University of Minnesota Athletics
Preview: Gophers vs. Mount St. Mary's
11/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| Minnesota (2-0) vs. Mount St. Mary's (0-2) | |
| Date / Time | Wednesday, Nov. 16 | 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 | Mount St. Mary's |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Mount St. Mary's |
| Social Media | @GopherMBB | Facebook |
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, November 16, 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 ââ'¬"
Mike Grimm (Play-by-Play); Spencer Tollackson (Analyst)
SERIES INFORMATION
Series: Third Meeting (1-0)*
Series (Home): Second Meeting (1-0)*
Current Streak: W-1
Richard Pitino vs. The Mount: First Meeting
Minnesota vs. NEC: 7-0*
Richard Pitino vs. NEC: First Meeting
* - excludes vacated games
STARTING FIVE
• The Gophers continue a jam-packed opening week of the season as they host Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday 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).
• Key to the Gophers' victory over the Mavericks on Monday night was a second-half surge. After heading into the intermission down by six, the Gophers scored 24 of the first 27 points in the second half to take the lead for good, part of a larger 30-5 run which effectively put the game out of reach. UT Arlington's first field goal of the second half did not come until the 10:15 mark, a Jalen Jones jumper to make the score 59-46.
• The Gophers have had five or more double-digit scorers in each of the first two games, doing so in back-to-back contests for the first time since December 27 (UNC Wilmington) and December 31 (Purdue) in the 2014-15 season.
• 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. With the win over UT Arlington, the Gophers are 2-0 to start the year for the third time under head coach Richard Pitino and Minnesota has opened its season 2-0 in 12 of the past 13 years.
• This is the third time the Mount and the Gophers have met, although their first meeting on December 28, 1995 was later vacated. The Gophers defeated The Mount, 85-56, in their last meeting on Nov. 21, 2011 at Williams Arena.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
• Mount St. Mary's is 0-2 on the season, most recently falling Monday night at Iowa State, 73-55. It was their second game against a Big XII foe after a 87-59 loss at West Virginia last Friday.
• Leading the way for the Mount is Elijah Long, who is averaging 16.5 points on 40 percent shooting through two games, along with six rebounds and four assists per contest.
• The Mount, located near Catoctin Mountain in north-central Maryland, opens the season with a nine-game road trip that includes games at No. 20 West Virginia, No. 24 Iowa State, Minnesota, George Mason, Southern Illinois, UT Arlington, Michigan, Arkansas and Loyola (Md.).
• Mount St. Mary's guard Junior Robinson is the shortest player in NCAA Division I basketball at 5' 5". Robinson, a junior, averaged 12.5 points and 3.1 assists last season in earning Second Team All-Northeast Conference honors.
GOPHERS VS. THE NEC
• Minnesota has amassed a record of 7-0 against the current membership of the Northeast Conference.
• That total includes the following individual opponent records: Central Connecticut State (0-0), Fairleigh Dickinson (1-0), LIU Brooklyn (2-0), Mount St. Mary's (1-0), Robert Morris (1-0), Sacred Heart (1-0), St. Francis (Pa.) (1-0). Several games against NEC schools were later vacated.
• Head coach Richard Pitino is facing an NEC opponent for the first time Wednesday night.
• The Mount is the first of two Sun Belt opponents the Gophers will face this season, joined by LIU Brooklyn (Dec. 14).
