The Gophers got off on the right foot Friday, cruising to a 92-77 victory over USC Upstate. The Spartans held on for quite a while thanks to some ridiculous three-point shooting, but in the end the Gophers pulled away with superior physicality and depth.
Minnesota typically has a few ramp-up games to begin the year before they face a tough opponent, but this year is a little different. They head east for their first of two true non-conference road games (the other is against Arkansas in December) against a good Providence Friars team that made it to the NCAA Tournament last year.