Gophers To Host Miami Nov. 29 In ACC/Big Ten Challenge

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The University of Minnesota men's basketball team will host Miami on Nov. 29 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The dates for the match-ups between the two leagues were announced Monday. The game time has not yet been announced. The Hurricanes will come to Williams Arena and will likely be ranked in the top 25 to start the season.

The Gophers are also expected to be ranked entering Richard Pitino's fifth season after one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball last year. After going 8-23 two years ago, the Gophers finished 24-10 last year and were a No. 5 seed for the NCAA Tournament, the first appearance in Pitino's tenure. Minnesota finished fourth in the Big Ten with an 11-7 mark.

The Gophers return everybody who played significant minutes last year, with the exception of guard Akeem Springs. They'll be led by First-Team All-Big Ten guard Nate Mason, Third-Team All-Big Ten forward Jordan Murphy and Defensive Player of the Year Reggie Lynch as well as Amir Coffey, who was selected to the All-Freshman Team.

The Gophers are also expecting significant contributions from incoming freshmen Isaiah Washington and Jamir Harris, and Davonte Fitzgerald returns after an ACL injury before the start of last season.

Miami was also an NCAA Tournament team last year and lost to Michigan State in the opening round.

Other match-ups on Nov. 29 include Duke at Indiana, Boston College at Nebraska, Michigan at North Carolina, Penn State at N.C. State and Clemson at Ohio State.