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GAME NOTES: The Minnesota Golden Gophers will try to continue their dominance of the Penn State Nittany Lions, as the two teams square off in a Big Ten Conference clash this afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Minnesota has lost four of its last five games, including Sunday's 85-63 setback at Ohio State. Most of the Golden Gophers' success has come at home, as they own an uninspiring 2-7 mark in games outside of the Twin Cities. They are in the midst of a stretch that has them playing three of four on the road.

However, that misery pales in comparison to the Nittany Lions, who are still in search of their first Big Ten victory. They enter this afternoon's tilt hoping to avoid an 11th straight loss. Each of the last three setbacks have come by double digits, including Wednesday's 75-62 loss at 13th-ranked Ohio State.

Back in late-December, these teams opened Big Ten play against one another in Minneapolis, and the Gophers claimed a 75-70 victory. Minnesota holds a 17-4 series edge over the Nittany Lions, which includes wins in 10 of the last 11 meetings.

Minnesota won its first meeting with OSU this season back on January 9th. But last Sunday in Columbus, the Golden Gophers didn't stand a chance. They allowed the Buckeyes to shoot an almost unprecedented 73.1 percent (19-of-26) from the floor in the first half to build a 14-point halftime lead, and the Gophers weren't able to make any headway after the break. Rodney Williams tallied 13 points in a 20-minute shift off the bench to garner team-high scoring honors. Ralph Sampson chipped in with 11 points, while Damian Johnson and Blake Hoffarber each scored 10. Guard Al Nolen (6.7 points, 2.4 steals) started 17 of the first 18 games this season, but he was ruled academically ineligible a couple of weeks ago and will miss the remainder of the season. Although he was not the primary or even secondary option on offense, his absence does put more of the scoring onus on guys like Johnson (10.1 ppg), Hoffarber (11.5) and Lawrence Westbrook (13.3).

Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions are still looking for anyone besides Talor Battle to provide some offense. Battle has started all 22 games this season and is tallying a team-best 19 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. However, there is a significant drop-off between Battle and second-leading scorer David Jackson (8.7). As a team, PSU is averaging 65.1 ppg on 42.6 percent shooting from the floor. One of the Nittany Lions' strengths, however, is on the glass, as they are a +4.8 in rebounding margin on the year. Still, it was more of the same against Ohio State on Wednesday night, as Battle supplied much of the production. He played all 40 minutes and finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Jackson added 12 points, though no other player reached double figures.

The Nittany Lions catch somewhat of a break facing a Minnesota squad that tends to save its least impressive performances for the road. However, until someone besides Battle steps up at PSU, the Lions will continue to struggle.