Gophers men's basketball vs. Missouri Kansas City
7 p.m. vs. UMKC • Williams Arena • No TV (BTN-Plus subscription) • (100.3 FM)
Preview: Ben Johnson's first contest at Williams Arena in front of fans as Minnesota's coach was in an 80-67 exhibition win against Division II Concordia-St. Paul on Nov. 1. The Gophers defeated UMKC 90-61 last season at the Barn. Entering Billy Donlon's third season, the Roos are picked to finish sixth in the Summit League after going 11-13 and 7-7 in conference last season.
Players to watch: The two leading scorers for the Gophers in the exhibition victory were sophomore Jamison Battle (24 points) and senior Payton Willis (23 points), who combined for seven of the team's 11 three-pointers. UMKC junior Josiah Allick was named to the preseason All-Summit League first team after averaging 15 points, 6.0 rebounds and shooting 57% from the field.
Numbers: The Gophers have won 31 straight regular-season home openers. The U's last loss to open the season at the Barn was 63-57 in overtime against Ball State in Clem Haskins' third season on Nov. 26, 1988.
