MINNEAPOLIS-Monday, Utah men’s basketball goes on the road for the first time this season to face fellow Power 5 conference foe Minnesota at Williams Arena.
The Utes lead the all-time series against the Golden Gophers of the Big Ten Conference, 2-1 and meet them for the first time since 2003.
Minnesota comes in as an 8-point favorite and is 1-0 on the season, as are the Utes, after a 104-76 rout of the Omaha Mavericks of the Summit League November 6.
In this win, the Golden Gophers shot 39-62 (62.9 percent) from the field and star forward Amir Coffey posted 18 points on 5-7 from the field and 8-8 at the foul line.
While Minnesota was 15-17 in 2017-18, and 4-14 in Big Ten play, the Golden Gophers were 11-6 at home last season.
Perhaps because of their home-court advantage and the relative mystery swirling about the Utes, the Las Vegas oddsmakers have made Minnesota an 8-point favorite this evening.
The Utes’ 75-61 win over Maine November 8 at the Huntsman Center saw head coach Larry Krystkowiak’s squad out-rebound the Black Bears 42-26 while out-scoring Maine 13-3 on second-chance opportunities.
Utah will return to the Huntsman Center November 15 to face the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at 6:00 pm
