In the hectic world of college basketball, a lot can happen in six weeks. Heck, the way this season has been going, a lot can happen in just one week.

It seems far longer ago than that, but back on January 12th, the 8th-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers were battling Indiana in what was billed as an early season matchup between two top 10 teams.

Enjoying their highest ranking in nearly 16 years, the then 15-1 Gophers were in the early conversation as one of the Big Ten’s elite. On an eleven game win streak that included wins against then 12th-ranked Illinois and #18 Michigan State, the Gophers were seemingly ready for the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall.

Until they weren’t.

A lifeless Minnesota team found themselves down 23 points at halftime after allowing the Hoosiers to put up 52 first half points.

But give them credit for The Most Amazing Comeback That Almost Was.

With Indiana leading 77-62 with 4:37 to go, the Golden Gophers went on an stunning rally to pull within three. It was 84-81 and Indiana’s ball with just over 18 seconds to go. The Hoosiers inbounded, and Indiana’s very own Mr. Automatic, Jordan Hulls, was fouled and found himself at the charity stripe shooting two free throws.

If he makes one, it’s over. Clank. He misses. Okay, no big deal.

And then… Clank.

He missed the second. Right as I was thinking, “What universe am I living in?!”, Jordy somehow managed to grab the loose ball, collect his own miss, and get fouled again.

This time, he calmly drained both of them and put the game away. That’s more like it.

A win is a win, but for the Hoosiers that 23-point blowout turned into a rather hollow victory. Not only will the Gophers have the advantage of playing back in the Barn, but they’ll know they’re more than capable of competing and scoring against the Hoosiers, especially after they responded with 52 second half points of their own.

Taking that into consideration, let’s look at out Four Factors to see how well Minnesota typically fares at home:

FOUR FACTORS: AWAY VS. HOME

eFG% TO% OR% FTR INDIANA (away) 53.78% 18.26% 37.82% 38.24% MINNESOTA (home) 51.43% 20.74% 49.70% 27.72%

Currently, the Hoosiers come out on top of three out of the Four Factors for Dean Oliver’s Basketball Success, but the Gophers do an exceptional job of crashing the offensive glass. With an offensive rebounding percentage of nearly 50% at home, they’re ranked third nationally and are one of the best teams in the nation in offensive rebounding.

While impressive, it probably won’t be enough to beat the Hoosiers, although the Golden Gophers are more than capable of an upset.

If Indiana plays up to their potential, they should be able to extend their success on the road in the Big Ten without too much trouble, but it’d be silly to completely discredit the Golden Gophers; they’re one marquee win from a guaranteed spot in the NCAA tournament (Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology current has them as an 11th seed), and there’s no better opportunity than to beat Indiana at home.

Prediction: Indiana 78, Minnesota 71