Richard Pitino didn't buy the excuses players made about why there was such a big difference in the way his Gophers basketball team had played at home and on the road this season.
Blaming the ball. Blaming the basket. No fans this season meant every arena would basically look the same as well. So, Pitino's players couldn't blame the hostile environment.
But the poor results speak for themselves, though.
In three road games this season, Pitino had no answers to getting his team to play competitive basketball for 40 minutes.
And the No. 16 Gophers suffered a similar fate Wednesday night giving up 28 points to 7-footer Hunter Dickinson in a lopsided 82-57 loss against No. 10 Michigan at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.
The Gophers (10-3, 3-3 in the Big Ten) hadn't won in Ann Arbor since 2011, but they were entering the game with their highest national ranking since 2017-18.
Minnesota's resume so far was built with quality wins at home against NCAA tournament-caliber opponents in St. Louis, Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State. But Pitino's team had not proven it could even get close to winning on the road, falling at Illinois and Wisconsin by a combined 39 points.
Those first two road games actually could've been worse down 36 points in Champaign, Ill., and 26 points in Madison, respectively.
The Wolverines (10-0, 5-0) weren't taking it easy on the Gophers at all Wednesday, outscoring them 37-8 in the second half after a six-point halftime advantage.
Michigan's 7-1 Dickinson, the Big Ten freshman of the week, scored 14 points in the first half. The Wolverines were only playing their second game against a ranked opponent this season, but they sent a message they could be an early Big Ten title favorite.
Gophers guard Marcus Carr, who averaged just 13 points on 23 percent shooting in two road losses this season, but he scored his team's last eight points of the first half Wednesday. Following back-to-back three-pointers, he hit two free throws that cut it to 32-26 at halftime.
The Gophers were within striking distance, but they were struggling in areas that had made them so tough to beat at home this season. They entered the game leading the nation with 21.6 free throws made per game, but only shot two from the foul line in the first half.
The Wolverines dominated inside (20-8 advantage in points in the paint), but they also forced eight turnovers in the first half.
In the second half, Dickinson's hook shot and layup over Robbins gave the Wolverines the jolt they needed to take control. They outscored Minnesota 18-0 during a five-minute stretch that concluded with Dickinson's two free throws extending it to a 71-34 advantage with 7:56 left.
Minnesota's 7-footer Liam Robbins was held to five points on 2-for-9 shooting after his 27-point performance in the 77-60 win against Ohio State.
The Gophers, who had just one player in double figures Wednesday, dropped to 3-13 road games the last two seasons, including 2-11 in the Big Ten. The road struggles will be tough to end Sunday when the travel to play rival Iowa in the rematch from the 102-95 overtime win last month.
