Gophers men's GameDay

7 p.m. VS. MONTANA • WILLIAMS ARENA

NO TV, 1500-AM

Gophers at a glance: Minnesota faces Montana four days after a strong season-opening victory over Lehigh, but the Gophers are still down a player after Mo Walker's suspension before Friday's game. Elliott Eliason had a breakout game against Lehigh, grabbing 17 rebounds to go with 11 points, a trend the Gophers hope will continue. Wally Ellenson sat due to a disagreement with coach Richard Pitino on Friday, according to his father, John Ellenson. Pitino said Ellenson will be available, but he did not guarantee that the wing would play. Oto Osenieks is expected to start once more at power forward despite Joey King's dominance in the opener, scoring 20 points.

Montana at a glance: The Grizzlies return the Big Sky coach of the year (Wayne Tinkle) and league MVP (Kareem Jamar) from a team that has made the NCAA tournament in three of the past four years. In all, three starters return. A season ago, they were the trendy upset pick over Syracuse in the opening round, but ultimately lost 81-34. Montana will provide a real threat to the Gophers from three-point range. In the Grizzlies' last exhibition game (Tuesday is their opener), they made 12 of 20 three-pointers. Montana also is expected to play some zone defense against the Gophers in attempt to slow the pace.

Amelia Rayno