
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
After playing Tuesday on a sore ankle, Andre Hollins is sitting out Saturday's game against St. Peter's, while Ralph Sampson III makes his return.
By ajrayno
PG: Julian Welch
SG: Maverick Ahanmisi
SF: Austin Hollins
PF: Rodney Williams
C: Ralph Sampson III
After playing Tuesday's game on a tender ankle, Andre Hollins will sit Saturday with continued soreness.
Ralph Sampson III, who came off the bench in Tuesday's game after missing the previous two with a turned ankle, is returning to the starting lineup against the Peacocks.
The Gophers are 3-0 since Trevor Mbakwe left with a season-ending right ACL tear and Sampson has been out of the starting lineup. With another struggling non-conference matchup at the Barn today, the team hopes to continue its luck.
"We need to make sure the guys realize that St. Peter's is a good team that's picked to do well this year," Smith said. "They may not be playing their best this year, but they're very capable of beating us."
Three things Smith wants to see today:
1. Defending the three. In the first half against Appalachian State, the Gophers allowed the Mountaineers to shoot 60 percent of their attempts from behind the arc. In the second, the Gophers got much better, giving up just 3-of-11 shots. That effort needs to continue today. It shouldn't be as great a challenge against St. Peter, which is only averaging 27 percent from behind the arc, but that means the Gophers should be that much more stingy.
2. Another good outing from Ralph. Sampson came off the bench on Tuesday and in 19 minutes contributed 10 points and five rebounds. Whatever his role today, Smith is looking for another strong showing from the senior to see that his ankle is fully healed and that he is ready to step in as a leader.
3. Andre healthy? Andre Hollins played on a turned ankle on Tuesday. Smith said he has looked much better in practice and hopes to see evidence of that today.
Twins third baseman Royce Lewis, who battled injuries and a late-season slump last year, doesn’t want to talk ‘about health stuff.’