Golden Gophers Face Penn State on Sunday at Williams Arena

GOPHERS/NITTANY LIONS PREVIEW
Minnesota defeated Penn State 76-73 on Jan. 12 at State College in the first matchup between the schools this season. The Gophers, who trailed by 16 points early in the second half, came back to claim the first Big Ten road victory of the Tubby Smith era on the strength of five second-half Blake Hoffarber three-pointers and strong play from seniors Lawrence McKenzie, Spencer Tollackson and Dan Coleman. Also, freshman Al Nolen connected on clutch free throws down the stretch to ensure the win.

Overall, Minnesota holds a 14-3 record against Penn State in the all-time series and is currently on a six-game win streak. The Nittany Lions last victory came during the 2003-04 season, 75-72 at State College.

Penn State is led by forward Jamelle Cornley, who is averaging 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 30.3 minutes per game. The Nittany Lions lost senior forward Geary Claxton, the teams leading scorer and rebounder, to a knee injury on Jan. 15 against Wisconsin.
   
GOPHERS/WOLVERINES NOTES 
Michigan leads the all-time series 73-58.
The matchup was the second of two regular season meetings between the two schools. The Gophers won the first meeting on Jan. 31, a 77-65 victory that marked coach Tubby Smith’s 400th career win.
Minnesota has won consecutive games over Michigan for the first time since 2004-05.
The Gophers’ first 12 points were scored on three-point field goals; three by Lawrence McKenzie and one by Lawrence Westbrook.
Minnesota’s bench outscored Michigan 17-12. The Gophers have outscored the opponent’s bench in 20 of the 25 games this season. Minnesota is 15-5 when its bench outscores the opponent.
Minnesota shot over 50 percent from the field in both games against Michigan this season. They shot 55-100 (55 percent) in the two games.
Minnesota won just its second game when trailing at the half (2-9). Minnesota is 11-0 when shooting 50 percent or better.
Lawrence McKenzie scored a career-high 26 points. with seven three-pointers, McKenzie tied the Minnesota school record for three point field goals in a game, previously achieved by Terrance Simmons in a game against Michigan State in 2001.
McKenzie was in double figures for the 17th time this season and 69th time in his career.
McKenzie’s 26 points are the most by a Gopher since Jamal Abu-Shamala had 27 against Michigan on 2/24/07.
McKenzie averaged 22 ppg in two contests against Michigan this year. He shot 15-25 from the field and 10-16 from three-point range.
A three-pointer from the top of the key early in the second half put Spencer Tollackson in double figures for the 13th time this season and 38th time of his career.
Al Nolen got his second consecutive start, his third this season.
Jon Williams tied a season high with eight rebounds. He had eight boards for the second straight game.
With two rejections in the last minute of play, Dan Coleman recorded his 100th and 101st blocks of his career.

TUBBY'S 400TH 
With the Gophers’ 77-65 victory over Michigan Jan. 31 in Ann Arbor, head coach Tubby Smith become a member of the 400 win club. Smith is 403-154 in 17 seasons as a head coach (79-43 at Tulsa, 45-19 at Georgia, 263-83 at Kentucky and 16-9 at Minnesota). Coming into the season, only 19 active coaches had amassed at least 400 career wins.

Bob Knight leads all coaches (active & retired) with a record of 902-371 in 42 seasons on the bench with Army, Indiana and four-plus seasons as the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

ASSISTING OTHERS
Lawrence Westbrook became the first Gopher to record double-digit assists on the season and he recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists on Feb. 6 against Northwestern in Evanston. The last Gopher to have a double-double of points and assists was Lawrence McKenzie on Feb. 18. 2007. His double-double is the third for Minnesota this season (Dan Coleman  has four point-rebounds double-doubles this season).

SHARP SHOOTER
Freshman Blake Hoffarber not only has the third highest three-point field accuracy in Big Ten Conference at .458 (55-120), but is on pace to break several school records. He is on pace to break 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 has already broken the Gophers’ mark for three-pointers by a freshman, which was set by Voshon Lenard (51) in 1991-92.

THREE-POINTERS BY A GOPHER FRESHMAN
Player (Season) 3FGM  
Blake Hoffarber (2007-08) 55
Voshon Lenard (1991-92) 51
Kevin Burleson (1999-00) 44
Michael Bauer (2000-01) 34
Quincy Lewis (1995-96) 26  

BENCH BONANZA
Minnesota’s bench has provided a big punch this season, outscoring its opponents in 20 of the team’s 25 games. The Gophers hold a cumulative 633-393 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, Ohio State 20-6 on Jan. 26, Northwestern 20-10 on Feb. 6 in Evanston and held a 31-7 bench scoring edge over Iowa on Feb. 9.

A Gopher has scored at least five points off the bench in 19 of the team’s 20 games, 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 and 16 at Northwestern on Feb. 6; 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.

FRESHMAN FIRE
Minnesota has relied heavily on its two freshmen, Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber this season.

Nolen is averaging 4.8 points, 3.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 22.4 minutes per game this season. He has tied for or led the Gophers in assists in 14 of the 24 games he has played in, including a career-high eight Feb. 9 vs. Iowa. He has recorded 53 steals (2.2 spg), which ranks him first overall in the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the Big Ten in assists at 3.7 per game and sixth in the conference with a 1.96 assist/turnover ratio.

