From The Barn

The Return of Trevor Mbakwe, and the best bigs in the Big Ten

JF — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:44:52 +0000

What’s nearly 21 feet tall, 739 pounds, and ready to wreak havoc on the oddly undersized Big Ten? This isn’t a joke in need of a punch line. The Gophers have the best front court in the Big Ten, and it isn’t even that close.

I try to avoid positive hyperbole as much as possible. I am a lifelong Gopher fan, so 22 years after my first Gopher basketball game I’ve learned to embrace my expectations that what can go wrong will go wrong. That attitude served me well last season, as what could have been the best front court in the conference a year ago disappeared in a cloud of suspensions and legal ambiguity. Royce White famously failed reputation resuscitation 101. Trevor Mbakwe, the local Marquette via Miami transfer, was accused of, and ultimately quasi-exonerated in an assault case, but couldn’t play until the case was resolved. In several pre-season publications, there was little debate that the best newcomer in the Big Ten would be a Gopher. They were just torn between White and Mbakwe. Last year featured many memorable moments, but inevitably will be remembered for what it wasn’t, and what was missing.

This year, we can focus on basketball!

Even without Trevor Mbakwe’s return, the Gophers were going to be a load in the front court. Ralph Sampson showed more flashes of pure brilliance, including dominating future NBA bust JaJuan Johnson. Colton Iverson was still rough around the edges and I wouldn’t argue with you if you called him either a brute or a banger, but that tenacity earned him three double digit scoring games in the Big Ten tournament. The additions of Elliott Eliason and Maurice Walker would have given the Gophers just enough depth to keep the Twin Towers on the floor together.

Mbakwe gives the Gophers even more: the fearless, hyper-athletic, tenacious rebounder that will keep physical defenders off of Iverson and taller or quicker defenders away from Sampson, allowing him to operate outside the paint where he seems to be more comfortable.

His mere presence on the court will make the Gophers better, and once he is on the court, he won’t be a slouch. His size and athletic ability should be enough for Dallas Lauderdale type numbers at worst. Realistically, he could average nearly a double-double. Scoring isn’t his strong suit, but three put backs, two free throws, and a basket in transition gets him into double figures.

On the inside a least, there isn’t a Big Ten team that can compete with the Gophers.

Purdue brings back JaJuan Johnson, who we already know can’t handle Sampson. Robbie Hummel will be back after another injury plagued season, but he is more of a very tall guard than the 6’8” forward that he is officially. Besides Hummel and Johnson, no Boilermaker forward averaged more than 1.5 points per game.

Ohio State brings back Lauderdale and brings in super-recruit Jared Sullinger who will be on his way to the NBA after a layover in Columbus. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, NBA bound big men at Ohio State rarely make much of an impact while on campus, as Kosta Koufas and BJ Mullens would kindly like to remind you.

Michigan State can at least compete with the Gophers down low, with Delvon Roe and Draymond Green. But Roe’s chronic injury problems knock him down a rung, and Green struggled last season to get his shot up against the much taller Gopher front line.

John Leuer and Keaton Nankinvil both return for the Badgers, but only Leuer is a presence inside on either end of the court, and like Hummel, it is his ability to draw shorter defenders that make him more dangerous.

The Mikes of Illinois, Davis and Tisdale, each averaged more than 10 points per game, but could also be horribly inconsistent. In their lone game against the Gophers, Tisdale scored six points on 10 shots, and Davis scored 10 points on 11 shots.

Then things get ugly. Northwestern doesn’t have any real post players. Michigan doesn’t return anyone taller than 6’6” and no recruits are taller than 6’9”. Other than Christian Watford, Indiana doesn’t have a forward or center who averaged more than 5 points or 4.1 rebounds per game. Iowa was decimated by transfers. Penn State has bodies, but no one would call David Jackson, Andrew Jones, and Bill Edwards a threatening threesome.

Tubby Smith has said he likes to run his offense inside out. Minnesota’s size, strength, and sheer numbers will give him every chance to establish that inside game. Even if the Gophers don’t end up having the best front court in the conference, it will be good to keep the defense honest. Something that Minnesota’s outside shooters are looking forward to doing.

Gophers head north for Canadian exhibition

zipsofakron — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:16:33 +0000

The Gophers embarked on a three-game Canadian exhibition on Thursday, trying their best to stay fresh over the summer months and providing fans with a glimpse into the upcoming season.

