GOPHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY

Gophers vs. Missouri: 8 p.m. Thursday at Williams Arena · Today's line: Missouri by 2.5

TV; radio: BTN; 100.3-FM

For the fans: The first 100 students at the game will receive a free ticket and a free chicken sandwich or nugget coupon at Chick-fil-A.

Pregame reading: Freshman guard Cam Christie had the Gophers' best debut by a true freshman since Kris Humphries in 2003 in last week's win vs. UTSA.

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Marcus Fuller's preview:

Opening bell: The competition jumps up Thursday for the Gophers (2-0) against Missouri (2-1), which made the NCAA tournament and finished tied for fourth in the SEC last season. The Tigers fell 70-55 to Memphis last week, but their four-guard lineup scored 101 points in the opener vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Gophers lit it up as well with 14 three-pointers in a 102-76 win last Friday vs. Texas San Antonio, their first 100-point game since 2020.

Watch him: Tigers senior guard Sean East II has seen a significant improvement so far from last season going from 7.3 to 18.3 points per game. East is shooting 74% from the field and 60% from three. Gophers junior Isaiah Ihnen missed two seasons with knee injuries, but scored 20 points on 7-for-7 shooting (5-for-5 from three) last Friday.

Injuries: Gophers big man Pharrel Payne (foot) missed the UTSA game, but he's day-to-day heading into Thursday's matchup. Missouri guard Kaleb Brown (bruised shin) is also a game-time decision.

Forecast: Dawson Garcia is off to an impressive start to the season for the Gophers after winning his first Big Ten player of the week award. But they are far from a one-man show. The bench combined for 37 points last week. That depth could be a deciding factor Thursday in the U's first big test vs. Mizzou.

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