Gophers Hit the Road to Take on San Francisco at Chase Center

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Broadcast: CBSSN (Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Dan Dickau (color)
Tip Time: 7:35 p.m. CT/5:35 P.M. PT
Radio: KTLK 1130 AM/103.5 FM (Mike Grimm, Al Nolen)
Sirius: SiriusXM 372

SERIES INFORMATION*
1st Meeting
Last WCC Team MN Faced: Loyola Marymount (2020-21)
* - excludes vacated games

STARTING FIVE
• The University of Minnesota men's basketball team hits the road for the first time this season when it travels to San Francisco, Calif., Sunday night to face the San Francisco Dons at 7:30 p.m. CT. Sunday marks a true college double header at the Chase Center as both the USF men's and women's basketball teams will compete in a game there. The women will tip off against Colorado State at 4:30 p.m., followed by the men taking on Minnesota at 7:30 p.m. A single ticket can get access for both games. It's the fourth time ever both USF teams will play at Chase Center.
• The game marks the first contest between the two teams in school history and first West Coast Conference team the Gophers have faced since the 2020-21 season. Minnesota opened with back-to-back wins over Loyola Marymount, both at Williams Arena that season. Minnesota has played WCC teams at other neutral locations including Santa Clara in 2018 at the Vancouver Showcase and Portland in 2009 at the 76 Classic.
• Dawson Garcia is 13 points away from his 1,000th career point, and 15 rebounds away from his 500th career rebound. He scored 351 points in his first year with Marquette and 179 rebounds. Garcia added 144 points and 88 rebounds with North Carolina. Now with Minnesota, Garcia has 492 points and 218 rebounds. His 987 points have come through 74 collegiate games played, including 71 career starts. In his career, he's averaged 13.3 ppg and 15.9 with the Gophers.
• Minnesota held a 50-31 advantage in rebounding in its last game outing vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. It was Minnesota's first game with 50 rebounds since having 52 versus Michigan State on Dec. 28, 2020. The Gophers had a 19-8 edge in offensive rebounds, and an 18-8 lead in second-chance points. Overall, Minnesota ranks third in the Big Ten in overall rebounding margin and 33rd nationally.
• The Gophers had great ball movement in Tuesday's win, adding 24 assists on 31 field goals. Minnesota had five individuals with four assists in that game. The Gophers overall rank second in the Big Ten and 24th nationally in assists per game so far this season. Elijah Hawkins has a team-best 24, followed by Dawson Garcia at 16 and Cam Christie at 12.

LAST GAME RECAP
• Four Gophers reached double figures in scoring as Minnesota raced to a 86-67 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday night at Williams Arena. With the win, the Gophers improved to 4-1 (0-0 Big Ten) while UAPB fell to 3-3 (0-0 SWAC).
• Dawson Garcia paced Minnesota with 19 points and nine rebounds while Josh Ola-Joseph chipped in 12 points. Freshman Cam Christie came off the bench to add 14 points, three rebounds and two assists. Nine of the 10 Gophers who played in the game scored points, and eight players had six points or more. Minnesota shot 45 percent from the floor for the night and held UAPB to just 36.2 percent.
• It was the second-ever meeting between the two. Minnesota beat the Lions 72-56 on Dec. 14, 2022. The Golden Gophers now have a 12-0 record against the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

ABOUT THE DONS
• San Francisco enters the Minnesota game with a 4-2 overall record and a two-game win streak. The Dons defeated DePaul, 70-54 on Nov. 19 and Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday, 76-60. San Francisco's two losses came at Boise State (L, 63-58) and Grand Canyon (L, 76-72).
• San Francisco has three individuals averaging double-digit scoring in Jonathan Mogbo, Marcus Williams and Mike Sharavjamts. Mogbo has a team-best 14.8 ppg and 8.8 rbg, while Williams follows closely behind at 14.0 ppg. Sharavjamts averages 11 ppg and a team-best 27 assists. Mogbo and Sharavjamts transferred to USF this season, while Williams played at Texas A&M two years ago.
• As a team, USF averages 81.3 ppg and allow just 60.7 ppg. The Dons are shooting 50.3 from the field and allow 38.5. They are also shooting 35.9 beyond the arc. USF ranks 18th nationally in FG efficiency and 30th in field goals. They also rank 26th nationally in both rebounding margin and scoring defense.

ON THE DOCKET
• Minnesota returns to Williams Arena confines on Thursday, Nov. 30 when New Orleans comes to town. Game time is set for 6 p.m., on Big Ten Network.
• Mike Grimm and Al Nolen will provide the radio broadcast on Gopher Radio Network and KTLK 1130 AM/103.5 FM.

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Players Mentioned

Cam Christie

Dawson Garcia

Elijah Hawkins