University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Conclude Exhibition Slate Against Augustana
11/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 6, 2011
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Monday, November 7, 2011
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Arena: Williams Arena (14,625)
Television/Internet: Gopher All-Access/BTN.com Matt Nelson (Play-by-Play) Quincy Lewis (Analyst)
Radio: N/A
SERIES INFORMATION
Series: First Meeting
Tubby Smith vs. Augustana: First Meeting
GAME DAY TID-BITS
• The Gophers opened the exhibition season with a 71-58 victory over Bemidji State on Nov. 1 at Williams Arena. Minnesota's boxscore included three players in double figures, led by senior Trevor Mbakwe with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Mbakwe contributed a Big Ten-high 19 double-doubles last season. Ralph Sampson III and Rodney Williams chipped in with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman Andre Hollins dished out a team-high eight assists.
• Augustana is ranked 16th in the NCAA Division II Preseason Poll and is picked by the Northern Sun Conference coaches to win the tough NSIC regular season championship. Minnesota State Mankato, picked to finished third in the NSIC, is the reigning Division II National Runner-up.
• Minnesota has played at least one team from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference during the exhibition slate in each of Tubby Smith's four seasons at Minnesota. The Gophers played Winona State last season, Minnesota Duluth & Minnesota State Moorhead in 2009, St. Cloud State & Northern State in 2008 and Minnesota State Mankato & Southwest Minnesota State in 2007.
MINNESOTA NOTES
Smith Seeking 100th Win at Minnesota:
With 20 wins during the 2011-12 season Golden Gopher head coach Tubby Smith could join a short list of coaches to reach the 100-win plateau at the University of Minnesota. Smith heads into the season with a Gopher record of 80-53.
Smith's 80 wins at Minnesota are the most by a coach in his first four seasons on the bench in Gold Country.
Minnesota Coaches with 100 Wins
L.J. Cooke: 250-135 (28 seasons)
Dave McMillan: 196-156 (18 seasons)
Jim Dutcher: 190-113 (11 seasons)
O.B. Cowles: 147-93 (11 seasons)
Dan Monson: 118-106 (7 seasons)
Clem Haskins: 111-100 (13 seasons)
John Kundla: 110-105 (9 seasons)
Tubby Smith Trends:
In four seasons under Tubby Smith, Minnesota has followed some pretty significant winning trends:
• 74-8 when leading with 5:00 remaining
• 65-36 when bench outscores opponents bench
• 67-9 when leading at the half
• 48-14 with fewer turnovers than opponent
• 53-4 when scoring 70 points or more
• 53-17 at Williams arena
• 59-20 when outrebounding its opponent
• 55-14 when attempting more free throws than its opponent
Mbakwe's Preseason Accolades:
Gopher forward Trevor Mbakwe will start his senior campaign with a ton of accolades. Mbakwe was a second team All-Big performer as a junior.
• Named Preseason First Team All-Big Ten by the Big Ten Conference media members.
• Named to the John R. Wooden Award preseason watch list.
• Named to the 2011-12 Blue Ribbon Yearbook preseason All-America Second Team.
• Named to Lute Olson Preseason All-America Team.
Mbakwe's Junior Accomplishments:
• Trevor Mbakwe averaged a double-double (13.9 pts & 10.5 rbs) during the 2010-11 season making him the first Gopher player to accomplish that since Kris Humphries did so during the 2003-04 season (22.1 pts & 10.0 rbs). He is also the first Gopher to lead the Big Ten in rebounding since Humphries.
• Only four Gophers have finished a season as the conference's leading rebounder (Mychal Thompson: 1975-76 & 1977-78; Richard Coffey:1987-88; Humphries: 2003-04; Mbakwe: 2010-11).
• Mbakwe's 327 rebounds last season were the third most in a single-season at the University of Minnesota and the most since Jim Brewer collected 331 rebounds during the 1970-71 season.
• Mbakwe attempted 202 free throws as a junior, which ranks fifth all-time in Minnesota's annals.
• Mbakwe finished the season with 19 double-double stat games, which was tied for sixth nationally. His 10.5 per-game rebound average was tied for 11th nationally.
• He finished the regular season tops in the conference in defensive rebounds with 7.40 per game and second in the conference with an average of 3.13 offensive rebounds a game.
• Mbakwe finished the regular season second the conference in FG percentage at .586 (147-251).
• He finished the regular season sixth in the conference in blocked shots with 1.40 bpg.
• Mbakwe contributed three straight double-double games three times last season.
• He is the first Gopher to have three straight double-doubles since Kris Humphries had three in a row in 2003 (12/3-12/9).
• The last to do it in conference play was Joel Przybilla in 2000 (1/5-1/19).
• Mbakwe is the first Gopher to have four straight double-figure rebound games since Joel Przybilla in 2000 (1/5-1/19).
Sampson III & the Gopher Record Books:
Trevor Mbakwe has been the talk of the Gophers entering the season but the other senior co-captain, Ralph Sampson III, will more than likely finish his Minnesota career as one of the best big men in program history.
He has a chance to become just the fifth player to finish his Gopher career with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 150 blocks (Kevin McHale, Randy Bruer, Mychal Thompson and Michael Bauer).
Sampson III Career Numbers
• 97 career games played (87 starts)
• 798 career points (8.2 average)
• 501 career rebounds (5.2 average)
• 166 career blocks (1.7 average) - 4th-most in Gopher History
