From The Barn

Why eight wins gets the Gophers into the Dance

zipsofakron — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:19:12 +0000

It’s been an interesting road this year for the Gophers, to say the least (then again, is it ever any different?). Left for dead after Trevor Mbakwe’s torn ACL, the Gophers actually won six games in a row directly following his departure from the roster, including two wins over BCS conference teams in Virginia Tech [...] Related posts:

Gophers take care of business against Nebraska

zipsofakron — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:24:39 +0000

After an up-and-down week that saw the Gophers continue their mid-season turnaround against Illinois before throwing much of it away in a loss to Iowa, Minnesota rebounded to take home a road victory against Nebraska, walking away with a 69-61 victory in Lincoln. The Gophers came into the game desperately needing a victory to keep [...] Related posts:

Gophers first Big Ten game in Lincoln is a must win

JF — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:59:54 +0000

When the Golden Gophers lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes this week it wasn't a must-win game, and thank goodness for that. The Gophers won the middle twenty minutes of the game, but were absolutely dreadful in the opening and closing moments, and let what should have been a win slip away. Now with only eight games left on the conference schedule, the Gophers face the prospect of nearly every game being a true must win. Related posts:

Joel Maturi’s reign of error finally ends

JF — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:51:28 +0000

Months of breathless speculation and restrained hopefulness, Joel Maturi finally announced that he is stepping down as the University of Minnesota Athletic Director. Nearly ten years after he was hired in part to clean up the department after it was implicated in the academic fraud scandal that decimated the basketball program, he noted one of his greatest achievements was the lack of NCAA violations during his tenure. He did do that, but little else to benefit the university or the men's basketball program. Related posts:

Selfishness vs. Selflessness: The Gophers head to Iowa

JF — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:45:08 +0000

Minnesota beat Illinois, in part, because of unselfish basketball. Players made the extra pass, looked to get their teammates involved, and did not settle for poor shots. A couple of weeks ago, the Gophers lost to Iowa because they made the extra pass, deferred to their teammates, and would only settle for the "perfect" shot. Unselfishness is good, to a point, and at that point, every offense needs a player who will take charge and score on his own. Related posts:

Post-game thoughts, after the Gophers – Illini Insanity.

JF — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:07:46 +0000

Between consoling myself over another hard to believe lose from ahead loss and having flashbacks to Frank Williams knocking in a last second floater to end the Gophers NCAA tournament hopes, a Minnesota team was in a must win situation, and did win, in overtime no less. I can’t begin to explain all the twists [...] Related posts:

Gophers vs. Illini starts key three game stretch

JF — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:11:31 +0000

A big game on a cold January Saturday night. What could be better? This space is usually reserved for disclaimers that there is no such thing as a must win game in January and platitudes about how a season isn't over until it's over because of the automatic NCAA tournament bid awarded at the end of the Big Ten Tournament. Nope, I'm not going to do it this time. This is a must win. There is a road to a 6-5 conference record with what could be an absolutely monstrous match-up with the Badgers at The Barn on February 9th that could transform the rest of the season. Illinois is the entrance ramp, and if they miss it things get complicated. Related posts:

Gophers run into wall against Spartans

zipsofakron — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:40:39 +0000

Heading into East Lansing is a daunting task in itself; heading into East Lansing against a big, powerful, physical Michigan State team is even tougher. After turning their season around with three straight conference victories the Gophers saw their string of success end in a decisive loss to the Spartans. It’s hard to get on [...] Related posts:

Gophers streak into East Lansing with something to prove

JF — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:55:01 +0000

Welcome to the most important week of the 2011-2012 Golden Gopher basketball season. That I can use the word "important" and that there is even basketball worth watching at this point is in itself remarkable. Related posts:

Third straight has Gophers in thick of conference

zipsofakron — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:04:50 +0000

So this is what a winning streak feels like. The Gophers decimated the Northwestern Wildcats 75-52 on Sunday for their third straight conference win, putting them at 3-4 in the Big Ten and square in the middle of the conference race – marking the first time since about when Al Nolen went down with a [...] Related posts: