Ben Johnson is being proven right.

The Gophers men’s basketball coach shared how pivotal he felt the Nebraska game was to the state of his program after the U pulled off a big comeback to beat the Cornhuskers on Dec. 6.

Now with a 73-71 road win at Michigan on Thursday, Minnesota has won six straight games going into Sunday’s 4:30 p.m. matinee against Maryland at Williams Arena.

On Saturday, Johnson again brought up that month-ago win over the Cornhuskers.

“I do think one of the keys was (beating) Nebraska,” he said. “To have that and solidify that win, and now we’ve been able to build off of that. We’ve been able to win in different ways and you add an in-league road win, especially early against a really talented team (in Michigan) that was up against it. … To be able to power that though, I think now it’s like where can we take it?”

The Gophers (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) were a five-point underdog against the Wolverines. Minnesota is a two-point favorite against the Terrapins (9-5, 1-2).

“We still have a point to be proven,” Johnson said. “It’s not against any outside noise, it’s more to ourselves. You owe it to yourselves to play well. These guys put a lot into it. They’ve come together and are jelling as a team.”

They also have been playing together. Five players scored in double figures against Michigan, and Dawson Garcia added 13 points in his second game back from an ankle injury. Braeden Carrington returned from a mental-health break to play nine minutes.

The Gophers are healthy going into the Maryland game, and coming off the Michigan win, it’s more than just people inside the program wondering where they can take it this season.

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