The team opened the tour against the University of British Columbia on Thursday and faced Trinity Western on Friday night, with both games resulting in victories. Minnesota faces the University of Victoria on Sunday at 5:00pm CT. Check out SportsCanadaTV on Sunday evening to see the live video feed.

As expected, the Gophers cruised against UBC, taking a 20-point lead into halftime and finishing off the Thunderbirds 80-62. Highlights included Devoe Joseph’s 18 points from the field and newcomer Mo Walker’s 12/10 double-double. Trevor Mbakwe just missed out on joining the double-double club, finishing with 10 points and nine boards.

The defense may have been the story of the game though, with the team holding UBC to 26.6% shooting for the game and throwing in eight blocks. The Gophers owned the rebounding advantage 61-43 and never let the Thunderbirds obtain any sort of game flow.

The exhibition allowed fans to get previews of several new Gophers. In addition to heralded additions Mbakwe and Walker, Tubby gave PT to new recruits Maverick Ahanmisi, Austin Hollins, and Elliott Eliason. Hollins impressed with eight points in 15 minutes, including going 2-2 from beyond the arc.

Against Trinity Western, the rust of the offseason was apparent as the Gophers shot 39% from the field while committing 22 turnovers. The defense again was impressive, forcing the Spartans into 28 turnovers and holding them to 38% shooting from the field. Minnesota scored 29 points off of turnovers.

Joseph again led the team in scoring, putting up 15 points off the bench and swiping five steals. Walker secured his second double-double in as many nights and Blake Hoffarber dropped 14 points behind 4-8 three-point shooting. Colton Iverson and Mbakwe also found themselves scoring in double figures, putting up 12 and 11 points, respectively. Trinity’s Jacob Doerksen, the reigning conference player of the year, led all scorers with 23 points.

Being that the trip is merely exhibition it’s difficult to put much, if any, emphasis on game results or performances. If anything, it was exciting to see on-court performances of the several Gopher newcomers and recruits.

Other notes:

The starting lineup for the UBC game was as follows: 1-Nolen, 2-Hoffarber, 3-Williams, 4-Iverson, 5-Sampson III; the Trinity Western game was: 1-Nolen, 2-Hoffarber, 3-Williams; 4-Mbakwe, 5-Iverson
Devoe Joseph donned jersey #34, his new, and Damian Johnson’s old number. Per DJ’s tweet: “My bro @devoejoe wearin #34 this year for the gophers i told him he can wear it if he promise 2 b an all big ten playa somethin i never did.” Joseph wore #34 during his high school days and went back to the number after the end of Johnson’s career. Frankly, seeing Joseph in a new number was odd-looking, especially since it appeared at first glance that Damian Johnson had merely lost a lot of offseason weight.

Your 2010-2011 Golden Gopher Basketball Schedule

JF — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:35:02 +0000

While the blogtacular summer vacation isn’t quite over (unlike some schools poor kids, I am waiting until after Labor Day “get to work”) the Gopher basketball schedule has been released and it can’t go without comment.

Things kick off as they always seem to, with a barrage of mid to low majors parading through The Barn, putting up a fight for a maybe a half, and then succumbing to talent, travel, the crowd, and everything else that separates the haves and the have-nots from each other. Tubby Smith doesn’t choose to bring any big name schools to The Barn again this year (Virginia is part of the Big Ten – ACC Challenge) although there are a few teams you may have heard of, if you’ve been paying attention.

Nov. 2 Tuesday Northeastern State (Exh) TBD Bigtennetwork.com
8 Monday Winona State (Exh) TBD Bigtennetwork.com
12 Friday Wofford College TBD Bigtennetwork.com
15 Monday Siena College TBD ESPNU
18‐21 Thur.‐Sun. Puerto Rico Tip‐off TBD TBD
18 Thursday Western Kentucky 6:30 p.m. None
19 Friday Hofstra/North Carolina 5/7:30 p.m. None/ESPNU
21 Sunday TBD TBD TBD
24 Wednesday North Dakota State TBD ESPN3
29 Monday Virginia* 6:00 p.m. ESPN2
Dec. 4 Saturday Cornell 7:00 p.m. Big Ten Network
8 Wednesday at St. Joseph’s TBD TBD
11 Saturday Eastern Kentucky Noon Big Ten Network
15 Wednesday Akron 7:30 p.m. Big Ten Network
23 Thursday South Dakota State TBD ESPN3

