gophers gameday

7 P.M. VS. western kentucky • williams ARENA • ESPn3, 1500-AM

Minnesota at a glance: The Gophers return from a 13-point loss against No. 8 Louisville in Puerto Rico to three home games in five days. In a game bogged down by 60 fouls, Minnesota turned over the ball 18 times and made only 61 percent of its free throws while shooting 40 percent from the field. Senior guard Andre Hollins was the team's only consistent offensive threat, scoring 22 points and adding four rebounds, but no other Gopher scored more than 10. … Coach Richard Pitino is expected to keep the same starting lineup of DeAndre Mathieu, Hollins, Carlos Morris, Joey King and Mo Walker. … Pitino coached against Western Kentucky coach Ray Harper three times in 2012-13, when his Florida International team played the Hilltoppers in the Sun Belt. Western Kentucky won two of the three, including a one-possession game in the league tournament that prevented FIU from making the NCAA tournament.

Western Kentucky at a glance: The Hilltoppers' strong defense — especially on the interior — and rebounding were its focal points a year ago on a squad that struggled to shoot and handle the ball well. The Hilltoppers lost only one member of last year's starting five and return major contributor T.J. Price, a 6-4 senior guard who averaged 15.4 points and 4.4 rebounds while taking more than 30 percent of the team's shots last year. … The Hilltoppers are new to Conference USA, projected to finish fifth by Athlon magazine. … Western Kentucky, who has made the NCAA tournament in two of the past three years, hasn't beaten a Big Ten team since 2009.

AMELIA RAYNO