Yes, it's a players' game, but make no mistake, the University of Minnesota's transformation from Big Ten basketball doormat to early contender comes down to one reason — coach Tubby Smith's arrival.

Last season, with first Dan Monson and then Jim Molinari as coach, the Gophers went 9-22 overall and 3-13 in the Big Ten. This season, with Smith coming over from Kentucky, they are 12-3 and 2-1. They nearly won at then-No. 6 Michigan State last week and came back from a double-figure deficit to win at Penn State on Saturday.

“Tubby has done a great job with their players,” Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson said. “They play hard for him. They're playing with confidence. Playing at home and coming off a great road win, they'll have a lot of momentum.”

Sampson's No. 9 Hoosiers (14-1) will face that momentum tonight at Williams Arena. Minnesota is 8-0 there, with an average victory margin of 21.1 points.

Smith has won wherever he's been in a career that has produced a 399-148 record with 14 straight NCAA tourney appearances from his days at Tulsa, Georgia and Kentucky.

His teams have won one national title, made nine Sweet 16 appearances and had four Elite 8 berths. He's earned three national coach of the year awards.

Nonstop criticism while at Kentucky — too many NCAA tourney flameouts — contributed to his decision to come to Minnesota; and when he did, it wasn't because he had analyzed the Gophers' returning talent pool.

“I didn't know how many players were here,” he said. “I was ready to move. This was a good opportunity for me. I had no idea who was on the roster.”

As it turned out, Smith had three seniors in Dan Coleman, Lawrence McKenzie and Spencer Tollackson, who have provided leadership and performance. They combine for 35.3 points, 13.4 rebounds and a we-can-win attitude. They bought into a new system that included more pressure defense.

“They've all contributed and accepted our coaching and made some adjustments,” Smith said. “Some had to make some sacrifices for our style, like extending our defense, and I appreciate that.”

Added Sampson: “McKenzie is putting up great numbers and is doing a great job of controlling the team. Coleman is one of the tough matchups in the league. Tollackson is in a good system and is playing like it.”

Smith also brought in a couple of impact freshmen in sharp-shooting guard Blake Hoffarber (he's shooting 49.4 percent from three-point range) and defensive-minded guard Al Nolen (he leads the Big Ten with 37 steals and assist-to-turnover ratio).

Minnesota's aggressive defense averages 10.9 steals a game. It holds teams to 60.9 points while scoring at a 75.4-point clip.

All three of its losses have been on the road — to Florida State, UNLV and Michigan State. Those losses, Smith said, have steeled the Gophers for what they'll face against Indiana.

“We've learned we'd better play together and execute the fundamentals and come with the proper energy,” he said. “But we have to play a lot better against a very good Indiana team. It would be huge for anyone to get a win against a ranked team.”