Fansided

Akeem Springs gives Minnesota a win over Indiana with putback

By Brad Berreman

Feb 15, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Devonte Green (11) tries to steal the ball from Minnesota Gophers guard Akeem Springs (0) in the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Devonte Green (11) tries to steal the ball from Minnesota Gophers guard Akeem Springs (0) in the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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At the end of a tough game, Akeem Springs gave Minnesota a tournament resume-building win over Indiana.

After losing five straight games, the Minnesota Golden Gophers beat Illinois, Iowa and Rutgers to get back on track a bit heading into Wednesday night against the Indiana Hoosiers. Tom Crean’s team has been trending the other way, losing three straight and five of six games heading into Wednesday night at Williams Arena.

Minnesota took a four-point lead into halftime, and the game was back and forth as the second half wound down. Indiana center Thomas Bryant gave the Hoosiers a 74-73 lead with less than 20 seconds left, but they could not rest easy.

Senior guard Akeem Springs, a graduate transfer from UW-Milwaukee, had gone 1-for-11 from the floor against Indiana prior to launching an off-balance three-pointer as the clocked ticked under 10 seconds to go. What happened next? Check it out.

Springs followed his shot and a fortuitous carom landed in his hands to give him a putback opportunity that he cashed in. The lessons are to always follow your shot, and hustle will get rewarded.

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With the win, the Golden Gophers are now 19-7 overall and 7-6 in the Big Ten with a solid case for an NCAA Tournament bid. Indiana fell to 15-12 overall with the gut-wrenching road loss, and they are now 5-9 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have some work to do to build their own resume for the Big Dance, and they may need to win all four of the remaining regular season games to even be on the bubble.