University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Open Big Ten Play Against Michigan St.
12/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Gophers Open Big Ten Schedule against Michigan St.
The Gophers open the Big Ten Conference season by hosting the Michigan State Spartans at Williams Arena on Dec. 31.
- This is the second straight season the Gophers and Spartans have opened up the conference season against each other.
- The Gophers are 3-2 vs. the Michigan State Spartans in Big Ten Conference openers.
- Minnesota is 2-0 at home all-time vs. MSU in Big Ten openers.
About the Golden Gophers:
- Minnesota is a perfect 12-0 to start the 2008-09 season, the best start to a season in the modern era, since the 1948-49 Gopher squad started the season 13-0.
- The Gophers are led by junior guard Lawrence Westbrook, who is averaging a career-high 13.0 ppg. Most recently, Westbrook scored 13 points and dished out three assists against High Point.
- Gopher freshman Ralph Sampson scored a season/career-high 17 points against High Point on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Sampson also added six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He is averaging 7.1 points and 4.0 rebounds on the season.
- Gopher sophomore Blake Hoffarber scored 11 points against High Point, six of which came from behind the arc. Hoffarber finished the game 2-of-4 from 3-point land and is 26-of-56 (.464) from behind the arc for the season and 96-of-220 (.436) for his career.
- The 21st ranked Golden Gophers haven’t faced another team while ranked since the No. 25 locals faced the No. 5 ranked Oregon Ducks on in Eugene on Dec.22, 2002. Minnesota lost the game 90-81.
About the Spartans:
- Michigan State is coached by Tom Izzo (14th Season).
- The Spartans are 9-2 this season and ranked 10th and 15th in the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, respectively.
- MSU is led by junior forward Raymar Morgan (15.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and sophomore guard Kalin Lucas (11.4 ppg, 6.5 apg).
Series History:
- Minnesota leads the all-time series 53-46.
- Michigan State won both matchups a season ago, by a total of 11 points (65-59 on Jan. 5 and 78-73 on Jan. 20)
- Tubby Smith is 2-6 all-time against MSU.
- Tubby Smith is 25-19 all-time against teams that belong to the Big Ten Conference
- The Gophers have a 667-717 all-time record against teams that belong or have belonged to the Big Ten Conference.
Gophers in the Polls
- The 12-0 Gophers are nationally-ranked for the second atraight week, as they sit 21st in bith polls. They entered the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls as No. 23 ranked team in the country last week, the first time they have been ranked since the 2002-03 season.
- The Gophers were last ranked in the AP poll on December 17, 2002 (No. 25) and December 9, 2002 in the ESPN/USA Today poll (No. 25). Minnesota is one of just 9 unbeaten teams remaining in the country. Minnesota was ranked for six consecutive weeks to start the 2002-03 season.
- The victory over Louisville was the first win over a top 10-ranked opponent since Feb. 9, 200 when Minnesota beat No. 9 Indiana 77-75.
w Including Minnesota's win over No. 22 Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament last season, the Maroon and Gold has won consecutive games over ranked opponents for the first time since 2006.
- The win over Louisville was also the first over a ranked opponent away from Williams Arena since March 23, 1990 when Minnesota defeated No. 6 Syracuse in the NCAA Southeast Regional in New Orleans (not including vacated games).
- Minnesota is one of five ranked teams from the Big Ten Conference, joining Purdue (AP 9, ESPN 11), Michigan State (10/15), Ohio State (24/23) and Michigan (23/24).
At Home in a New Home
- Under Tubby Smith, Minnesota is 17-0 in regular season non-conference games at Williams Arena. Dating back to the 2006-07 season under Jim Molinari, Minnesota has won 19 consecutive non-conference regular season home games.
- Smith is 23-6 (.793) overall at Williams Arena during his two seasons at Minnesota.
- Minnesota is allowing just 60.9 points per game at Williams Arena under Smith (29 games). The Gophers are allowing just 60.4 ppg at the Barn in 2008-09 through 10 games. Under Smith, opponents have only reached 70 points six times in 29 games (21% of the time).
Gophers Show Their Depth
All 13 of the Gophers players played at least six minutes in the Dec. 28 victory over High Point. In the same game, four Gopher players also played at least 19 minutes. For the season, eight Minnesota players are averaging at least 15 minutes a game, led by sophomore guard Al Nolen, who is logging 29.5 minutes a contest.
Gopher Minutes Played
Player Avg. Minutes
Nolen 29.5
Johnson 26.1
Hoffarber 24.1
Westbrook 22.7
Iverson 19.1
Sampson 17.9
Abu-Shamala 16.7
Carter 15.3
Still Perfect
The Gophers are one of only eight 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
Minnesota 12-0
Clemson 12-0
Oklahoma 12-0
Pittsburgh 12-0
North Carolina 12-0
Illinois State 12-0
Wake Forest 11-0
Stanford 9-0
