Minnesota/Florida St news and notes

Ego74 · Nov 30, 2004

From Gopher sports

 <TR><TH class=news_bigheadline>MBB: Gophers Face Florida State in Big Ten/ACC Challenge (Game Notes) </TH><TD class=news_bigbody>Printable Version</TD> </TR><TR><TD class=news_bigbody colspan="2">November 29, 2004 - Click here to view the entire release.
The Matchup

The Minnesota Golden Gophers return home after a week in Alaska for an extended homestand starting with a matchup with the Florida State Seminoles in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on ESPN2. The Gophers begin a stretch of 10 of the next 11 games in the friendly confines of Williams Arena. Minnesota enters the FSU game with a 2-2 record after going 1-2 last week in the Great Alaska Shootout. FSU enters the matchup with a 2-3 record, losing both games at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times Tournament. On Friday, the Seminoles lost to Kent State, 69-59, and on Saturday were clipped in the final seconds by TCU, 71-70.

The Gophers hold a 3-2 mark all-time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, and 2-0 at Williams Arena. Minnesota lost at Virginia last season, 86-78. FSU and Minnesota have played one previous time in the Challenge with the Gophers winning, 76-71 in Tallahassee in 2000.

Scouting the Seminoles

Head Coach Leonard Hamilton is in his third season at the helm of the FSU program and owns a 33-29 record in Tallahassee. This is Hamilton’s third collegiate stop after stops at Oklahoma State and Miami. Hamilton also had a one-year stint with the Washington Wizards of the NBA. His overall career collegiate coaching record is 237-242.

Florida State at 2-3 having defeated Texas Southern and Shawnee State at home and losing to Texas A&M Corpus Christi in Tallahassee before last weekend’s two losses in Texas. The Seminoles are led by junior forward Diego Romero and sophomore guard Von Wafer. Romero leads the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game while Wafer is the Seminoles top outside gunner averaging 8.3 ppg. Romero, at 5.2 rebounds per game, is second on the team in rebounding to sophomore forward Alexander Johnson’s 5.4 rpg.

The Seminoles are an extremely deep team with 11 players averaging more than 15.0 minutes per game and 10 players averaging more than 5.0 ppg.

The Series

Minnesota holds a 3-2 advantage in the series. The two teams faced each other one other time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with teh Tophers winning 76-71 in Tallahassee in 2000.
Series History:
1972 FSU 70 UM 56 (NCAA Mideast Regional)
1977 UM 88 FSU 74 (Williams Arena)
1979 FSU 113 UM 91 (Tallahassee)
1980 UM 79 FSU 66 (Williams Arena)
2000 UM 76 FSU 71 (Tallahassee)

What’s Next

Minnesota is back in action on Saturday vs. Holy Cross at Williams Arena. Game time is 1 p.m., and will be broadcast on Fox Sports North.

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Ego74 · Nov 30, 2004

From Seminoles.com

 Florida State Travels To Play Minnesota In ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Seminoles in midst of four-game road trip. Nov. 29, 2004

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Florida State travels to play at Minnesota in the sixth annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn., Tuesday night. The game marks the third of four consecutive road contests for the Seminoles after playing two games at the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller Times Challenge over the weekend before playing a scheduled road game at Ole Miss this weekend (Dec. 4, 2 p.m.). The road trip is the longest of the season for the Seminoles who play at home next on Dec. 12 against Florida International. Florida State's game against Minnesota is its sixth in the last 12 days to open the 2004-05 season and is the longest road trip during the three-year tenure of Head Coach Leonard Hamilton at Florida State. Florida State is 21-7 (.750 winning percentage) during the months of November and December in the last three seasons under Hamilton.

FLORIDA STATE'S HISTORY IN THE ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGEFlorida State enters Tuesday night's game against Minnesota with a 3-2 record in five previous ACC/Big 10 Challenge events. The Seminoles have won two straight in the challenge series with victories over Iowa (80-67 in 2002) and Northwestern (71-53 in 2003). In facing Minnesota, the Seminoles are playing their second repeat opponent in the challenge. Florida State has a 2-1 record against Northwestern in the challenge history and played Minnesota in Tallahassee in the event in 2000. Florida State is 1-1 in road games during the event with a victory and a loss on the road against Northwestern. Florida State defeated Northwestern, 60-46, in the inaugural ACC/Big 10 Challenge and gained their largest margin of victory in the challenge against the Wildcats last season with a 71-53 (+18 point) victory at home.

Dec. 1, 1999 Nov. 29, 2000 Nov. 28, 2001Florida State 60 at Florida State 71 Florida State 50at Northwestern 46 Minnesota 76 at Northwestern 57</PRE>

Dec. 2, 2002 Dec. 1, 2003 Nov. 30, 2004at Florida State 80 at Florida State 71 Florida StateIowa 67 Northwestern 53 at Minnesota</PRE>LOOK FOR FLORIDA STATE TO......Defeat Minnesota and help the ACC win the ACC/Big Ten Challenge for the sixth consecutive season. Florida State's victory over Northwestern in year one of the challenge clinched the overall victory for the ACC; ...Defeat Minnesota and snap a two-game losing streak; ...Play and win its first true road game of the season. The Seminoles' game against the Gophers is their third road game of the season but first on an opponents' home court.

