Gophers-Iowa preview

Last update: January 7, 2009 - 10:01 PM

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6 P.M. AT IOWA • HAWKEYE-CARVER ARENA • ESPN2, 830-FM

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Preview: Iowa's the kind of team that tends to make its opponents look bad, even if they lose. The Hawkeyes have held teams to an average of 55.9 points per game, second-best in the Big Ten. And they're the top three-point shooting team in the conference, too (41 percent). It's the first Big Ten road game for the Gophers. And they're playing it against a team that's undefeated at home (9-0) and knows how to make fast-break squads play one-possession basketball. Still, the Gophers have beaten better teams, so they should be confident.

Key players: Freshman Matt Gatens averages 10.7 points per game for the Hawkeyes. He's also the Big Ten's best three-point shooter (54.2 percent) and he has the league's highest success rate from the free-throw line (96.8 percent). For the Gophers, this game is about pace, so Al Nolen has to be the guy that helps control that. Nolen has a 3.7:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Numbers: Believe it or not, Minnesota is the conference's fourth-best rebounding team (35.7 per game). Iowa is the worse (29.0), but the Hawkeyes have the Big Ten's top rebounding defense (28.3). Go figure.

MYRON P. MEDCALF

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