Gophers men’s and women’s basketball host opening-night doubleheader

Both Gophers basketball teams will open their seasons Monday with a doubleheader at The Barn by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. The women’s team tips off against Harvard at 5:00 p.m., followed by the men’s matchup against the University of North Dakota at 8:00 p.m. Student tickets for both games are free, and regular ticket-holders can attend both games. Women’s basketball With a new-look roster this season, the No. 17 Gophers women s team enters the opener seeking to maintain its national ranking and push for an NCAA tournament spot. However, the team faces early adversity following star guard Tori McKinney’s season-ending knee injury during practice weeks before the opener. Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit praised McKinney s impact while emphasizing the areas where the rest of the team must step up in her absence. “Tori was somebody who could make up a lot of things, could make us probably better in a lot of ways, Plitzuweit said. “We have got to be really good on the ball, off the