SEMINOLES SHOOTING THE BALL WELL FROM THE FIELDFlorida State enters Tuesday night's game against Minnesota shooting .481 from the field through the first five games of the season. The Seminoles have shot better than .423 (against Texas A&M Corpus Christi) in each of their five games and finished with a season-high of .593 shooting percentage from the field against Shawnee State. Florida State shot better than 50 percent in seven different game and shot .438 from the field during the 2003-04 season. Florida State has made 14 more field goals than its opponents while taking 16 fewer shots from the field. With eight players on the roster having played in all five games, there are six different Seminoles shooting 50 percent or better from the field. Junior Diego Romero leads Florida State with a .682 shooting percentage.

SEMINOLES BEGINNING TO FIND TOUCH FROM FREE THROW LINE Florida State shot a season-high .760 from the free throw line against TCU and is beginning to find their individual touches from the free throw line. The Seminoles have made 23 of their last 33 (.696) free throws in the last two games. Entering Tuesday night's game against Minnesota, three Seminoles in the regular rotation (Isaiah Swann, Ralph Mims and Jason Rich) are shooting 80 percent or better from the field.

Ego74 · Nov 30, 2004

From the Minnesota Daily

Florida State comes to Williams Arena
Minnesota is viewing this game as a chance to get on track after two tough losses.

By Bob Wothe

innesota’s men’s basketball team plays Florida State on national television tonight.

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</CENTER>

Sarah Ause

Freshman forward Dan Coleman drives around St. Cloud State forward Steve Trull during the Gophers’ exhibition win Nov. 12 at Williams Arena. Minnesota plays host to Florida State today at 6:30 p.m.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: url(/include/custom_fieldset_images.php?bg_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:255;i:1;i:255;i:2;i:255;}&border_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:0;i:1;i:0;i:2;i:0;}&fieldset_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:204;i:1;i:204;i:2;i:153;}&image=vert_pipe_right) left center; WIDTH: 9px; HEIGHT: 82px; moz-background-clip: initial; moz-background-origin: initial; moz-background-inline-policy: initial" align=left></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND: url(/include/custom_fieldset_images.php?bg_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:255;i:1;i:255;i:2;i:255;}&border_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:0;i:1;i:0;i:2;i:0;}&fieldset_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:204;i:1;i:204;i:2;i:153;}&image=bot_left_corner) no-repeat center top; WIDTH: 9px; HEIGHT: 9px; moz-background-clip: initial; moz-background-origin: initial; moz-background-inline-policy: initial" vAlign=top align=right></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: url(/include/custom_fieldset_images.php?bg_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:255;i:1;i:255;i:2;i:255;}&border_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:0;i:1;i:0;i:2;i:0;}&fieldset_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:204;i:1;i:204;i:2;i:153;}&image=horz_pipe_bot) center top; WIDTH: auto; HEIGHT: 9px; moz-background-clip: initial; moz-background-origin: initial; moz-background-inline-policy: initial" vAlign=top></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: url(/include/custom_fieldset_images.php?bg_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:255;i:1;i:255;i:2;i:255;}&border_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:0;i:1;i:0;i:2;i:0;}&fieldset_color_array=a:3:{i:0;i:204;i:1;i:204;i:2;i:153;}&image=bot_right_corner) no-repeat center top; WIDTH: 9px; HEIGHT: 9px; moz-background-clip: initial; moz-background-origin: initial; moz-background-inline-policy: initial" vAlign=top align=left></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>But it’s a big game for different reasons. When the Gophers (2-2) take on the Seminoles (2-3) at 6:30 p.m. today at Williams Arena in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, coaches and players alike said, it’s vital to set the tone for the rest of the season.

“We’re coming off two tough losses,” senior captain Brent Lawson said. “We’re looking at it as a big game, because we’ve got to get back on track and show people what we’re all about.”

Those two tough losses came against Alabama and Oklahoma, and after Minnesota held early leads, it was unable to hold on in the Great Alaska Shootout.

Lawson said the team realizes that beating Florida State, which has also lost two straight games, is a major factor in determining how the team will play the rest of the year.

Florida State dropped games to Kent State and Texas Christian in last weekend’s Corpus Christi Caller-Times Challenge by scores of 69-59 and 71-70, respectively.

And although most Gophers are unaware of what the Seminoles will bring to the table, there does seem to be a consensus that the way they perform tonight will determine the entire season.

“I don’t really know much about Florida State — we just have to play tough defense and be smart with the ball,” said junior Vincent Grier, Minnesota’s leading scorer at 19 points per game. “It’s a big game, so we’ve got to play with a lot of intensity.”

