Gopher Basketball
| Game Info | |
| Opponent: | South Dakota St. Jackrabbits |
| When: | 7 pm, December 23rd, 2005 |
| Where: | Williams Arena ““ Minneapolis, MN |
| Television: | None |
The Gophers host another neighbor new to Division 1 Friday night when the South Dakota State Jackrabbits come to Williams Arena. Vincent Grier and likely J’son Stamper will be in street clothes, but the Gophers will still be a clear favorite to continue their winning streak.
Grier will be sidelined for the same minor violation of team rules that kept Moe Hargrow out Wednesday, and Stamper is likely to rest his sprained knee. The Jackrabbits are led by two freshmen from the Twin Cities (Cretin’s Matt Cadwell and Park Center’sAndre Gilbert ) along with 6’5″ sophomore Steve Holdren and 6’7″ juniorBen Beran . They’re 3-8 on the season with wins over Northern Colorado, Denver, and UMKC, and with losses against tough opponents in Kentucky, Illinois, Marquette, and Nebraska (where they lost just 76-67).
Here are my Gopher Keys of the Game:
1. Free Throws. I’ve had this key listed before, and I need to list it again, because the Gophers are still struggling mightily at the line. They won’t get there quite as much with Grier out, but their size and athleticism should still get them there a lot. Shooting 60% isn’t going to cut it in Big Ten play, so they need to pick it up.
2. Complete Game. The Gophers have had several strong games defensively and on the boards, and they had a blazing offensive performance Wednesday. They haven’t really put everything together on the same night yet though (at least not for 40 minutes). Conference play is just a week away, and there’s only one more tune-up after this, so it’s time to give a complete performance.
3. Can he miss?. This isn’t a key to winning, but it’s worth mentioning. Freshman Jamal Abu-Shamala has made 11 consecutive field goals stretching over the past 4 games. With Grier out, Jamal should again get extended minutes (as he did with Moe out Wednesday). Can his very impressive streak continue?
SDSU does has a few guys who will be fired up to play in front of friends and family, and Grier is of course going to be missed, but Minnesota still shouldn’t have much trouble getting the win. The challenge will be to win while playing well. My prediction: Minnesota 79 SDSU 61.
Talk about the game on our Gopher Basketball message board.