Gophers men's basketball vs. Bethune-Cookman: Preview, broadcast info and analysis

Gophers vs. Bethune-Cookman: 7 p.m. Monday at Williams Arena

Line: Gophers by 17½

Streaming; radio: Big Ten Plus; 103.5 FM

Pregame reading: Gophers big man Pharrel Payne transformed himself from a high school benchwarmer to a player with NBA dreams. He nearly quit basketball in high school before going through a growth spurt and finally finding his passion for the game.

Listen: Marcus Fuller joined Michael Rand to talk Gophers basketball on the "Daily Delivery" podcast.

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Opening bell: Bethune-Cookman is first on a seemingly favorable early schedule for third-year coach Ben Johnson, with 10 of 11 nonconference games at Williams Arena. The Wildcats, who went 12-20 last season, are predicted to finish ninth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The last time the U faced a historically Black college or university opponent was in an 86-67 win vs. North Carolina A&T in 2018.

Watch him: Johnson's new backcourt will be tested right out of the gate with Bethune-Cookman guard Zion Harmon, who was named SWAC freshman of the year last season. The 6-foot Maryland native averaged a team-best 13.7 points, which included 29 points vs. Florida A&M and 36 points vs. Southern. A four-star, top 100 recruit in high school, Harmon committed to Western Kentucky after having offers from Kansas and Maryland, but he left the Hilltoppers' program for personal reasons last January.

Injuries: For the Gophers, sophomore center Pharrel Payne (minor injury) and freshman guard Cam Christie (illness) are day to day in recovery.

Forecast: The Gophers haven't lost a season opener at home since falling to Ball State in overtime in 1988. But it's not just if they'll win against Bethune-Cookman. It's more how they look. Preseason All-Big Ten forward Dawson Garcia talked about his leadership needing to set the tone. It starts with Garcia making a statement with not just scoring but defense and rebounding, especially with Payne slowly getting back to 100% healthy.

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