Grier, who was named to the all-tournament team at the Great Alaska Shootout, will have to hope his team doesn’t get worn out by the Seminoles.

While the Gophers generally have only played an eight-man rotation, 11 Seminoles players average more than 15 minutes per game.

And yet, all of that doesn’t seem to matter to most Gophers — there’s a must-win attitude firmly etched in their minds.

“We were happy with how we played against Alabama, and we fought really hard,” Lawson said. “But we took a step back against Oklahoma, and we can’t let that happen again.”

And Gophers coach Dan Monson, with lagging attendance numbers hanging ominously over his head, said he realizes impressing the hometown crowd tonight is important.

“It’s our first home game versus a known quality opponent,” Monson said. “We started to play how we want to in Alaska, but nobody saw that. Tomorrow is a big game to set the tone for our fans and to show them how we’re going to play.”

trytrytry · Nov 30, 2004

Play Florida State in this one. should get + 3 1/2 at Skybook. Minnesota is a disaster ready to happen. Very little talent, poor defense, poor ball handling.

Ego74 · Nov 30, 2004

The Sports Network

DATE & TIME: Tuesday, November 30th, 7:30 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Williams Arena (14,625) -- Minneapolis, Minnesota. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: Florida State 2-1, Minnesota 1-0. Away Record: Florida State 0-0, Minnesota 0-0. Neutral Record: Florida State 0-2, Minnesota 1-2. Conference Record: Florida State 0-0, Minnesota 0-0. Series Record: Minnesota leads, 3-2.

GAME NOTES: In an attempt to put an end to their two-game losing streak, the Florida State Seminoles hit the road tonight and land in Minneapolis where they will contend with the Minnesota Golden Gophers as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge from Williams Arena. On Sunday night the Seminoles came up just short in a 71-70 decision against the Horned Frogs of TCU in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times Challenge. The loss was the second in a row for FSU, which last landed in the win column six days ago with an 88-65 victory over Shawnee State at home. As for the Golden Gophers, they too were competing on a neutral floor over the weekend, participating in the Great Alaska Shootout where they finished with a record of 1-2. On Saturday the squad was dealt a 67-54 loss by the Oklahoma Sooners after being tripped up by Alabama (78-72) the day before. The two wins for Minnesota so far this season have come against Lipscomb and Furman, both by double digits. With respect to the all- time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Gophers cling to a 3-2 advantage over Florida State thanks to a 76-71 win in the last meeting back in 2000. Although the Seminoles may not be one of them, when the national rankings were released on Monday the ACC placed a record-tying seven programs in the top-25, which should make for an interesting series of games in this annual event.

The Seminoles failed to have a single player score in double digits, with Alexander Johnson and Isaiah Swann checking in with nine points apiece in the loss to TCU on Sunday night. Florida State actually shot better from the floor (47.9 percent) than the Horned Frogs (39.3 percent) and won the battle of the boards, 39-32, but was done in by 22 turnovers. TCU, which committed 18 miscues, gave the 'Noles every chance to take the win, shooting a mere 16- of-27 at the free-throw line in the one-point decision. After five games Florida State doesn't have one member of the team averaging double-digit points, the closest of them being Diego Romero at 9.4 ppg. He's shooting 68.2 percent from the field, better than his 60.9 percent at the free-throw line at the moment. Johnson (6.8 ppg) is responsible for the top rebounding average with close to five and a half boards per contest.

Vincent Grier tallied 18 points, shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-5 at the charity stripe, but his effort was not nearly enough to keep the Golden Gophers from having their lowest scoring output of the season in the loss to Oklahoma over the weekend. Jeff Hagen contributed nine points as he struggled with foul trouble over his 19 minutes of action, while J'son Stamper added eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds in a reserve role. Minnesota made just 2-of-12 shots from behind the three-point line and had almost as many turnovers (19) as rebounds (27) in the setback. Grier remains the team's top scorer with 19.0 ppg, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and 83.9 percent at the charity stripe where he is getting close to eight chances per game. Although just a sophomore, Dan Coleman is accounting for 13.8 ppg and is shooting 41.7 percent beyond the arc. Hagen added 10.2 ppg and Stamper a team- best 4.5 rpg for a group that has been having trouble establishing a presence in the paint early on.

Neither one of these teams has been that impressive out of the gates in 2004-05, but someone needs to come out on the winning side of this decision. Minnesota might show some effects of its extensive travel over the last couple of days, but that shouldn't keep the Gophers from feeding off the hometown fans in front of a national television audience.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Minnesota 75, Florida State 66

Ego74 · Nov 30, 2004

probably a stay away game here. Maybe a slight edge to Minny in front of the home crowd. 2 very average teams, imo.

trytrytry · Nov 30, 2004

trytrytry said:
Play Florida State in this one. should get + 3 1/2 at Skybook. Minnesota is a disaster ready to happen. Very little talent, poor defense, poor ball handling.

what a train wreck that second half was for the Gophers :suomi: