Gophers Host Illinois in Rematch Wednesday Night

WEATHER UPDATE: Wednesday's game will be played as scheduled. As a result of the cold weather, fans will be able to enter the arena through the Maturi Pavilion entrance on the west end of the building, in addition to all other gates. Fans are encouraged to call 624-COPS in the event they need any assistance with their vehicles or other issues that arise from the weather this evening. Concession stands will be open inside the arena. Any additional information or updates will be posted here and on Gopher men's basketball social media channels on Twitter and Facebook.
FREE COFFEE: Thanks to Caribou Coffee, fans who attend Wednesday's game can receive a free cup of Caribou Coffee from any concession stand at Williams Arena, while supplies last.

To all the Gopher fans who are coming tonight please bundle up and be safe! To those who can't make it, it's ok, cheer loudly from home. We will be a few fans down. Those that come need to bring the noise! Home games are gold in the Big Ten. Need all the help we can get!
— Richard Pitino (@CoachPitinoMN) January 30, 2019

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Time: 8:00 p.m. CT
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Arena: Williams Arena (14,625)
TV: BTN – Cory Provus (Play-by-Play); Stephen Bardo (Analyst)
Radio: Learfield/KFAN 100.3 FM –
Mike Grimm (Play-by-Play); Spencer Tollackson (Analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 133/XM 195/Internet 957

SERIES INFORMATION
Series: 181st Meeting (65-115)*
Series (Home): 89th Meeting (44-44)*
Current Streak: L-1
Richard Pitino vs. Illinois: 3-4
Minnesota vs. Big Ten: 755-826*
Richard Pitino vs. Big Ten: 38-64
* - excludes vacated games

STARTING FIVE
• In the first rematch of the season, the Minnesota men's basketball team hosts Illinois on Wednesday night for their second game in 14 days.
• Nine games into the conference season, junior guard Amir Coffey is third in the Big Ten averaging 19.0 points per game in Big Ten contests. Coffey has reached double figures in all but one Big Ten game, including a career-high 32 points against Nebraska.
• Senior forward Jordan Murphy is second in Big Ten play in rebounding, pulling down 10.7 boards per game, and leads in overall rebounding with 12.0 rebounds per game on the season, fourth in the nation. His 1,150 career rebounds ranks second in Big Ten Conference history, after passing Joe Barry Carroll for second place on Sunday. Murphy became the 10th player in Big Ten history with 1,500+ points and 1,000+ career rebounds. Additionally, Murphy broke Jim Brewer's 45-year old school record for career double-doubles, and now has 58. Murphy was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Monday.
• Senior guard Dupree McBrayer now ranks 12th all-time at Minnesota in career assists (286), and 14th with 112 career three‐pointers made. He is 13th in three-pointers attempted (327). McBrayer is just 15 points shy of becoming the 43rd Gopher player to reach the 1,000-point mark in his career.
• Several other Gophers have major career milestones on the horizon. Redshirt senior Brock Stull is just five points away from scoring 1,000 in his career, combined between his time at Milwaukee and Minnesota. Amir Coffey is at 972 career points through 71 games in his junior season.

SCOUTING THE ILLINI
• After beginning conference play 0-5, Illinois has split its last four games beginning with the victory over the Gophers in Champaign on Jan. 16. Most recently, the Illini upended 13th-ranked Maryland on Saturday, 78-67, at Madison Square Garden.
• Ayo Dosunmu is one of three U of I players to average double figures, as he leads the team scoring 14.2 points per game.

MURPHY NAMED BIG TEN CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Senior forward Jordan Murphy was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday. The 6-7 native of San Antonio, Texas scored a pair of double-doubles in the Gophers narrow loss at Michigan and 92-87 win over Iowa.
• It is his first weekly award of the season after winning the honor three consecutive weeks to begin the 2017-18 season, and the fifth in his career. Murphy shared the award with Michigan State's Cassius Winston.
• On Tuesday in Ann Arbor, Murphy led the team with 15 points including 5-of-10 shooting and tied a game-high with 11 rebounds, also contributing an assist in 28 minutes of play.
• He followed that up with team highs of 23 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Hawkeyes, going 7-of-9 from the field and 8-of-11 from the free throw line. Murphy also tied a career high with six assists and blocked two shots on Sunday.
• It was his fourth 20-point game, and he added to his double-double total with 13 on the season. Murphy is leading the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the nation with 12 rebounds per game and 13 double-doubles, while his 15.1 points per game is second on the team and 14^th in the conference. Murphy has scored in double-figures 16 times this season.

UP NEXT
• The Gophers visit Purdue on Sunday for a 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT tip off from Mackey Arena.
• Big Ten Network and KFAN 100.3 FM will carry the the live broadcast of the game.

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Amir Coffey

Dupree McBrayer

Jordan Murphy

Brock Stull