Hoffarber is averaging 8.9 for the Gophers this season and is shooting .475 (76-160) from the floor, including .458 (55-120) from behind the arc, the third highest percentage in the Big Ten Conference. 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, 19 at Penn State on Jan. 12, 15 points in the first start of his Gopher career on Feb. 6 at Northwestern and eight points in another start vs. Iowa on Feb. 9.

FRESHMAN RANKINGS WITHIN THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE
Assists   Average (Big Ten Ranking) 
1. Michael Thompson, NU 4.5 (3)
2. Kalin Lucas, MSU 3.9 (5)
3. Al Nolen, MINN 3.7 (8)
4. Jeff Peterson, IOWA 3.4 (9)
5. Demetri McCamey, ILL 3.1 (12)

Steals  Average (Big Ten Ranking) 
1. Al Nolen, MINN  2.2 (1)
2. Manny Harris, MICH  1.5 (6)
3. Talor Battle, PSU  1.3 (10)
4. Eric Gordon, IND  1.3 (10)
5. Robbie Hummel, PUR  1.2 (12)

3-Point FG %   Average (Big Ten Ranking)
1. Robbie Hummel, PUR  .466 (2)
2. Blake Hoffarber, MINN  .458 (3)
3. Michael Thompson, NU  .429 (5)
4. E’ Twaun Moore, PUR  .404 (8)
5. Eric Gordon, IND .399 (11)

3-Point FG Made  Average (Big Ten Ranking)
1. Eric Gordon, IND 2.6 (4)
2. Blake Hoffarber, MINN  2.2 (8)
3. E’ Twaun Moore, PUR  1.7 (12)
4. Jon Diebler, OSU  1.6 (13)
5. Michael Thompson, NU  1.5 (14)

Assist/Turnover Ratio  Average (Big Ten Ranking)
1. Michael Thompson, NU  2.02 (5)
2. Al Nolen, MINN  1.96 (6)
3. Kalin Lucas, MSU  1.69 (7)
4. Demetri McCamey, ILL  1.42 (11)
5. Jeff Peterson, IOWA  1.04 (13)

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 220 points since and currently is 17th place on the career points list with 1,238. 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. With his one blocked shot against Indiana on Feb. 12, Coleman now has 101 career blocks, good for ninth place on Minnesota’s all-time list.

TWO GOPHERS AMONGEST ACTIVE BIG TEN SCORERS
Of the six active players in the Big Ten Conference to surpass the 1,000-point plateau in their careers, two are wearing Maroon & Gold. Senior forward Dan Coleman is currently the 17th leading scorer in Gopher history with 1,238 points. Fellow senior Lawrence McKenzie has scored 1,289 total points in his collegiate career, 748 as a Gopher following his transfer from the University of Oklahoma.

Player                                    Total Points
Geary Claxton, PSU               1,542
Drew Neitzel, MSU                1,393
D.J. White, IND                       1,319
Lawrence McKenzie, MINN   1,289
Dan Coleman, MINN                1,238
Jamar Butler, OSU                  1,129

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 at the time. 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 dished out a career-high five assists and tied a career-high with five steals against Ohio State on Jan. 26. He also contributed eight points and six rebounds.  Johnson established a new career-high with five blocks against Wisconsin to go along with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal while playing a career-high 34 minutes.

Against Iowa on Feb. 9, Johnson played 31 minutes off the bench and scored nine points on 4-of-8 shooting and also contributed a team-high seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and an assist. He grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, seven of which were offensive, against Illinois on Feb. 12 while also scoring nine points, swiping four balls and blocking a shot. Also, Johnson contributed five points, six rebounds and a steal against Wisconsin (2/16).

Johnson is sixth on the team in scoring at 7.1 ppg, second on the team in rebounding at 4.7 rpg, leads the team in blocks with 35 (1.4 bpg) and has the second most steals (46, 1.8 spg), which is fifth most in the conference. Over the last 13 games, all Big Ten Conference games, Johnson has averaged 7.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 1.3 assists and 25.3 minutes per game while shooting .493 (35-71) from the field.

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.

TOURNEY TIME
After a year at Chicago’s United Center, the Big Ten Tournament returns to Indianapolis’ Conseco Fieldhouse for the next five tournaments beginning this season. In its first 10 years of existence, the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament has welcomed more than 950,000 fans and issued over 6,000 media credentials.

Five different league representatives have become Big Ten Tournament champions, with Michigan State (1999, 2000), Illinois (2003, 2005) and Iowa (2001, 2006) claiming the honor twice along with Ohio State (2007) and Wisconsin (2004) capturing one. In addition, every tournament game in the past 10 years has been televised live on CBS, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPN Plus.

2007-08 Big Ten Tournament Schedule
Thursday, March 13
Game 1 #8 Seed vs. #9 Seed Noon ET (Big Ten Network)
Game 2 #7 Seed vs. #10 Seed 2:30 p.m. ET*( ESPN2)
Game 3 #6 Seed vs. #11 Seed 5 p.m. ET* (ESPN2)
Friday, March 14
Game 4 #1 Seed vs. Game 1 Winner Noon ET (ESPN)
Game 5 #4 Seed vs. #5 Seed 2:30 p.m. ET* (ESPN)
Game 6 #2 Seed vs. Game 2 Winner 6:30 p.m. ET* (Big Ten Network)
Game 7 #3 Seed vs. Game 3 Winner 9 p.m. ET* (Big Ten Network)
Saturday, March 15
Game 8 Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner 1:40 p.m. ET (CBS)
Game 9 Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner 4:05 p.m. ET* (CBS)
Sunday, March 16
Game 10 Tournament Championship 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
* Approximate game times

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