Gopher Men's Basketball Hosts Michigan State Sunday Afternoon

GOPHERS/SPARTANS PREVIEW
After taking ninth-ranked Indiana to the wire on Jan. 17, Minnesota will be trying to defeat a ranked team at home for the second time this week, as they host Michigan State (15-2, 3-1), currently ranked #11, on Jan. 20 at Williams Arena. The two squads meet for the second time this month, as the Spartans edged the Gophers in East Lansing on Jan. 5, 65-59. Minnesota has not defeated a ranked opponent since Feb. 18, 2006 when it beat No. 18 Iowa 74-61.

The Gophers hold a 53-45 edge in the all-time series with the Spartans dating back to a 46-32 victory in 1943. MSU has had the Gophers’ number recently, however, as they have defeated Minnesota in 10 of the last 13 contests.

MSU is led by sophomore forward Raymar Morgan, who is averging 16.9 ppg and 6.8 rbg and senior guard Drew Neitzel, the 2007-08 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year pick. Morgan had a big game the first time these teams met, finishing with a career-high 31 points and 10 rebounds. Neitzel is averaging 13.2 points and 4.9 assists per game.

COACH SMITH NOTES
With the Gophers’ next win, head coach Tubby Smith will become a member of the 400 win club. Smith is 399-149 in 17 seasons as a head coach (79-43 at Tulsa, 45-19 at Georgia, 263-83 at Kentucky and 12-4 at Minnesota). Coming into the season, only 20 active coaches had amassed at least 400 career wins.
Smith is 2-5 all-time against Michigan State, including a 2-4 mark while at Kentucky. Two of Smith’s losses to Sparty were Elite Eight matchups with Izzo’s Spartans.
Smith’s 12-4 start as head coach at Minnesota is the best record through the first 16 games since O.B. “Ozzie” Cowles started 14-1 in his first year with the Gophers during the 1948-49 season. That is a span of 10 Minnesota head coaches.
Minnesota has started 12-4 for the first time since 2004-05 when the Golden Gophers finished 21-11 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

NOTES FROM INDIANA
Indiana stretched its lead in the all-time series to 85-57.
Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith is now 399-149 all-time in 17 seasons with Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky and Minnesota. He is 12-4 with the Gophers.
There were 14,625 fans in attendance for the game, which was listed officially as a sellout. It was the first sellout since Feb. 5, 2005 against Wisconsin.

Team Notes
The Gophers forced Indiana into a season-high 26 turnovers, Indiana came in averaging 14.5 turnovers per game. It was the most turnovers by the Hoosiers in the last two years.
The 26 turnovers that Indiana committed were tied for the second-most by a Golden Gopher opponent this year. Minnesota’s season-high was 30 turnovers against Nicholls State on Dec. 28. The Golden Gophers have forced 25 or more turnovers four times this season.
There were 10 lead changes in game.
Minnesota’s bench was outscored 29-17 on the night. It was the first time this year the Golden Gophers bench was outscored by the opposition.
Minnesota’s 3 three-point field goals were the lowest total of the year.
Minnesota limited Eric Gordon to 12 points, and 3-for-8 shooting on the night. It was Gordon’s second lowest total this year, and lowest in Big Ten play. The three field goals were also tied for his second-lowest total of the season. He came into the contest averaging 23.0 points per game.
Minnesota limited Indiana to 65 points on the night. It was only the fourth time this year that the Hoosiers scored 65 points or less in a game. Indiana entered tonight’s game averaging 81.3 points per game.

Individual Notes
Dan Coleman had 15 points and seven rebounds on the night. It was the 12th time this year he scored in double-figures and his 60th career double-figure scoring output.
Spencer Tollackson had 12 points on the night and shot 6-for-10 from the field. It was Tollackson’s ninth double-figure scoring game of the year, and his 34th of his career. He has now scored in double-figures in four games in a row, and in every Big Ten contest this year.
Lawrence McKenzie had 11 points on the night. It was McKenzie’s 11th double-figure scoring game of the year, and his 62nd of his career.
Damian Johnson had a career-high five steals.
Johnson finished eight points, five steals and three blocks on the night. The eight points was his highest total since he had 10 against South Dakota State on Dec.12.
Blake Hoffarber had two three-pointers on the night. It was the 13th time he has hit multiple three-pointers in a game this year.

SHARP SHOOTER
Freshman Blake Hoffarber not only leads the Big Ten Conference in three-point field accuracy at 50.0 percent (42-84), but is on pace to break several school records. He is ahead of the current school record for three-point field goal percentage (.469 by Travarus Bennett in 2001-02) and three-pointers made (78 by Lawrence McKenzie last season).

Hoffarber is already approaching the Gophers’ mark for three- pointers by a freshman, set by Voshon Lenard (51) in 1991-92.

THREE-POINTERS BY A GOPHER FRESHMAN
Player (Season) 3FGM
Voshon Lenard (1991-92) 51
Kevin Burleson (1999-00) 44
Blake Hoffarber (2007-08) 42
Michael Bauer (2000-01) 34
Quincy Lewis (1995-96) 26

DEFENSE-DEFENSE-DEFENSE
The Gophers defense has been strong through the non-conference portion of the schedule and has continued into the Big Ten schedule. Through 16 games, the Gophers have averaged 10.8 steals per game, tops in the conference and fourth in the nation, blocked 4.9 shots per game, third in the conference, have averaged 22.2 defensive rebounds per game while holding opponents to 61.2 points per game, fourth lowest in the conference.

