Sunday, November 16th, 7:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Williams Arena (14,625) -- Minneapolis, Minnesota. Television: None. Home Record: Georgia State 0-0, Minnesota 2-0. Away Record: Georgia State 0-0, Minnesota 0-0. Neutral Record: Georgia State 1-1, Minnesota 0-0. Conference Record: Georgia State 0-0, Minnesota 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Georgia State Panthers continue play as part of the NABC Classic. Georgia State was pushed to the limit by little known Concordia-St. Paul last night, but the Panthers managed to escape with a 67-63 victory. The win evened the team's record at 1-1, as it lost to Bowling Green on Friday by a 77-76 final. Georgia State is led by second-year head coach Rod Barnes, who is confident that his team is much deeper and more talented than a year ago. The Panthers finished just 9-21 in 2007-08, including a 5-13 mark against Colonial Athletic Association opposition. As for Minnesota, it has captured back-to-back victories to open the season. After crushing Concordia-St. Paul by a 76-51 final on Friday, the Golden Gophers got past Bowling Green last night, 68-61. Tubby Smith led the club to a 20-14 record last season, but the three top scorers from that squad are gone. This game marks the first-ever meeting between the Panthers and the Gophers on the hardwood.

Last night, Georgia State shot just 3-of-15 from three-point range against Concordia-St. Paul. Fortunately, the Panthers earned a 41-32 rebounding advantage and an 18-12 edge in points from the foul line. Their 18-9 edge on the offensive glass clearly played a major role in the triumph. Four players reached double figures in scoring in the triumph. Chris Echols led the way off the bench with 18 points, and Leonard Mendez tallied 12 points. Both Joe Dukes and Bernard Rimmer finished with 11 points for the Panthers. Mendez is the top returnee on the Georgia State roster, as he earned Third Team All-CAA honors a year ago and preseason first team honors this year. Mendez scored 16.0 ppg in 2007-08 thanks to his solid three-point shooting. In Friday's season opener versus Bowling Green, Mendez scored 15 points, but he was outscored by Dukes who led the Panthers with 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Strong defense was key to last night's win over Bowling Green, as Minnesota blocked a program-record 17 shots. Freshman center Colton Iverson blocked four shots in the game's first 11 minutes, setting the tone. The Gophers held the Falcons to 8-of-30 shooting from the floor in the first half and led by 14 points at intermission. Lawrence Westbrook was outstanding in the win, as he scored 20 points in 25 minutes of action. Jamal Abu-Shamala pitched in 10 points off the bench. Point guard Al Nolen, who dished out nine assists and recorded five steals against Bowling Green, led the way in the season-opening win over Concordia-St. Paul with 17 points and six assists. He also pulled down six rebounds and recorded a pair of steals. Westbrook added 13 points for Minnesota, which got 12 rebounds from guard Blake Hoffarber in that clash.

Georgia State is certainly capable of winning this game on the road. Give a narrow edge to Minnesota, but don't be surprised if the Panthers finish on top.

Predicted Outcome

Minnesota 68, Georgia State 65