Winona State is a DII power house, Sienna is something of an NCAA tournament regular. Wofford pushed Wisconsin to the brink in March. Any chance to play UNC is exciting, and Cornell was a national darling, even though everyone who was anyone on that team graduated. St. Joes is the lone true road game, and I am envious of anyone who has a chance to visit The Palestra. Eastern Kentucky is coming off a 20 win season, and Akron had 24 wins. South Dakota State will be a bunch of scrappy, pale farm kids, but they’ll still put up a fight. No, there won’t be a showdown at Williams Arena against a nation powerhouse, but there also won’t be any home games against directional-state. Pick your battles and take baby steps schedule complainers.

The Big Ten season is a whole other ball of wax (the folksiness is just for you South Dakota!). The Big Ten should be one of the toughest conferences in the country again this season, with Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Purdue all expected to be in or around the top 10. And guess who the Gophers play four of their first five games games, and three on the road no less. If the Gophers are going to be special, we will know it right away. If they are merely good or average, we won’t find out about that until later. Don’t give up on them if they start the Big Ten 2-3. Following that tough stretch is a chance to win three in a row, with Iowa bad, DeShawn Simms and Manny Harris mercifully and finally gone from Michigan, and Northwestern always beatable (thank you Kevin Coble for giving up on basketball and Bill Carmody for your gimmicky ungoodness). The tour of Indiana could be tricky, as the Gophers lost both games last year and both Purdue and Indiana should be improved. Ohio State has a heralded freshman class, but Ohio States hasn’t won at The Barn since Greg Oden’s oldness patrolled the paint. The Gophers have found a way to beat Illinois since the streak ended. Iowa and Penn State should be positively awful. The Michigans come to town, and anything less than a split would be heartbreaking (mostly because the Gophers might suffer another nearly season killing blow with another home loss to the Wolverines). Northwestern and Penn State should give the Gophers some confidence heading into the post season.

28 Tuesday Wisconsin 6:00 p.m. ESPN2
31 Friday Michigan State 3:00 p.m. Big Ten Network
Jan. 4 Tuesday Indiana 6:00 p.m. ESPN2
9 Sunday Ohio State 1/3:00 p.m. Big Ten Network
13 Thursday Purdue 6:00 p.m. ESPN2
16 Sunday Iowa 5/6:00 p.m. Big Ten Network
22 Saturday Michigan 6:00 p.m. Big Ten Network
26 Wednesday Northwestern 7:30 p.m. Big Ten Network
29 Saturday Purdue Noon CBS
Feb. 2 Wednesday Indiana 5:30 p.m. Big Ten Network
6 Sunday Ohio State 1:00 p.m. ESPN
10 Thursday Illinois 8:00 p.m. ESPN/2
13 Sunday Iowa 5:00 p.m. Big Ten Network
17 Thursday Penn State 6:00 p.m. ESPN/2
22 Tuesday Michigan State 8:00 p.m. Big Ten Network
26 Saturday Michigan 3:30 p.m. Big Ten Network
Mar. 2/3** Wed./Thurs. Northwestern 7:30/8 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2/BTN
6 Sunday Penn State Noon Big Ten Network

If you are keeping track, and I know you are, every game in the continental US will be televised, and 8 will appear on some form of national television.

We’ll be back in a bit with a look at the upcoming season. The schedule release is not the event…

And if you are looking to kill the last week of Summer, and have some graphic design skills, please share those skills by designing a banner for the top of this site. I’ll be forever grateful, and you’ll get to tell all your friends that it is your creation that adorns an occasionally read blog about an occasionally newsworthy basketball team. What could be better than that?

Gopher Non-Con Schedule Announced

zipsofakron — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:51:33 +0000

The University finally announced its 2010-2011 non-conference schedule, showing a movement towards bringing higher-quality opponents to the Barn, something it has been averse to in past years.

Now, it’s not like the team has scheduled games with anybody like Kansas or Connecticut, but the overall quality (read: RPI) of teams has definitely improved from last year, with several teams coming to town who appeared in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The first official game against Wofford (RPI: 69) has a hometown connection, with several Minnesota natives playing on the team. Cameron Rundles and Jamar Diggs from DeLaSalle and Noah Dahlman from Braham are all major contributors and led the Terriers to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance last year.

