Preview: The Gophers (6-0) have a three-game winning streak against Florida State (5-1) dating to Tubby Smith's last season in 2012-13. Richard Pitino is 2-0 vs. the Seminoles, but he hasn't coached against them in Tallahassee, Fla. This will be the first road game for six newcomers on Minnesota's roster and the first this season after six straight home games. Florida State is expected to fall out of the national rankings (No. 25) after losing to Temple in the NIT Season Tipoff last week. But the Seminoles bounced back with a 72-61 win against Illinois on Friday.
Players to watch: Freshman Amir Coffey is averaging 20.7 points on 65.7 percent shooting (23-for-35) in his past three games for Minnesota. Freshman Eric Curry could make his second straight start with center Reggie Lynch's status uncertain because of an ankle injury. … Florida State freshman Jonathan Issac might remind Minnesota fans of a young Kevin Garnett. The potential NBA lottery pick is an athletic 6-10 forward averaging 15.8 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds. Sophomore Dwayne Bacon leads the Seminoles with 18.2 points per game.
Numbers: The Gophers have won five straight games in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the longest winning streak for the program in the series that started in 1999. Their last loss was to Virginia in 2010.
MARCUS FULLER
