Aloha from Hawaii!
As I mentioned in my earlier post, before I got this gig, I planned a short holiday vacation to Hawaii . So unfortunately, I will not be accompanying the Gophers to the Old Spice Classic in Orlando. I will reduce my blogging as well, although I will still have posts for tomorrow through Thanksgiving day. From then through the following Sunday, my editor Michael Rand will be covering for me in Orlando and posting pregame and postgame blogs here. You can also follow him on Twitter for in-game updates @RandBall. He will be covering the game against Mt. St. Mary's tonight.
A team source said the Gophers will "probably" sit Ralph Sampson III tonight to rest his turned left ankle. Elliott Eliason will likely start in his place. Sampson turned his ankle in the final minutes of Thursday's 67-57 win over Fairfield in which he scored eight points and two rebounds. His X-ray, taken Friday, came back clean, but the ankle is still a "tad bit soft," the source said. Eliason, a redshirt freshman, is averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 5.7 minutes per game this season. Rodney Williams, who turned his ankle as well on Thursday, did not get an X-ray and is expected to start, as is Trevor Mbakwe, who is recovering from a sprain on his right hand and thumb.