The Gophers also scheduled Siena (RPI: 31) who went 27-6 last year and made the tournament as a #13 seed, Cornell (RPI: 46), who busted brackets last year on their way to the Sweet Sixteen and Akron (RPI: 89) who went 23-10 and just missed an invite to the tournament, losing the MAC championship in overtime.

Minnesota is also playing in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament in November. While their first game is against Western Kentucky, they have the chance at facing North Carolina in the second round of the tournament as well as the possibility of facing West Virginia or Vanderbilt further down the bracket.

While there isn’t any matchup that jumps off the schedule like last year’s Butler matchup, there are several games against solid teams that present opportunities to build the resume for tournament consideration further down the road. Wins against teams like Siena and Cornell go a long ways toward strengthening a team’s RPI and, while they may not make headlines with victories over the Saints or Big Red, those wins look very good on paper. We all saw the dividends that the Butler win paid last year and how much more wins over solid, yet unspectacular opponents like Texas A&M and Miami would have been.

Below is the 2010-2011 non-conference schedule. All games are at home with the exception of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off games and a game at St. Joseph’s to finish up a home-and-home agreement.

November

2nd – Northeastern State (Exhibition)

8th – Winona State (Exhibition)

12th – Wofford College

15th – Siena College

18th – Western Kentucky 6:30 p.m. (Puerto Rico Tip-Off)

19th – Hofstra/North Carolina 5/7:30 p.m. (Puerto Rico Tip-Off)

21st – Team TBD (Puerto Rico Tip-Off)

24th – North Dakota State

29th – Virginia (ACC/Big Ten Challenge)

December

4th – Cornell

8th – at St. Joseph’s

11th – Eastern Kentucky

15th – Akron

Summer Update

zipsofakron — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:18:46 +0000

Though the calendar keeps creeping towards June and next season is little more than an afterthought for most people, the Gopher basketball team continues to stay in the local, and national, headlines.

In a story that developed and ended quickly, sophomore point guard Justin Cobbs decided to transfer from Minnesota and enroll at the University of California. Cobbs, a native Californian, was unable to make a significant impact in his freshman year for the Gophers, which isn’t surprising considering the depth of last season’s team. With rumblings of Cory Joseph considering the Gophers, the presence of Al Nolen and Devoe Joseph’s rise to backup PG duty, Cobbs’ playing time was not slated to increase and he decided to pack up and go elsewhere.

It was hard to get a good read on Cobbs last season. He showed flashes of being able to contribute, but overall had trouble handling the high school/college transition and didn’t seem to be able to keep up. A highly touted recruit of Tubby’s 2010 class, I think people expected a bit too much of him and expected a greater immediate impact. It’s never good to see a recruit leave the program, and I don’t think it’s out of the question to have expected that Cobbs would be a solid contributor down the road had he stayed. Best of luck to him regardless.

The Trevor Mbakwe fiasco continues to swirl, with Myron Medcalf reporting that Mbakwe is seeking a release from his scholarship so he can possibly transfer to another school. Mbakwe is scheduled to go on trial in June for a felony assault charge that has been hung up in court for the better part of a year. Athletic Director Joel Maturi then came forward and said he would “consider” allowing Mbakwe to play if the trial is unresolved once the season gets underway, which is nearly a complete 180 from what Maturi’s line was last year.

Here at From the Barn we generally don’t like to get caught up in rumors, so for now I’ll just say that it would be a huge mistake for Mbakwe to transfer, not to mention a significant blow to the basketball program. He would lose another year of eligibility if he wanted to play Division I, and would likely have to settle for JUCO ball. Stay tuned on this one.

In recruiting news, Minnesota locked down 6’8″ forward Oto Osenieks, a Latvian-born, versatile player who can either post up or step back and shoot. Osenieks is expected to get some playing time right away.

From ESPN.com:

Oto has improved a lot in his time at Brehm Prep. He’s become a much more consistent shooter and can knock down college 3′s. Add this shooting ability to his 6-foot-8 frame and you can see why some high major programs were on him late in the game and why he signed with Minnesota. He’ll be a good pick ‘n pop player for the Gophers and he has nice upsided. He needs to add strength to his frame as he should see his time at the 4 postion and will need to be stronger in order to bang down low. Overall, an excellent combination of size and skill.

Keep those refresh buttons active. If the first two months of the offseason have been any indication, Gopher Nation could be in for a soap opera as the summer plays out.

