University of Minnesota Athletics
Tuesday, March 19
Indianapolis, IN
8:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Butler
Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Gophers Take on Butler Tuesday Night in NIT Postseason Game
3/18/2024 1:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SERIES INFORMATION
5th Meeting (Minnesota leads 3-1 all time)
Road Record at Butler: 0-1
Last Meeting: 2019 (Gavitt Games: Butler W, 64-56)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Broadcast: ESPNU (Myron Medcalf, pbp), Tom Crean (color)
Tip Time: 8:05 PM CT/9:05 PM ET
Radio: Radio: KTLK AM 1130 / FM 103.5 (Mike Grimm, Al Nolen)
Sirius: SiriusXM 388 and on the SiriusXM App
STARTING FIVE
• The University of Minnesota men's basketball team earned a bid into the National Invitation Tournament, announced Sunday on ESPN2. Minnesota will face Butler on Tuesday, March 19, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Game time is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Should Minnesota win the game, it would face the winner of Indiana State/SMU on March 23 or 24.
• It marks the first time the Gophers have competed in the NIT since 2014, when Minnesota won the championship over SMU, 65-63, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The 2024 bid marks the 14th NIT appearance in program history, not including 1996 and 1998 appearances that were later vacated. The Gophers have amassed a 27-12 record in NIT games (.692), excluding vacated seasons. It marks the first postseason play for the Gophers since 2019, when Minnesota was selected to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Second Round.
• Minnesota is 3-1 all-time against Butler, dating back to 1971, and meeting for the first time since 2019. Minnesota won three straight against the Bulldogs before dropping a 64-56 road contest in 2019 as part of the Gavitt Games. In the loss, former Gopher Daniel Oturu finished with 24 points (on 9-of-13 shooting) and 10 rebounds at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Both Minnesota's Ben Johnson and Butler's Thad Matta are coaching at their alma mater and were athletes and assistant coaches before being the head coach there. Both head coaches played at a different school only to transfer to their respective schools. Ben Johnson began at Northwestern, while Matta started at Southern Illinois before finishing at Butler. Matta is in his second stint at the Butler helm. They have both coached in the Big Ten and Big East during their coaching tenures, Matta as a head coach, Johnson as an assistant with Xavier.
• This time last year, Minnesota was 2-17 in Big Ten play and 9-22 overall. The Gophers finished 9-11 this year and 18-14 overall. That win improvement marks the best in the Big Ten and one of the best nationally among Power 6 teams. South Carolina went from 11 wins to 26 this year, while Cal went from 3-29 (2-18 in PAC-12) to 13-19 and 9-11 in conference play. Ole Miss was 12-21 and 3-15 last year in the SEC and finished 20-12 and 7-11 in league action.
ABOUT BUTLER
• Butler enters the NIT with an 18-14 record and went 9-11 in Big EAST play. The Bulldogs, the No. 8 seed, fell last Wednesday to No. 9 seed Xavier, 76-72 in the Big EAST Tournament last Wednesday. Tuesday's match-up marks the third Big Ten team Butler will face this season. The Bulldogs fell to Michigan State earlier this year as a part of the Gavitt Games 74-54 on Nov. 17 in East Lansing, Mich., and defeated Penn State on Nov. 24 as a part of a tournament in Orlando, Fla., 88-78.
• Four individuals are averaging double-digit points for the Bulldogs. Pierre Brooks leads the team with 479 total points and averages 15, while Jahmyl Telfort averages 13.6 and DJ Davis follows at 13.5 ppg. Posh Alexander averages 11.2 points and a team-best 153 assists and 67 steals, which ranks first in the Big East in steals and steals per game (2.16). Jalen Thomas averages a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game and has 40 blocks.
• As a team, Butler is averaging 77.3 points while allowing 73.7. The Bulldogs are shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 35.4 from beyond the arc. In addition, their three-point defense ranks third in the league, allowing just 32.5 percent. Butler is one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the Big East, shooting 79.2 percent at the charity stripe. They also average 35.3 rebounds.
