C. Michigan pays visit to Minnesota

Central Michigan (4-0) vs. Minnesota (1-3)

Williams Arena, Minneapolis; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota goes up against Central Michigan in an early season matchup. Central Michigan easily beat Siena Heights by 57 at home on Monday, while Minnesota fell to Utah on the road on Friday, 73-69.

FABULOUS FRESHMEN: Minnesota's Daniel Oturu, Marcus Carr and Gabe Kalscheur have combined to account for 63 percent of all Golden Gophers scoring this season.

CREATING OFFENSE: Carr has made or assisted on 47 percent of all Minnesota field goals over the last three games. The sophomore guard has accounted for 13 field goals and 19 assists in those games.

ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Chippewas have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Golden Gophers. Minnesota has 34 assists on 68 field goals (50 percent) over its past three outings while Central Michigan has assists on 57 of 112 field goals (50.9 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The Central Michigan offense has recorded a turnover on only 9.9 percent of its possessions, which is the second-lowest rate in the nation. The Minnesota defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 18.3 percent of all possessions (ranked 266th among Division I teams).