Sports

Gophers pregame: Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins could reach 1,000 points tonight

The pair of guards are both hovering near the landmark heading into Tuesday's game against South Dakota State.

December 11, 2013 at 12:21AM
Andre Hollins, left, and Austin Hollins were both standout basketball players growing up in Memphis.
Andre Hollins, left, and Austin Hollins were both standout basketball players growing up in Memphis. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

In case you missed it, my story in today's Star Tribune looking at five surprisng Gophers statistics through ten games.

Watch tonight's game vs.SDSU on the Big Ten Network. Listen on 1500-a.m.

There's a good chance fans at the Barn tonight, could view a little slice of history.

Heading into tonight's game against South Dakota State (7 p.m. tip-off), both Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins are sitting dangeously close to the 1000-point mark.

Currently:

Andre Hollins is short just 14 points, with 986

Austin Hollins is short just 17, with 983

Could they reach the plateau together? It would seem fitting. Two of the three captains, the Hollins' are the heart and soul of the team, and the root of the backcourt on a squad that is going through a lot of transition.

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"I'm pretty lucky to have two experienced, veteran guards in year one of just trying to build this program," Pitino said. "They've both done it before, they're both really good players, great kids, never had a bad day – show up to work every single day. On and off the court, I mean, they both are the epitome of student-athletes. So I'm lucky to inherit those types of kids."

So far on the year, Dre Hollins is averaging 16.6 points a game, and Austin Hollins, 13.2.

The Gophers haven't had a pair of players reach the 1000-points landmark in the same year since 1993-94, when Randy Carter, Voshon Lenard and Arriel McDonald all hit the mark.

Other notes on tonight's matchup:

  • Duluth-native Anders Broman will make his return to the state in a South Dakota State uniform. The freshman guard, who averaged 41.5 points a game as a senior at Lakeville North, starts for the Jackrabbits and is averaging 6.5 points through 10 games. "He had a bigtime rep (in Minnesota)," Pitino said. "He's got the ability to put the ball in the basket. Obviously he's not going to average that (40 points a game) at a young age, but he's got great potential."
    • As I mentioned yesterday, Pitino has a random connection with a current SDSU player. Center Cody Larson attended Florida when Pitino was there as an assistant under Billy Donovan. Larson redshirted that season, then played for the Gators the next year (after Pitino went back to Louisville) before transferring to the Jackrabbits.
      • Gophers will have a strong focus on Jordan Dykstra tonight. The forward is leading the team with 17.2 points a game and 8.5 rebounds and is shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range.
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