gophers gameday
7 P.M. VS. South Dakota State • Williams ARENA • BTN, 1500-AM
Gophers at a glance: After missing the steady presence of two of their major contributors against New Orleans on Saturday, the Gophers expect to have both center Elliott Eliason and guard Malik Smith back in the fold against South Dakota State. Eliason, who played just four minutes on Saturday with a sprained left ankle, is expected to retake his starting spot after Mo Walker stepped in to contribute 11 points and eight rebounds in his place. Smith, who didn't play at all on Saturday, also with a sprained left ankle, is expected to fully return as well. Minnesota (8-2) struggled some against a lesser New Orleans team in its last time out, allowing the Privateers to come within eight points in the second half. Six Gophers scored in double figures to eventually push Minnesota to the win.
South Dakota State at a glance: The Jackrabbits come to town to face Minnesota for the ninth straight season, hoping to change the tilt of history. The Gophers are 16-0 in the all-time series. The 4-6 Jackrabbits are coming off a win over Dakota State after a pair of losses against Stanford and UC Santa Barbara. Duluth native Anders Broman is starting for Scott Nagy's team as a freshman. The guard, who averaged 41.5 points a game as a senior at Lakeview Christian Academy, is currently scoring 6.5 points a game. Forward Jordan Dykstra leads the team with 17.2 points and 8.5 rebounds a game. As a whole, the Jackrabbits are shooting just 32.9 percent from behind the arc, but just about every position on the court is a threat to hit the long ball. SDSU is averaging 37.2 rebounds a game.
AMELIA RAYNO
