University of Minnesota Athletics
Preview: Gophers vs. UT Arlington
11/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| Minnesota (1-0) vs. UT Arlington (1-0) | |
| Date / Time | Monday, Nov. 14 | 7 p.m. |
| Location | Williams Arena - Directions |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| TV/Live Video | BTN Plus |
| Radio | 1500 ESPN |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | UT Arlington |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | UT Arlington |
| Social Media | @GopherMBB | Facebook |
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Monday, November 14, 2016
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Arena: Williams Arena (14,625)
TV/ Live Video: BTN Plus
Radio: Learfield/1500 ESPN Twin Cities -
Mike Grimm (Play-by-Play); Spencer Tollackson (Analyst)
SERIES INFORMATION
Series: Second Meeting (1-0)
Series (Home): Second Meeting (1-0)
Current Streak: W-1
Richard Pitino vs. UTA: First Meeting
Minnesota vs. Sun Belt: 7-1
Richard Pitino vs. Sun Belt: 11-4
* - excludes vacated games
STARTING FIVE
• The Gophers continue a jam-packed opening week of the season as they host UT Arlington on Monday night. The Gophers will play three games in five days, the first time doing so in a non-tournament setting since 2005 (11/26 vs. UT Chattanooga, 11/28 vs. Gardner-Webb, 11/30 at Maryland). Minnesota has done it once prior under head coach Richard Pitino in November 2014, with the Western Kentucky (11/18) and Franklin Pierce (11/20) games part of the NIT Season Tip-Off followed by UMBC (11/22).
• Minnesota captured a win in the season opener against UL-Lafayette, improving to 92-23 in lid-lifters since the program's inception in 1896. The Gophers have now won 18 of their past 19 season openers.
• Five players made their first appearances for the Gophers during Friday's game - graduate transfer Akeem Springs (11 points), redshirt junior Reggie Lynch (10 points, 8 rebounds, 4-6 FGs), and true freshmen Amir Coffey (13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), Eric Curry (9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3-3 FGs) and Michael Hurt (2 points).
• Nate Mason and Dupree McBrayer led five Minnesota players in double-figures with 15-point performances. The scoring total marked a career-high for McBrayer, who made 6-of-9 field goals, including 3-of-5 attempts from three-point range. Amir Coffey recorded 13 points in his collegiate debut, and transfers Akeem Springs and Reggie Lynch rounded out the quintet with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Eric Curry just missed joining the group, ending his first college game with nine points.
• This is the second meeting for the Gophers and the Mavericks, with Minnesota taking a 90-62 victory at Williams Arena on November 20, 1999, the Maroon and Gold's first game of the season and first under head coach Dan Monson.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
• UT Arlington is 1-0 after winning their season opener Saturday night against in-state foe Texas Southern, 89-82, at home.
• The Mavericks saw double-figure scoring from four different players, including 23 points from Jalen Jones and a double-double by Kevin Hervey (16 points, 11 rebounds).
• UTA returns all five starters from last year's 24-11 squad, which finished third in the Sun Belt at 13-7. The Mavericks advanced to the second round of the 2016 CIT in postseason play.
• UT Arlington was selected as the favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title in a preseason poll of league coaches. The Mavericks received 10 of a possible 12 first place votes. Junior forward Kevin Hervey and guard Erick Neal were selected first team preseason all-Sun Belt honorees by league coaches. Hervey was named the conference's preseason player of the year
GOPHERS VS. THE SUN BELT
• Minnesota has amassed a record of 7-1 against the current membership of the Sun Belt Conference.
• That total includes the following individual opponent records: Arkansas-Little Rock (1-1), Appalachian State (1-0), Georgia State (1-0), Louisiana Lafayette (2-0), Louisiana Monroe (1-0), Texas Arlington (1-0).
• Head coach Richard Pitino is no stranger to the Sun Belt, as he spent one season as the head coach at Florida International when they were members of the conference. His win-loss record against current Sun Belt members stands at 11-4, including a 2-0 mark against the Ragin' Cajuns.
• UT Arlington is the second of four Sun Belt opponents the Gophers will face this season, joined by UL-Lafayette (Nov. 11 / W, 86-74), Georgia Southern (Dec. 9) and Arkansas State (Dec. 23).
DEEP IN THE HEART OF...
• Minnesota is no stranger to opponents from the Lone Star State. Monday's matchup with UT Arlington will mark the 39th game against a Texas-based opponent (excluding vacated games).
• In those, the Gophers have amassed a record of 18-20.
• Minnesota's most frequent opponent from Texas is SMU (4-6), including the 2014 NIT Championship game.
