniel Oturu has averaged a double-double (20 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks) to lead the way for the Golden Gophers. Marcus Carr has complemented Oturu and is accounting for 15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game. The Wildcats are led by Miller Kopp, who is averaging 13.2 points.

CREATING OFFENSE: Carr has either made or assisted on 44 percent of all Minnesota field goals over the last five games. Carr has accounted for 32 field goals and 34 assists in those games.

PASSING FOR POINTS: The Wildcats have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Golden Gophers. Minnesota has 46 assists on 93 field goals (49.5 percent) across its previous three contests while Northwestern has assists on 45 of 74 field goals (60.8 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The Northwestern offense has recorded a turnover on only 15.7 percent of its possessions, which is the 18th-lowest rate in the nation. The Minnesota defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 16.1 percent of all possessions (ranked 333rd among Division I teams).