Maurice Walker is a Gopher…

JF — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:21:04 +0000

or at least will be sometime Wednesday. It is being widely reported that the nearly seven foot tall, 300 pound center has verbally committed to the Gophers and will be sending in his letter of intent sometime on Wednesday, the first day of the late signing period.

Walker, the #9 ranked center in the class of 2010, should find a home under the basket, and also drifting out towards the three point line where he has a solid outside shot. The Gophers ran a lot of high pick and roll/pick and pop last season, and he seems to be the perfect player to continue this.

Click here to view the embedded video.

He is a great acquisition, especially this late in the season, and especially for a team dealing with some real depth issues in the post. He also happens to be Canadian, and a childhood friend of Devoe and Corey Joseph. When Tubby Smith was hired to coach the Gophers, we knew recruiting would improve, but who thought he would open a Canadian pipeline?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gopher Offseason Happenings

zipsofakron — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:45:54 +0000

The offseason is just a few weeks old and already the Gopher basketball team has a couple things to report.

First and foremost, Paul Carter has announced that he will be transferring from the U to be closer to his sister, who is battling cancer in Chicago. Carter has said he will consider the University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago State and DePaul in his decision to transfer. Appearing in 63 games (seven starts) for the Gophers during his career, Carter logged 15.5 minutes per game while averaging 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Carter emerged as a solid bench player this season in Minnesota’s run to the postseason but always seemed to be just a step or two from really being a forceful offensive player. He was able to create his own shot and get to the hoop, but was generally just unable to finish. Defensively, Carter was always in the mix and never short on intensity. Nevertheless, Carter’s contributions to the team will be missed next year as he moves on and his decision to be with his ailing sister cannot be overlooked. Here’s wishing Paul the best.

In other news, Trevor Mbakwe’s ongoing legal issue stemming from an alleged assault in Florida continues to fester. His trial date has now been pushed back to June 7, with a court hearing to be held May 26 to determine if the June 7th date is still feasible. In my opinion, the whole Mbakwe saga has been an exercise in showcasing just how ridiculous the United States’ justice system is, at least at the state level. Getting Mbakwe back on the court is a huge priority for the Gophers as they head to the 2010-2011 season. Mbakwe was supposed to be a major contributor to last season’s team and his absence was felt immensely on both sides of the ball. Having him back will give Minnesota a tremendous athletic boost.

The Anatomy of a Coaching Rumor

JF — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:25:24 +0000

Summer is silly season in politics, and if the last few days are any indication, spring has to be the silly season in college basketball. Tubby Smith will be coaching at either Auburn (wrong), Georgia Tech (which never even had an opening), or Oregon (if Tom Izzo doesn’t accept the richest contract in college basketball history first). Before the Tubby rumors began to fly, it was Bruce Pearl heading to Iowa and Ben Howland, for no apparent reason, leaving UCLA to coach a DePaul team that plays between runways in a borrowed stadium in the ex-urbs.

I’ll let others get out their tarot cards and crystal balls in the hope of sorting predicting which number the coaching carousel/roulette wheel will eventually land on. Instead, do what I do. Ignore it all and let things play out.

Naturally, there will be speculation about coaching changes this time of year. There are plenty of open coaching positions. All those positions will be filled in the next few weeks. Fans want to know what to expect next season. However, right now there is more heat than light, and what little light exists is surrounded by a thick fog of nonsense that makes it nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction and rumor from reality.

Like the political silly season, the college basketball season if fueled by, above all else, media boredom. There just isn’t much happening in the world of college basketball. Sure the final four gets started in a few days, but there are only three games of consequence left. On the average Saturday during the college basketball season there were 140 games. Stories abound during the height of the season. Stories about upsets, collapses, injuries, bubble teams, coaches on the hot seat, and conference championship races are ripe for the picking. Now, reporters can write about the few very early NBA entrants, something about Butler apparently being a small school from Indiana that plays in the same arena where the final scenes of Hoosiers were filmed, or they can spend all day on twitter commenting on every rumor on the Internet. Marcus Fuller of the Pioneer Press may be a much better reporter than a certain cross town rival, but he needs to lock up the lap top for a while. Exhibit A: “Tubby is laying low. Not talking to anybody. Wonder what that means? Calm before the storm maybe.” Exhibit B: “St. John’s is talking to Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt. If Hewitt leaves, then the Jackets will be hard for Tubby Smith to turn down.” Exhibit C, Parts 1 and 2: “Oregon T.V. station reports Tubby is not a candidate.” “Oregon offers job to Tubby.” :Exhibit D: “All this Tom Izzo-Oregon interest talk seems like a smokescreen. The Ducks are waiting for Tubby to decide if he wants the job or not.” Exhibit E: “I’m hearing that Tubby has to make a decision on Oregon in next couple days or Ducks are moving on, possibly to Butler’s Stevens “ Did you follow that logic? I’m pretty sure there wasn’t any to follow.

