University of Minnesota Athletics
Preview: Gophers at Michigan State
1/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| #24/24 Minnesota (15-2, 3-1) at Michigan State (11-6, 3-1) | |
| Date / Time | Wednesday, Jan. 11 | 6 p.m. |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. - Breslin Center |
| Tickets | Click Here |
| TV/Live Video | BTN/BTN2Go |
| Radio | 1500 ESPN |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | Michigan State |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Michigan State |
| Social Media | @GopherMBB | Facebook |
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Arena: Breslin Center (15,000)
TV: BTN - Cory Provus (Play-by-Play); Jon Crispin (Analyst)
Radio: Learfield/1500 ESPN -
Mike Grimm (Play-by-Play); Spencer Tollackson (Analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 93/XM 957
SERIES INFORMATION
Series: 116th Meeting (56-59)
Series (Away): 58th Meeting (21-36)*
Current Streak: L-2
Richard Pitino vs. Michigan State: 1-3
Minnesota vs. Big Ten: 738-804
Richard Pitino vs. Big Ten: 21-42
* - excludes vacated games
STARTING FIVE
• The Minnesota men's basketball team heads back to the road, traveling for its first rematch of the season as it faces Michigan State in East Lansing. The Spartans edged the Gophers, 75-74, in overtime 15 days earlier at Williams Arena.
• The Gophers have won back-to-back conference road games for the first time since the 2011-12 season, starting the season 3-1 in Big Ten play for the first time under head coach Richard Pitino, while winning three straight Big Ten games for the second time in Pitino's tenure.
• For the first time since 2013, the Gophers were voted among the nation's top 25 teams. The Gophers sit in 24th place in the most recent Associated Press poll and USA Today Coaches Polls. Minnesota's last appearance in the Top 25 came on February 4, 2013, when the Gophers were voted 18th. In the latest edition of the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), the Gophers stand in fifth place.
• Redshirt junior Reggie Lynch sits among the nation's leaders in blocked shots. The Edina, Minn. native now has 51 blocks on the season, leading both the team and the Big Ten Conference and fifth nationally with an average of 3.2 blocks per game. He is spearheading the Minnesota team blocking effort which leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in Division I at 6.7 blocks per game.
• Minnesota picked up its third weekly award of the year on Monday as guard Amir Coffey was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time. Coffey led the team in scoring in both victories at Northwestern on Thursday and at home against Ohio State Sunday night. Against the Wildcats, the Hopkins, Minn., native scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a career-high three 3-pointers. He added four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in the 70-66 victory in Evanston.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
• Michigan State has won four of its last five, including the Dec. 27 overtime win in Minneapolis, but suffered its first Big Ten loss of the season on Saturday, falling to Penn State at the Palestra in Philadelphia, 72-63.
• A pair of freshmen power the Spartan offense, with Miles Bridges leading the team at 14.3 points per game after returning from injury two games ago. Nick Ward leads the team in total points (235/13.8 ppg) and is the top rebounder (112/6.6 rpg).
• Ward is sixth in the Big Ten and 19th nationally in field goal percentage, scoring on 60.7 percent of his attempts.
• MSU is one of the nation's top assisting teams, ranking sixth in assists per game with 18.4. Cassius Winston leads the Big Ten and ranks 20th nationally with 5.9 assists per contest.