Individually, Gopher freshman Al Nolen leads the Gophers and the Big Ten is steals with 2.4 spg while sophomore Damian Johnson holds the team-lead in blocks, swatting 1.6 per game (fifth in the conference).

BENCH BONANZA
Minnesota’s bench has provided a big punch this season, outscoring its opponents in 15 of the team’s 16 games. The Gophers hold a cumulative 475-251 bench scoring edge on its foes including a 30-1 advantage over Iowa State on Nov. 20, a 27-4 advantage over UC Riverside on Dec. 1, a 41-7 edge over North Dakota State on Dec. 3, a 44-27 margin against Colorado State, a 26-13 edge on Dec. 12 vs. South Dakota State, a 16-2 margin against Santa Clara on Dec. 22, a 33-10 edge against Nicholls State on Dec. 28, a 22-21 against Michigan State in the conference opener on Jan. 5 and a 31-14 edge over Northwestern on Jan. 9. The Gophers bench also outscored Penn State 29-8 on Jan. 12.

A Gopher has scored at least six points off the bench in every game, led by Blake Hoffarber’s 21 points against Colorado State, 15 points against Northwestern on Jan. 9 and a 19-point effort against Penn State on Jan. 12. Hoffarber was also the leading bench scorer in all three Duel in the Desert games (Dec. 28-30) with 13, 10 and 13 points against Nicholls State, Kennesaw State and UNLV, respectively. Al Nolen scored seven off the bench against Michigan State while Damian Johnson and Kevin Payton both scored six points off the bench against Santa Clara on Dec. 22. Lawrence McKenzie scored 20 points off the bench against Iowa State; Johnson chipped in a career-high 12 points against Army; Hoffarber scored 12 off the bench against Florida State while Hoffarber and Johnson chipped in with 13 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench against UC Riverside. Nolen had 15 to lead the Gophers against NDSU, while Johnson contributed 10 points against South Dakota State.

COLEMAN ON THE CHARTS
Senior Dan Coleman became just the 34th player in school history to record 1,000 career points, thanks to a 22-point effort in the Gophers 91-74 victory over Colorado State on Dec. 8. Coleman has added 150 points since and currently sits 23rd on the career points list with 1,150. Mychal Thompson (1974-78) sits atop the list with 1,992 career points.

Also, with 14 rebounds vs. Northwestern (1/9) Coleman become just the 17th Gopher player with 1,000 points and 500 boards in a career. Michael Bauer was the last Gopher to join the club, reaching the milestone in 2004. Coleman also has 91 career blocks, just two shy of Minnesota’s top-10.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
At this time last year, the Gophers were 7-9 but that is not the only major difference between the two seasons. Minnesota is averaging 13.8 more points per game this season (74.4-60.6) while allowing 5.0 points less per game (61.2-66.2).

FRESHMAN FIRE
Minnesota has relied heavily on its two freshmen, Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber in the early part of the season.

Nolen is averaging 5.2 points, 3.9 assists, 2.4 steals and 22.2 minutes per game this season while shooting .440 (22-50) from the field. He has tied for or led the Gophers in assists in 11 of the 16 games, including a career-high seven Jan. 5 at Michigan State and seven again at Penn State on Jan. 1. He has recorded 39 steals (2.4 spg), which ranks him first overall in the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the Big Ten in assists at 3.9 per game and fifth in the conference with a 2.17 assist/turnover ratio.

Hoffarber is averaging 10.2 for the Gophers this season and is shooting .523 (57-109) from the floor, including a Big Ten Conference best .500 (42-84) from behind the arc. He scored a season-high 21 points, hitting 6-of-11 three pointers, off the bench Dec. 8 against Colorado State. Hoffarber also came off the bench to contribute 13 points Dec. 1 against UC Riverside, 10 points against North Dakota State on Dec. 3, nine points Dec. 12 against South Dakota State and 13, 10 and 13 points, respectively during the three-game Duel in the Desert after Christmas. He chipped in with five points off the bench in the Gophers conference opener Jan. 5 at Michigan State, scored 15 points in the Gophers conference home opener on Jan. 9 vs. Northwestern and 19 at Penn State on Jan. 12.

BIG CROWDS AT THE BARN
The Barn was packed to the limit on January 17 against Indiana with its first sellout since February 5, 2005 against Wisconsin. A sellout crowd of 14,625 jammed into Williams Arena. Minnesota is averaging 12,410 fans per game this season, the highest per game average since 1999-2000 when an average of 13,767 attended Gopher games.

STAT SHEET FILLER
Minnesota forward Damian Johnson has been filling up the stat sheet all season. The sophomore from Thibodaux, La. started the regular season with a bang, as he came off the bench to score 12 points, grab eight rebounds, block four shots while also stealing four balls, all career highs. He tied a career-high in points on Dec. 1 against UC Riverside while also grabbing seven rebounds, blocking three shots and stealing three balls. Johnson is fifth on the team in scoring at 6.9 ppg, third in rebounding at 4.4 rpg, leads the team in blocks with 25 (1.6 bpg) and has the second most steals (28). His per game averages are all career-highs.

Johnson helped limit Indiana’s Eric Gordon to 12 points on Jan. 17. Gordon managed just 3-for-8 shooting on the night. It was Gordon’s second lowest total this year, and lowest in Big Ten play. The three field goals were also tied for his second-lowest total of the season. He came into the Jan. 17 contest averaging 23.0 points per game. Johnson forced seven Gordon turnovers, while racking up five steals, three blocks and scored eight points.

Upcoming Events