Minnesota (9-2) returns to the hardwood on Friday night after a nine-day layoff. The Gophers were on a three-game winning streak before breaking for finals.
Friday's opponent is the North Carolina A&T Aggies out of the Mid-Eastern Conference. The Aggies are 4-7 on the season. They had won two games in a row before falling in Blacksburg on Wednesday night to Virginia Tech by the score of 82-60.
The Aggies do not have what one would call a quality win, but they are battle tested and shouldn't shrink under the bright lights of a Big Ten contest. Although all were losses, they already have faced Maryland, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Marshall, and UNC-Greensboro who are the defending Southern Conference champions.
Among the big boys, the Aggies losses were by 12 to Wake Forest, 23 to Maryland, and 22 to Virginia Tech.
A&T's scores may not look like that of a strong team, but this is a dynamic offensive team whose statistics compare favorably with just about any other team that Minnesota will face. Defensively though, their effectiveness is a polar opposite.
Offensively, A&T offers a plethora of different looks on the offensive end. They will run four and five-out motion that is guard centric and features the posts as screeners. Despite the record, this is a backcourt that can put the ball in the bucket from a number of ways.
They will also run some sets that are quick hitters with the intention of the bigs setting screens to once again get the perimeter players looks. Expect all types of different sets and alignments to see what works.
On the season, the Aggies average 71.4 points per game. They shoot an impressive 47 percent from the field, and 39.5 percent from 3-point territory, which are good for 95th and 23rd place in the country respectively. They also get to the line 17 times per game for a 66.7 percent clip. They turn the ball over 13.4 times per game compared to 14.6 assists. 146 of their 257 made baskets this season has come via the assist.
Terry Harris the team's leading scorer at 12.3 points per game. The 6-foot-6 redshirt senior is a transfer from Eastern Michigan. He is shooting 50 percent from the field as well as 51.9 percent from deep. He has only been to the line eighteen times in ten games. Obviously, in quality and quantity his strength is from deep. 54 of his 80 field goal attempts have been 3-pointers.
Quavious Copeland is another transfer. He came from A&T by way of MTSU. The 6-foot-1 junior is second on the team in scoring at 11.3. Like Harris, the bulk of his action has been from the 3-point territory. 55 of his 92 shots have been threes. He has made 21 for 38.2 percent. He also rarely gets to the foul line. When he does he converts at a 93 percent rate. Make no mistake, Harris and Copeland will get more shots than anybody else on the team.
Milik Gantz averages 7.6 points per game. The 6-foot-3 guard is more of a penetrator among the top three perimeter players. Gantz shoots a healthy 54.4 percent from the field, and 38.9 percent from behind the arc. He will shoot almost three shots inside the arc for every one behind the arc. Gantz has also only been to the line nine times in ten games.
Ibrahim Sylla is the team's top post player. He is another transfer from Northern Colorado. At 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, he leads the team in rebounds at 4.7 per game. He also averages 7.5 points per game as well. All 52 of his shots have been 2-pointers. Sylla is a woeful foul shooter, only making 38.2 percent.
Kameron Langley is the team's other starter. The 6-foot-2 guard averages 5.6 points per game. He is a pure penetrator who is not a 3-point shooting threat. He leads the team in assists, and his assist to turnover rate in tremendous at 67 to 24.
Aaron Emead, Amari Hamilton, and Andre Jackson are three guards who come off the bench. Emead averages 4.7 points and can score both inside and out. Half of his shots are 3-pointers. Hamilton averages 5.3 points. The 6-foot-1 shot selection is much like Emead's, but his 3-point shooting average is roughly 20 percent lower. Jackson averages 4.4 points. His shooting percentages in both inside and outside the arc are in the thirties.
Ronald Jackson is a 6-foot-8 forward who will be the first post off the bench. He averages 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds. Tyrone Lyons rounds out the ten man rotation who will get time. At 6-foot-6, he provides both play on the perimeter and inside. Anytime he has the ball outside, he will mostly a threat to penetrate. The junior averages 3.7 points per game.
Defensively, the Aggies will run a number of different types as well. They will run mostly three different types of zone. Expect to see a 2-3 as well as a 1-2-2 which looks like a 3-2, but the top or point man will take the point guard. They will also show a 1-2-2 matchup zone in which defenders change spots almost like a man. It is very reminiscent of what North Florida ran. They will also sprinkle in a 1-2-2 three-quarters zone press.
The bottom line is the Aggies struggle much more on the defensive end. In fact, they are one of the worst defending teams in the country. They give up 77.7 points per game which puts them at 290th nationally. Opponents shoot 44.9 percent from the field, and 35.1 percent from deep. They are also getting outrebounded by almost seven per game. Virginia Tech came away with a 42-20 advantage Wednesday night. Expect Minnesota to hurt them in that category.
Minnesota is a -22.5 point favorite and the over/under is 144.5.