University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Face Tar Heels Tonight in Puerto Rico
11/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Minnesota vs. North Carolina (7:30 p.m. - ESPNU):
The Gophers opened the 2010 Puerto Rico Tip-off with a 95-77 victory over Western Kentucky on Nov. 18. Minnesota moves on to face the No. 8 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday in the semi-finals. UNC opened with a 107-63 over Hofstra.
Junior Trevor Mbakwe has made quite an impression in his first three games in Maroon & Gold, as he has contributed three-straight double-doubles to open the season. His 18 points Nov. 18 against Western Kentucky and 11 rebounds against Siena qualify as career highs.
Ralph Sampson III led the Gophers with a career-high 22 points against WKU and also added a tournament-record tying seven blocks. Blake Hoffarber scored 16 points and tied a tournament record with nine assists. Mbakwe, Rodney Williams and Al Nolen joined Hoffarber and Sampson in double figures with 18, 17 and 12 points, respectively, against the Hilltoppers.
North Carolina had six players finish in double figures in the win over Hofstra, led by freshman Harrison Barnes with 19 points and seven rebounds.
The winner of the Minnesota/North Carolina tilt will play the winner of the West Virginia/Vanderbilt for the championship on Sunday, Nov. 21.
Series History:
- Third meeting - First meeting since the 1980 season. The Gophers lost to UNC in the 1993 Preseason NIT tournament but the game has since been vacated.
- The Gophers are 13-22 all-time against teams currently in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
(1-1 vs. Clemson (4 games vacated); 1-1 vs. Duke; 3-4 vs. Florida State; 2-1 vs. Georgia Tech; 0-4 vs. Maryland; 0-1 vs. Miami; 0-2 vs. N.C. State; 2-3 vs. Virginia; 3-3 vs. Wake Forest) - Minnesota has never faced Boston College or Virginia Tech.
- Tubby Smith is 4-4 against North Carolina and a combined 19-14 against teams in the ACC.
(2-0 vs. Clemson; 1-2 vs. Duke; 0-1 vs. FSU; 4-2 vs. Georgia Tech; 3-3 vs. Maryland; 2-1 vs. Miami; 1-1 vs. Virginia; 2-0 vs. Virginia Tech)
Gophers and In-Season Tournaments:
The Gophers have a combined record of 68-40 in in-season tournaments, dating back to the Chicago District Olympic Tournament during the 1935-36 season.
Minnesota is 7-3 under Tubby Smith in in-season tournaments, including a 3-0 record in the NABC Classic to start the 2008-09 season. The Gophers hosted the event to coincide with Tubby Smith's stint as NABC President.
The most success in the history of the program in in-season tournaments came during the eight seasons in which the Gophers hosted the Pillsbury Classic from 1974-82. Minnesota never dropped a game in the history of the event, finishing 16-0.
