NCAAB Game Preview - Western Carolina at Minnesota

Sun Nov 19, 2017 4:30 PM EST

MINNEAPOLIS -- Returning five starters from last year's NCAA Tournament team has allowed Minnesota to get off to a quick start.

Even with highly touted recruit Isaiah Washington coming off the bench, the five starters are overwhelming assets for the 14th-ranked Gophers (3-0).

"I told the starting five ... 'if you guys can be so rock solid like you were at Providence College, we'll be able to deal with the bench not always being great,'" Minnesota coach Richard Pitino told the St. Paul Pioneer Press this week.

In their strongest test to this point in the season, the Gophers pulled away for an 86-74 win at Providence. The win propelled Minnesota ahead one spot in the Associated Press top 25 after beginning the season at No. 15.

It's the first time the Gophers have been ranked since 2009 and their highest ranking since 1993-94 when they were 10th entering the season.

Western Carolina (1-2) comes to Minnesota on Sunday for its second game of the season against a ranked opponent. The Catamounts lost 102-51 to No. 12 Cincinnati on Monday.

Minnesota and Western Carolina met just three years ago, with the Gophers taking an 84-64 home win. This year's Gophers squad is much different from then.

All five returning starters are averaging double figures in points per game.

Center Reggie Lynch leads the country with 5.7 blocks per game and forward Jordan Murphy was named Big Ten Player of the Week after leading the team with 25.3 points and 13.3 rebounds. He leads the nation with three double-doubles as of Nov. 17.

Lynch is averaging 15.0 points per game followed by the backcourt of Nate Mason (14.3 points per game), Amir Coffey (13.7) and Dupree McBrayer (10.0).

"Every time we're on the court, we've got five guys that are a threat to score," Mason told the Pioneer Press. "It's going to be hard to just contain one person. If one person isn't having a good day, another person can have a good day. It's going to be hard to stop us."

Keeping up with the Gophers could be tough for Western Carolina.

Freshman guard Matt Halvorsen leads the Catamounts with 9.7 points per game. Senior guard Devin Peterson is averaging 9.0 points per game and a team-high 3.0 assists per game.

Halvorsen had 15 points at Cincinnati and Peterson had 11 points, hitting three 3-pointers, in Western Carolina's first win of the season on Wednesday against Hiwassee, 76-57. Halvorsen has seven 3s in the first three games.

Junior forward Marc Gosselin is coming off a double-double against Hiwassee with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Catamounts coach Larry Hunter is eighth among active Division I coaches in career wins. He has 690, with Michigan's John Beilein ahead of him at 694.

With Lynch leading the way, Minnesota can clamp down defensively too.

Against Niagara, Lynch had 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and nine blocks.

"He surprises guys by blocking jump shots," Pitino told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "They don't see it coming, because he's kind of got that quick burst."

Murphy has added three blocks this season.