University of Minnesota Athletics
MBB: Gophers Ring in the New Year Against Coppin State
12/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Matchup
The Minnesota Golden Gophers hope to start the new year exactly how last year ended - continuing a winning streak. With a dominating, 94-59 victory on Wednesday night over UNC Greensboro, the Gophers finished 2004 with an unblemished 6-0 record in December. It was the third undefeated month in head coach Dan Monson's tenure. The others were November of 1999 (4-0) and December of 2000 (7-0). Coppin State enters the contest with a 2-9 record after losing at Marquette on Wednesday, 65-55. The Eagles are on a four-game skid, all losses on the road to teams from major conferences. Coppin has played only two of their 14 games at home this season. Coppin's strength of schedule is rated #19 in the country.
Scouting the Eagles
Coppin State head coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell has put together Pat Reusse's dream schedule. The Eagles have traveled to and lost to Kentucky, Dayton, Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Utah and Marquette before visiting Minneapolis to play the Gophers. Any team would have their difficulties with that slate of games, but the Eagles have had trouble scoring averaging 49.7 points per game. There's a method behind Fang Mitchell's madness to his non-conference schedule. Coppin returns four starters from last year's team that was a step away from the NCAA tournament losing in the MEAC title game wot Florida A&M. The Eagles forte is defense. Last year, they led the conference in scoring defense (60.9 ppg), which ranked 21st in the nation. So far this season, Coppin has only given up 67.3 ppg. Offensively, Coppin State is led by senior guard Nicholas King. King averages 11.3 ppg. He is the Eagles top outside threat hitting .357 (20-56) from beyond the arc. Freshman Darryl Proctor also averages double figures at 10.0 ppg. He also leads the team at 6.9 rebounds per game.
The Series
This is the first meeting between the two schools. Minnesota holds a 7-0 record over MEAC schools in its history.
What's Next
Minnesota plays its final non-conference game of the season vs. Loyola Marymount on Monday at 7 p.m. The game will not be televised.
