The Minnesota men’s basketball team again took advantage of an early season matchup against a top opponent, upsetting No. 8 North Carolina, 72-67, in the semifinals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Thursday night.

The Gophers (4-0) will face West Virginia (3-0) in the finals on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

Senior guard Blake Hoffarber led all scorers with 20 points, including timely three-pointers, although he shot just 6-for-15 for the game. Junior transfer Trevor Mbakwe and junior center Ralph Sampson both poured in 12 points while grabbing a combined 15 rebounds.

Minnesota used a strong defensive performance to hold the Tar Heels to just 36.9 percent shooting. The biggest contributor to the low North Carolina’s low field goal percentage was touted freshman Harrison Barnes who went 0-for-12 from the field and scored just six points.

The win will likely result in Minnesota being ranked nationally when the Associated Press announces its updated rankings on Monday, but the game revealed more about the Tar Heels problems than the Gophers status among the elite. Despite forcing 19 turnovers, North Carolina could not make a timely shot.

Still, the Gophers played well enough to win and never trailed in the second half after taking a 27-24 lead into the break.

In each of the last three seasons, the Gophers have upset a top-12 opponent before the conference season began. In 2009, the Gophers upset No. 9 Louisville, and they beat No. 12 Butler in the 76 Classic a season ago.

Minnesota will have Saturday off before playing the Mountaineers, who beat Vanderbilt 74-71 on Friday.