Gophers Pre-Season Hoops Tonight Vs UMD

The University of Minnesota men's basketball team hosts its lone exhibition game of the 2014 preseason tonight, welcoming in-state foe Minnesota Duluth to the Barn. The game will be the final tune-up for the Gophers before they begin the season officially next Friday night, facing Louisville in the ESPN Armed Forces Classic at Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen in Puerto Rico.

Minnesota returns four starters and eight letter winners from last year's squad which finished with a school-record 25 wins and the 2014 National Invitation Tournament Championship. Included in that group is five seniors, highlighted by leading returning scorers Andre Hollins, who scored 13.6 points per game last year, along with Deandre Mathieu who averaged 12 points per game along with 4.2 assists per game. In the front court, the Gophers are led by senior big men Elliott Eliason (6.6 rpg, 5.0 ppg, 1.9 bpg) and Maurice Walker (7.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.9 bpg).

This will be the second game of the year for the Bulldogs, who fell 88-71 on Saturday to Notre Dame in South Bend. Head coach Matt Bowen's squad returns three starters from its 2013-14 team which finished 12-15 and 10-12 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

courtesy: gophersports.com