5th Meeting (Minnesota leads 3-1 all time)
Road Record at Butler: 0-1
Last Meeting: 2019 (Gavitt Games: Butler W, 64-56)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Broadcast: ESPNU (Myron Medcalf, pbp), Tom Crean (color)
Tip Time: 8:05 PM CT/9:05 PM ET
Radio: Radio: KTLK AM 1130 / FM 103.5 (Mike Grimm, Al Nolen)
Sirius: SiriusXM 388 and on the SiriusXM App
STARTING FIVE
• The University of Minnesota men's basketball team earned a bid into the National Invitation Tournament, announced Sunday on ESPN2. Minnesota will face Butler on Tuesday, March 19, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Game time is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Should Minnesota win the game, it would face the winner of Indiana State/SMU on March 23 or 24.
• It marks the first time the Gophers have competed in the NIT since 2014, when Minnesota won the championship over SMU, 65-63, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The 2024 bid marks the 14th NIT appearance in program history, not including 1996 and 1998 appearances that were later vacated. The Gophers have amassed a 27-12 record in NIT games (.692), excluding vacated seasons. It marks the first postseason play for the Gophers since 2019, when Minnesota was selected to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Second Round.
• Minnesota is 3-1 all-time against Butler, dating back to 1971, and meeting for the first time since 2019. Minnesota won three straight against the Bulldogs before dropping a 64-56 road contest in 2019 as part of the Gavitt Games. In the loss, former Gopher Daniel Oturu finished with 24 points (on 9-of-13 shooting) and 10 rebounds at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Both Minnesota's Ben Johnson and Butler's Thad Matta are coaching at their alma mater and were athletes and assistant coaches before being the head coach there. Both head coaches played at a different school only to transfer to their respective schools. Ben Johnson began at Northwestern, while Matta started at Southern Illinois before finishing at Butler. Matta is in his second stint at the Butler helm. They have both coached in the Big Ten and Big East during their coaching tenures, Matta as a head coach, Johnson as an assistant with Xavier.
• This time last year, Minnesota was 2-17 in Big Ten play and 9-22 overall. The Gophers finished 9-11 this year and 18-14 overall. That win improvement marks the best in the Big Ten and one of the best nationally among Power 6 teams. South Carolina went from 11 wins to 26 this year, while Cal went from 3-29 (2-18 in PAC-12) to 13-19 and 9-11 in conference play. Ole Miss was 12-21 and 3-15 last year in the SEC and finished 20-12 and 7-11 in league action.
ABOUT BUTLER
• Butler enters the NIT with an 18-14 record and went 9-11 in Big EAST play. The Bulldogs, the No. 8 seed, fell last Wednesday to No. 9 seed Xavier, 76-72 in the Big EAST Tournament last Wednesday. Tuesday's match-up marks the third Big Ten team Butler will face this season. The Bulldogs fell to Michigan State earlier this year as a part of the Gavitt Games 74-54 on Nov. 17 in East Lansing, Mich., and defeated Penn State on Nov. 24 as a part of a tournament in Orlando, Fla., 88-78.
• Four individuals are averaging double-digit points for the Bulldogs. Pierre Brooks leads the team with 479 total points and averages 15, while Jahmyl Telfort averages 13.6 and DJ Davis follows at 13.5 ppg. Posh Alexander averages 11.2 points and a team-best 153 assists and 67 steals, which ranks first in the Big East in steals and steals per game (2.16). Jalen Thomas averages a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game and has 40 blocks.
• As a team, Butler is averaging 77.3 points while allowing 73.7. The Bulldogs are shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 35.4 from beyond the arc. In addition, their three-point defense ranks third in the league, allowing just 32.5 percent. Butler is one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the Big East, shooting 79.2 percent at the charity stripe. They also average 35.3 rebounds.
Highlights: Gophers 78, Campbell 50
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