It will be a battle of Big Ten cellar-dwellers as the Ohio State men’s basketball team takes on the Minnesota Golden Gophers Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.Minnesota, last year’s Big Ten champion and a Final Four participant, is currently last in the Big Ten with an 0-6 record and a 7-10 record overall.The Gophers, much like the Buckeyes, have struggled during Big Ten conference play. While they held their opponents to an average of 60.8 points per game during non-conference play, that number has jumped. Big Ten foes average 76 ppg against the Gophers this season while Minnesota has only managed to score 67 ppg. The Gophers have also been outshot in conference games 51 percent to 41 percent.”We have had good effort and intensity all year,” said Minnesota head coach Clem Haskins in his weekly press release. “We are just struggling making shots. We must do a better job late in the game of making good decisions and taking good shots.” Haskins also addressed Minnesota’s depth problems.”When your lineup is as thin as ours is, there isn’t much margin for error.”Six-foot-six senior captain Sam Jacobson leads the way for the Gophers. He missed three games early in the Big Ten campaign with a back injury, but has come back strong, scoring 45 points in two games since his return. His 18.1 ppg leads the Minnesota squad. He is also averaging 5.4 rebounds per game and has made 22 3-pointers, the most of any Gopher this season.”Hopefully he can get his back stronger and show the nation why he is one of the top players in college basketball,” Haskins said. “He is one of the elite players in the country and a big part of our offense.”Fellow captain Eric Harris, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, directs the Minnesota offense. He comes into Saturday afternoon’s contest averaging an even four assists per game, has 35 steals and is averaging 11.5 ppg.”Eric is the pilot of our ship and our leader,” Haskins said. “We need scoring from him, we need defense from him, but most importantly we need his leadership on the court and his ability to get everyone involved in the offense.”Quincy Lewis, a 6-foot-7 forward, also has put up some impressive numbers. He leads the team in blocks with 27, leads the team in steals with 41, and is averages 5.9 rpg and 13.3 ppg. Rounding out the starting five are the Gophers’ big men. Six-foot-eight junior forward Miles Tarver leads the team with a 7.8 rpg average. Six-foot-eleven freshman center Kyle Sanden has proven to be a force down low and is averaging 5.4 ppg.Minnesota holds the lead at home, going 32-25 against the Buckeyes, but Ohio State holds the overall edge with a 67-48 lead. The Gophers have won the last four meetings between the two teams.