The Gophers won in the paint. Center Nathan Bittle, who was Oregon’s leading scorer at 13.6 points per game, did not score Saturday. Minnesota also outrebounded Oregon 35-26, including 10-4 on the offensive glass. The U had 11 second-chance points to Oregon’s zero.

The early national conversation about the Gophers men’s basketball team this season was that just having Dawson Garcia wasn’t enough to compete in the Big Ten. The Big Ten has been put on notice. Ben Johnson actually has a team that can compete with anyone.

The Gophers were playing in front of their biggest home crowd of the season and they fed off their energy as soon as the game tipped off. Minnesota began 10-14 from the field and quickly jumped out to a 27-11 lead before giving Oregon a chance to even settle into the game.

Williams Arena was humming on Saturday afternoon and the Gophers men’s basketball team were the surprising reason why. That environment was a mirage two weeks ago. Coming off two straight wins in the last 10 days,