Bored reporters with nothing better to do start the rumors. Unfortunately there isn’t much to hold them in check. Schools looking to hire a coach will offer just about anyone with a big name, regardless of whether they have a realistic chance of hiring that program changing coach. I have no doubt that DePaul offered Ben Howland. I also have no doubt that Howland graciously declined, until he hung up the phone and laughed hysterically for several minutes. Ditto for Izzo to Oregon, Billy Donavan and Rick Pitino to St. John’s, and Tubby Smith to Auburn. By offering the power coach, the program making a hire can raise the spirits of alumni and fans and show that they are serious about winning. It also enables them to show that they made a real effort for a game changer, so when they hire that up and coming mid-major coach, they can at least say they tried. They can also blame the lack of the big hire on a lack of cash, and use the less than desirable hire as a fund raising mechanism. In short, don’t be surprised if a lot of these rumors begin with a jilted athletic department at the end of a failed courtship.

Colleges seeking coaches aren’t the only rumor originator and perpetuator. Opposing recruiters are thrilled when coaching uncertainty enters their arsenal, if only to raise a few lingering doubts and delay a decision. It may not be a successful strategy, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t used. The rumors likely would be much less if the Gophers weren’t still in the running for all-everything point guard Cory Joseph. Coincidentally, two of Joseph’s other suitors also face considerable coaching uncertainty. Jim Calhoun of Connecticut has missed several games over the last few years and it is uncertain how many years of coaching he has left. Jay Wright of Villanova has been linked to several open jobs including St. John’s and Oregon. Why wouldn’t a coach dealing with his own rumors blame another coach surrounded by rumors.

The last levy preventing the flood of coaching rumor craziness is the coaches themselves, but they are too often unwilling or simply unable to do anything about them. Rumors translate to leverage, and leverage is something every coach wants. The rumors surrounding Tubby Smith may lead to the expedited construction of a practice facility. Other coaches have secured raises and contract extensions from their employer to keep them from heading to greener pastures. Flat out denials don’t calm the chaos either. Tubby Smith has said he is perfectly happy where he is, just like he did last year when he didn’t leave, but that wasn’t good enough. Tom Izzo summed up the insanity of it all succinctly today, “”I’ve commented on (rumors), and it’s gotten me in trouble.I’ve not commented on them, and it’s gotten me in trouble.”

So what are you, the powerless fan, supposed to do when the rumors swirl in a great vortex of angst? I choose to believe the coach. I don’t believe them because I think coaches are incapable of dishonesty. I believe them because they are the most trustworthy option, more so than bored reporters, jilted athletic departments, or sleazy recruiters.

It’s A Wrap

zipsofakron — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:40:28 +0000

We laughed in disbelief, cried at Ed Hightower’s injustices, scratched our heads, threw pillows and even cheered wildly at times, but the roller coaster that was the 2009-10 season mercifully came to an end in a 65-54 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to the Xavier Musketeers.

The specifics of the game are pretty unimportant as the same stories that accompany most Gopher losses manifested themselves on Friday. Poor shooting, lack of rebounding presence, a suspect half-court offense and little intensity; the Gopher team that took down Penn State, Michigan State and Purdue in the Big Ten tournament did not show up in the Big Dance.

With the loss came the termination of an endlessly frustrating season – one that saw Minnesota begin the season ranked #16 in the nation with initial hopes of making a deep postseason run. Tubby Smith was returning most of his 2008-09 team, adding two ultra-talented players in Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe and the Gophers looked to be well-positioned to stay near the top of the conference for most of the season. Even when legal issues initially kept both recruits off the court the team looked talented enough to handle their absences, taking down Butler in the 66 Classic in a November holiday tournament.

Unfortunately the Butler win was arguably the peak of the season. From there the Gophers would lose three winnable games to Portland, Texas A&M and Miami, losses that would expose the team’s inability to finish close games and nearly put a nail the team’s at-large chances when all was said and done.

