Pair of One-Loss Teams Square Off Tuesday between A&M-Corpus Christi, Minnesota

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MINNEAPOLIS – The eight-game winning-streak for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program will be put to the test Tuesday when it travels to Minnesota for a 7 p.m. tip at Williams Arena on the Big Ten Network.
 
With a 9-1 record, the Islanders are off to their best start in program history. With one more victory, they will have doubled last season's win total.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi used a big second half to beat Omaha 87-73 on the road on Saturday.  It trailed by one at the intermission when it shot 17-of-29 (.586) and pulled away with about six minutes left in the second half.
 
Junior Isaac Mushila ranks eighth in the nation in both free throw attempts and free throws made, and is ninth in field goal percentage (.649). He averages 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per outing and has four double-doubles on the year.
 
Along with Mushila, junior Trevian Tennyson averages in double-figures with 10.6 points per game. He's coming off an 18-point outing against Omaha which matched his season-high. Tennyson has hit a three-pointer in every game this year.
 
Senior Simeon Fryer averages 9.9 points per game and is shooting .471 (16-34) from three-point range. He has more-than doubled his three-point percentage from last year (.224).
 
Junior Terrion Murdix ranks second in the Southland Conference in both assists (4.0 apg) and assist:turnover ratio (2.0). He's coming off a career-high 19 points in a win at Omaha.
 
Minnesota (8-1) is 1-1 in Big Ten play with a 75-67 loss to Michigan State and a 75-65 win over Michigan. The Golden Gophers have notable non-conference wins over Pittsburgh and Mississippi State.
 
Minnesota has primarily used a seven-man rotation. Jamison Battle leads the team with 18.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while Payton Willis averages 16.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing.
 
Something will have to give Tuesday as the Islanders rank 10th in the nation in turnovers forced per game (18.80) but Minnesota is fifth in the country in fewest turnovers. The Golden Gophers had zero turnovers in the first half against Michigan and just four in the game.
 
NOTES
- It will be just the second-ever meeting between A&M-Corpus Christi and Minnesota. The Golden Gophers took the first one 65-44 in 2013-14.
 
- The Islanders are seeking their first win over a Power Five institution since 2009-10 when they beat Oregon State 67-43. They have never beaten a Big Ten program; the most notable matchup was the 2007 NCAA Tournament when the 15th-seeded Islanders led 24-7 with 5:29 left in the first half and 27-19 at the intermission. Though, the Badgers came back to take a 76-63 decision.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi ranks 12th in the country in free throw attempts, 14th in free throws made, 17th in total steals and 23rd in steals per game.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi is receiving 29 votes in the CollegeInsider Mid Major Top-25 Poll.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi, which leads the league in scoring with 82.2 points per game, has seven student-athletes who score at least 7.2 points per game. The Islanders also rank first in the SLC in field goal percentage (.484) and assists (16.9 apg).
 
- The Islanders have outscored the opposition in fast break points in all 10 games. The team is 8-0 when it outscores the opposition off the bench and scored 50 bench points Saturday at Omaha.
 
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