University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Head to the Desert to take on Louisville
12/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Gophers vs. Louisville
Minnesota heads to the Valley of the Sun to take on the ninth ranked Louisville Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The game, coined the Stadium Shootout, is only the second on the road this season for the Gophers.
About the Golden Gophers:
- Minnesota is a perfect 9-0 to start the 2008-09 season, the best start to a season since the 1976-77 Gopher squad began 11-0.
- The Gophers are led by junior guard Lawrence Westbrook, who is averaging a career-high 14.1 ppg. Most recently, Westbrook contributed 12 points, two assists and two steals in a win over South Dakota State.
- Gopher junior Damian Johnson is coming off a career-high 21 points to go along with six rebounds and five steals against South Dakota State.
- Louisville is the first ranked opponent the Gophers have faced since defeating Indiana on Mar. 14, 2008 in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
About the Cardinals:
- Louisville is coached by Rick Pitino (23rd Season, 8th at Louisville)
- The Cardinals are 7-1 this season and ranked 9th in the most recent AP Poll.
- Louisville is led by freshman center Samardo Samuels (17.0 ppg) and senior forward Terrance Williams (10.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg).
Series History:
- Minnesota leads the all-time series 2-1 (*The 1993 game has since been vacated).
- Tubby Smith is 4-6 all-time against his former boss Rick Pitino and 6-4 all-time against the Louisville Cardinals.
- Tubby Smith currently has a three-game win streak against the Louisville Cardinals.
- Minnesota’s victories over Louisville came during the 1977-78 season (72-71 at Williams Arena) and the 1980-81 season (62-56 at Freedom Hall).
- The Gophers are 48-50 all-time against teams that belong to the Big East Conference.
A Home in a New Home
- Under Tubby Smith, Minnesota is 15-0 in regular season non-conference games at Williams Arena. Dating back to the 2006-07 season under Jim Molinari, Minnesota has won 17 consecutive non-conference regular season home games.
- Smith is 20-5 (.800) overall at Williams Arena during his two seasons at Minnesota.
- Minnesota is allowing just 61.3 points per game at Williams Arena under Smith (25 games). The Gophers are allowing just 59.6 ppg at the Barn in 2008-09 through eight games. Under Smith, opponents have only reached 70 points five times in 25 games (20% of the time).
Still Perfect
The Gophers are one of only 13 teams that remain perfect on the 2008-09 season. Fellow Big Ten Conference member Ohio State joins Minnesota on the list. The Gophers haven’t been undefeated this late in a season since 1976-77.
Undefeated Teams
School Record
BYU 10-0
Clemson 10-0
Oklahoma 10-0
Pittsburgh 10-0
Illinois State 9-0
Minnesota 9-0
North Carolina 9-0
Connecticut 9-0
Wake Forest 9-0
Xavier 9-0
LSU 7-0
Ohio State 6-0
Stanford 5-0
