The Gophers take aim at Virginia Tech minus their star power forward. I will be on hand at The Barn tonight to witness the new 2011-12 Gopher basketball team.
Game Time: 8:15
TV: ESPN2
| Pos | Minnesota | Pnt/Gm | Pnt/Gm | Virginia Tech | Pos | |
| PG | Andre Hollins | 8.6 | 14.8 | Erick Green | G | |
| G | Julian Welch | 7.4 | 14.3 | Dorenzo Hudson | G | |
| F | Austin Hollins | 10.3 | 8.8 | Jarell Eddie | F | |
| F | Rodney Williams | 7.7 | 8.0 | Dorian Finney-Smith | F | |
| C | Elliott Eliason | 2.6 | 7.5 | Victor Davila | C | |
| Bench | Chip Armelin | 5.4 | 8.2 | Robert Brown | Bench | |
| Bench | Joe Coleman | 2.6 | 6.2 | Tyrone Garland | Bench | |
| Bench | Andre Ingram | 2.0 | 3.2 | Cadarian Raines | Bench |
This one is all about the Gophers, I don't even care about Virginia Tech's strengths and vulnerabilities. Minnesota had an identity. We had some areas where we struggled but at least we also knew what we were good at. We rebounded well and we got to the free throw line, both were largely (100%?) because of Trevor Mbakwe. Well, we have lost our identity and all we have is what we struggled with before. We have an inexperienced backcourt that is prone to turnovers. We have a soft frontcourt that lacks intensity and toughness.
There are SOOOO many questions going into tonight's game, what are we going to see tonight? Are we going to see the beginnings of a three-guard offense? Are we going to put more full-court pressure on teams hoping to generate more turnovers? Who is going to step up and fill the scoring vacuum. Who is going to step up and be the emotional leader of this team?
For your information here is the Gopher's record in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. We started out strong but have really struggled in the last eight games.
| RECORD | 4-8 | |
| 2010 | Virginia | L |
| 2009 | Miami | L |
| 2008 | Virginia | W |
| 2007 | Florida State | L |
| 2006 | Clemson | L |
| 2005 | Maryland | L |
| 2004 | Florida State | L |
| 2003 | Virginia | L |
| 2002 | Georgia Tech | W |
| 2001 | Wake Forest | L |
| 2000 | Florida State | W |
| 1999 | Virginia | W |