After going 9-3 in non-conference play, the Gophers started Big Ten play with two solid victories over conference doormats Penn State and Iowa. Even with an 11-point win over Ohio State (Evan Turner’s first game back from a broken vertebrae) losses to Purdue and Michigan State began to solidify Minnesota’s position as a tier 2 Big Ten team.

The situation became even more bleak when the Gophers dropped an inexcusable contest at Indiana before Al Nolen, perhaps the conference’s best lock-down defensive player, became academically ineligible. Suddenly, a season that had received so much hype and began with such promise had curdled into mediocrity.

With the exception of two ugly losses to Michigan, the Gophers held their own against the teams they should have beaten and even stole a game from the hated Badgers at home, helping propel a late season surge that put them in a position to make the NCAA Tournament. Defying all expectations, Minnesota put together a three-game run in the Big Ten tournament, taking down two nationally ranked teams in the process and securing an at-large berth in the Big Dance. What had seemed like a given in the beginning felt like a small victory in the end. Such was the 2009-10 season.

One of the ongoing annoyances of the season was the fact that Minnesota was in position to win eight of its 12 losses and even gave up double digit leads in a few games, most notably in home losses to Michigan State and Purdue. It wasn’t the fact that they lost, but it was how they lost. Poor execution down the stretch almost always marred Gopher losses and made the roller coaster season even more frustrating. Losing a close game on your own terms stings more than getting outplayed, and the Gophers oftentimes had trouble just overcoming themselves.

But while it’s easy to trash the team for often losing focus and not achieving expectations, it’s important to realize the adversity that this year’s squad had to overcome. It’s true that they returned several players from the previous season, but the loss of Al Nolen in the middle of the year was a huge blow. After his ineligibility the team’s defensive presence, their identity and calling card, was dealt a significant blow. Their full-court press was much less effective and Devoe Joseph, a natural shooting guard, was forced to step in and handle the play-calling duties. After Nolen’s benching, the 2009-10 Gophers were basically the 2008-09 Gophers without Al Nolen.

So let’s ask the question before pointing fingers. Who are the Gophers without Royce White, Trevor Mbakwe and Al Nolen? They certainly aren’t a top-20 team. They probably even aren’t a top-30 team. In fact, they are almost certainly a bubble team, much like the 08-09 team was. The only major difference was that the 09-10 team didn’t have their best defensive player and veteran starting point guard. I would argue that their 11th-seed, first round loss was pretty much what should have been expected considering the on-court product that was put together. Sure, expectations were high to begin, but they should have been modified after two big-time recruits didn’t show up and a solid veteran was put to pasture.

In a later post I plan to build on that argument and defend Tubby Smith in the wake of people demanding better performance, but for now I think it’s fair to say that, considering the off-court issues that happened this year, the 09-10 season should be viewed as a slight success.

Season notes/observations:

Yes he was the team’s leading scorer and yes he often was instrumental in keeping the Gophers in some games, but I am not sad to see Lawrence Westbrook move on. I’ll always be thankful for his game winning shot at Wisconsin in 2008, but the divisive, prima donna attitude and Superman impressions began to get old. Towards the end of this season it was actually refreshing to see him on the bench at times. This season he led the team in turnovers and field goals attempted and only had one more assist (75) than TOs (74).
Blake Hoffarber is back! After an awful sophomore slump, Hoffarber rebounded to become one of the team’s more dangerous scorers and was frequently recognized by the other team as a force to be reckoned with. While his stats didn’t reflect it in the final month of the season, Hoffarber received significant on-court attention from opposing teams, allowing the rest of the offense an opportunity to open up.
One of the biggest travesties of the season was Damian Johnson’s failure to be included in the Big Ten All-Defensive team. Not only did he lead the conference in steals, but he was a force down low, blocking 67 shots during the season. Unbelievable. Johnson was arguably the team MVP and, unlike Westbrook, will be sorely missed next season.
Devoe Joseph looked like he was in way over his head when he first took over for the ineligible Nolen, but after a few weeks running the offense, he began to take off. Scoring in double digits in eight of the final 12 games, Joseph began to look like the scorer that people expected him to be going into the season.
Invisible for much of the season, Colton Iverson unexpectedly reappeared in final two weeks to partially redeem himself, which begs the question: Did he figure it out? With an unimpressive final two games, the answer is still unclear and with someone like Elliott Eliason coming to town, Iverson needs to get his game in order sooner rather than later.
Ralph Sampson still has a ways to go before he can be considered a respectable Big Ten center. Unable to battle physically down low, he constantly had to settle for hook shots and 15 foot jumpers. In fact, it’s safe to say that Damian Johnson was twice the post player that Sampson was. The good news was that Sampson added size to his frame from his freshman year. The bad news was that he doesn’t know what to do with it.
Two newcomers, Rodney Williams and Justin Cobbs, didn’t make huge splashes, but also didn’t disappoint. With one year under his belt, Williams should see his playing time increase and will hopefully become a more-athletic version of Damian Johnson. Cobbs, on the other hand, might find extra PT hard to come by with Nolen and Joseph sharing time at the point. Cobbs made no indication that he was capable of handling Big Ten point guard duties in 09-10.

