Southern Illinois at Gophers
THREE THINGS TO WATCH:
Lynch's ankle– Gophers center Reggie Lynch's injured ankle limited him to only four minutes in the second half of Tuesday's 85-71 win against Arkansas. He still finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes. The 6-foot-10 junior was expected to play as of game time Friday. But Lynch might not be needed for extended minutes against Southern Illinois. Freshman forward Eric Curry tied his season-high with 12 points against Arkansas in 27 minutes. Junior center Bakary Konate also had four points in four minutes.
Bench performance – Minnesota didn't pull away from Arkansas until senior Akeem Springs sparked a 22-4 run with 11 points, including three three-pointers in the first half. Springs and Curry combined for 23 of the team's 30 bench points on Tuesday. The Gophers' bench is averaging 21.6 points in five games this season. Sophomore Ahmad Gilbert has four three-pointers this season, including three in the first half of the last two games.
Coffey's scoring – Are we seeing a new Amir Coffey? The 6-8 freshman has been more aggressive offensively since scoring 30 points against St. John's last week. He was scoreless in the first half against Arkansas, but Coffey had all of his 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the second half. He leads the team with 16.4 points per game. But Coffey usually asserts himself once his teammates get the opportunity to score. Should he be more selfish to start the game?
GAME INFO
Time: 7 p.m. CT, Friday. Where: Williams Arena. Line: Gophers by 16 points Series: Tied 1-1; Minnesota lost last meeting, 69-53, in Old Spice Classic in 2006. TV: None. Online/Live video: BTN Plus/BTN2go app. Radio: 107.1 FM.
PROJECTED STARTERS
