University of Minnesota Athletics
Preview: Gophers vs. SIU
11/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| Minnesota (5-0) vs. Southern Illinois (3-2) | |
| Date / Time | Friday, Nov. 25 | 7 p.m. |
| Location | Williams Arena - Directions |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| TV/Live Video | BTN Plus |
| Radio | MyTalk 107.1 |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | SIU |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | SIU |
| Social Media | @GopherMBB | Facebook |
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, November 25, 2016
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Arena: Williams Arena (14,625)
TV/Live Video: BTN Plus
Radio: Learfield/MyTalk 107.1 FM - Mike Grimm (Play-by-Play); Spencer Tollackson (Analyst)
SERIES INFORMATION
Series: Second Meeting (0-1)*
Series (Home): First Meeting
Current Streak: L-1
Richard Pitino vs. SIU: First Meeting
Minnesota vs. MVC: 38-20*
Richard Pitino vs. MVC: 1-0
* - excludes vacated games
STARTING FIVE
• The Gophers close out a season-opening six-game homestand, their longest since 1999, hosting Southern Illinois on Friday night. SIU is participating in the Gophers' multi-team exempt (MTE) event, along with Minnesota, Arkansas, Mount St. Mary's, and UT Arlington. The MTE allows teams to play additional games without counting against the NCAA-mandated maximum.
• Amir Coffey was named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week after a scoring barrage in his first full week as a Gopher, and he continued the trend against Arkansas. Held scoreless in the first half, Coffey wound up as the team's leading scorer with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. Coffey is leading the team and all Big Ten freshmen, and ranked 10th in the Big Ten (as of Nov. 23) at 16.4 points per game.
• For the second time this season, Tuesday's win saw six Gophers reach double-digit scoring. It marks the fourth time in five games that the Gophers have had five or more players in double-digits, including six with 10 or more points in the wins versus UT Arlington and Arkansas.
• Reggie Lynch blocked nine shots in the St. John's game, third among all-time Gopher single-game performances, part of an 11-block team effort by the Gophers. Minnesota has not had double-digit blocks since Nov. 21, 2013 (12 vs. Wofford), and leads the Big Ten in blocks per game (7.0), ranking ninth in the country. Lynch is ninth nationally, as of November 23.
• Minnesota topped 80 points for the fifth-straight game to open the season. It's the first time the Gophers tallied 80-plus in five-consecutive games since a seven-game stretch in December 2014. The last time a Gophers team started a season with five-straight 80-point games was 1992-93, when Clem Haskins' team opened the season with six-straight games with 80 or more points.
SCOUTING THE SALUKIS
• Southern Illinois is 3-2 on the year, including three straight double-digit wins over Missouri Southern State, SIU Edwardsville, and Mount St. Mary's.
• The Salukis sport four double-figure scorers, led by Mike Rodriguez (14.6 ppg) who also leads the team in assists (23) and steals (6).
• SIU went 22-10 under veteran head coach Barry Hinson last season, finishing tied for fourth in the MVC.
• A saluki is a dog breed originating in the Fertile Crescent and Persia. The Saluki is classed as a sighthound and is typically deep-chested and long-legged.
GOPHERS VS. THE VALLEY
• Minnesota has amassed a record of 38-20 against the current membership of the Missouri Valley Conference.
• That total includes the following individual opponent records: Bradley (4-5), Drake (12-7), Evansville (1-0), Indiana State (3-1), Loyola Chicago (15-3), Missouri State (1-0), Northern Iowa (1-0), SIU (0-1), Wichita State (1-3). Games that were later vacated are excluded from that list.
• One member of the Gophers is very familiar with the MVC in redshirt junior Reggie Lynch, who spent two seasons at Illinois State - coincidentally, the only MVC school Minnesota has never played. Lynch left the Redbirds and ranks seventh among all-time career MVC shotblockers (189).
• Head coach Richard Pitino is facing a MVC opponent for the second time - the Gophers notched a 74-69 victory over Missouri State last November at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
