Gopher Men's Basketball

The Gopher men's basketball team matches up with #5 Duke Thanksgiving Day at 2:30pm (CT) in the Bahamas in the Battle 4 Atlantis Holiday Tournament. The Gophers are 4-0 while Duke is 3-0. Minnesota hasn't played Duke since the Gophers in the Regional Semifinals in the NCAA Tournament in 1989.

The Gopher men's basketball team improved to 4-0 after beating Richmond 72-57 at Williams Arena Sunday night. Rodney Williams led the Gophers with 15 points and 6 rebounds, Andre Hollins added 14 points and 7 assists and Austin Hollins chipped in 13 points.

The Gopher men's basketball team defeated Tennessee State 72-43 Thursday night to improve to 3-0. Rodney Williams led the Gophers with 15 points and 7 rebounds, Andre Hollins added 13 points and 5 assists and Austin Hollins chipped in 12 points. Minnesota shot 48 percent from the field while Tennessee State shot 24 percent.

The Gopher men's basketball team signed 2 players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. The two players were teammates at Chicago's De La Salle High School. Alvin Ellis is a 6'4 combo guard who averaged 17 points and 4 rebounds a game as a junior and Alex Foster is a 6'8 forward who averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds as a juinor.

The Gopher men's basketball team routed Toledo 82-56 Monday night to improve to 2-0. Joe Coleman led the Gophers with 15 points, Austin Hollins added 14 points and Rodney Williams added 12 points and 8 rebounds. Trevor Mbakwe added 6 points and 7 rebounds off the bench in 14 minutes.

The Gopher men's basketball team downed American University of Washington D.C. 72-36 Friday night at Williams Arena. Minnesota led 44-14 at halftime and cruised in the 2nd half. The Gophers were led by Austin Hollins with 20 points and Rodney Williams added 16.

The Gopher men's basketball team defeated Minnesota State-Mankato 81-56 Thursday night in an exhibition game. Joe Coleman was the lone Gopher in double figures with 21 points while Austin Hollins added 9 points and both Maurice Walker and Rodney Williams added 8 points. Trevor Mbakwe added 4 points in 11 minutes for Minnesota.

The Gopher men's basketball team lost freshman 6'4 guard Wally Ellenson for 6-8 weeks with a broken left hand. The injury happened when his hand got tangled up with a teammate's jersey during a rebounding drill. Ellenson is a left-hander from Rice Lake, Wisconsin. He averaged 21 points and 9 rebounds his senior year in High School.

Minnesota assistant basketball coach Saul Smith, the son of head coach Tubby Smith, has been placed on indefinite unpaid leave by the university after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The Gopher men's basketball team will play Duke on Thanksgiving Day on November 22 in the quarterfinals at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The Gophers last played Duke in 1989 in the sweet sixteen round of the NCAA tournament. Minnesota lost that game.