Xavier Preview Part 4: Putting it all together

JF — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:56:36 +0000

If you haven’t had enough previewing of tomorrow’s first round NCAA tournament game, why not a look at the keys to the game and a prediction?

Keys for the Gophers

1. Establish an inside presence. Ralph Sampson will need to be strong with the ball, and Colton Iverson will need to be strong with his body. Sampson has been very hit and miss over the last two weeks, and if he continues to give up bad turnovers, Xavier could end up looking a lot like Ohio State in the second half of the Big Ten championship game. Colton Iverson will need to move some bodies out of the post. He is the only Gopher who can match the mass of Xavier’s front court, and if doesn’t play physical, no one will.

2. Find looks for Blake Hoffarber. If Hoffarber is getting open looks, soon everyone will get open looks. Xavier will be reluctant to double the post. Lawrence Westbrook will have room to drive. Damian Johnson will inevitably be guarded by a weaker defender. If Hoffarber disappears, the Gophers could find themselves essentially playing four on five on both ends of the court.

3. Slow the game down. I was a big fan of Minnesota’s press and run style earlier in the season, but after the loss of Al Nolen, the personnel just aren’t there. Instead, the Gophers have been running down the shot clock and have relied on excellent shooting. Xavier will want to pick up the pace and get the Gophers to run. To follow the Musketeers’ lead would be a mistake. A slow game is out of Xavier’s comfort zone (they average four more possessions per game than the Gophers) and a slow game should lead to some frustration.

Keys for the Musketeers

1. Shoot the Gophers out of the zone. Xavier makes just over 37% of their three point attempts. If they don’t shoot better than that from the outside, the Gophers will be content to pack in the zone, cut down on driving lanes, and take their chances. If Xavier can shoot closer to 45%, the Gophers will be forced to change their defensive strategy. If that happens, not only will driving be that much easier, but Xavier’s big bodies should have plenty of room to operate. Remember when the Gophers played Michigan, and DeShawn Sims was guarded one on one and Manny Harris had all the room in the world to get to the basket? I thought so.

2. Get Damian Johnson in foul trouble. The most underrated defender in the country will have his hands full, and will most likely get Jordan Crawford as his assignment. This could be a good match-up for the Gophers as long as Johnson stays on the floor. He is susceptible to fouls, especially of the cheap variety. If Johnson is in foul trouble, the Gophers will either have to put a much shorter quick player on Crawford, most likely Lawrence Westbrook, or will have to go with size but not necessarily speed, Paul Carter. Johnson may also be the most important cog in the Gopher offense with his passing ability. If he is on the bench, the Gophers are in trouble.

3. Get Crawford going. It goes without saying that a team’s success is dependent on the success of their leading scorer. This is especially the case for a team like Xavier in which the leading scorer shoots more than one third of his teams shots. Crawford won’t stop shooting, even if his shots aren’t falling, and that could potentially be a lot of missed shots. There also aren’t other Xavier players accustomed to picking up the scoring slack.

Prediction:

This game could obviously go either way, and the match-ups will be intriguing. Ultimately, this game will come down to who these teams have played lately. Xavier has been playing well lately, but against inferior competition. The Big Ten conference season has prepared the Gophers better than the Atlantic 10 has for Xavier. Xavier may think they play physical, but they haven’t met Colton Iverson’s elbows. They also haven’t faced a team with the Gophers’ depth all season. Better experience and more bodies will be the difference in a grinder, with the Gophers winning 63-59.