2008-2009 Gophers

[koonie]

Pretty good first half. I like our chances. Keep up the defensive intensity and keep hitting shots.

[Scott M]

End of the first half, Gophs by 5. Momentum killer at the break with a tip shot turned run out dunk. Gophers looking decent, but if they lose this one they know they left a lot of points on the table. Lots of missed gimmes in the paint.

Still, you have to be happy with the effort. Travis Busch came to play...the kid is 100 times the player he was last year or any year before that. Tons of confidence.

[CrappiesNCats]

DOMINATION!!!!!!!

we took it to a very good team. now no letdowns.

gophs will be a force

[Scott M]

Best win in years. Nolen, Hoff, and Busch really had a great game. Travis Busch is making great strides. Westbrook had his worst game and stepped on the lines twice in the last 2 minutes...never really had his head in the game.

Anybody else notice that Louisville has to be the most tattooed team in the country?

I would expect to see the Gophs in the top 25 in the next poll. RealtimeRPI scores the Gophs as 16th in RPI...that will change when the conference season starts and teams start beating up on each other, but their nonconference schedule will have included some teams that will be in the running for their respective conference titles.

Louisville is a team known for defense but you saw that Minnesota was playing the best defense on the floor. They may be playing some of the best defense in the country right now, and I think they've suited their defense to fit their kids.

Louisville had a forgettable game where they didn't seem engaged. They should win the Big East and make a serious Final Four run before its all said and done.

[Dotch]

Great game to watch in the middle of a wintery blast! Was glad to see them hang on and as the graphic said, get their first win over a Top 10 team since 2000 when they beat a #9 Indiana squad. D was awesome, they didn't buckle under pressure at the end ala the Monson era and clutch free throws down the stretch put it away for them. Was the travel too much for Louisville causing them to be jetlagged? Hard to say and Pitino got his fair share of calls and non-calls to help even some of that out. Doesn't matter, it's still a big W for the Gophers and they remain unbeaten!

[Scott M]

As expected, Gophers roll in at #23 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and the AP Poll. First time they've been ranked in 6 years.

[Scott K]

With another WIN last night! Although there will be a couple tough games to start the Big Ten.

[Scott M]

I think you'll see that SE Louisiana team on the bubble. There are some nice athletes on that squad. Nice win at home without the usual home crowd. My wife works on campus and I told her two weeks ago to get tickets for the Spartan game on New Years Eve. Well, she waited too long. Sold out. Better snatch up any ticket opportunities from here on out because they will be going fast. Nolen and Busch are really amazing me right now. Everybody's chipping in. This is what I was hoping last year's squad could be, but they ended up being a player or two away. What a difference a year makes.

[Scott M]

Dogfight at the break. MSU 30, MN 29. Gophers have had to narrow MSU's lead on three seperate occasions...they can't be doing that in the second half. Take control and be the aggressor. Gotta defend your homecourt because the conference is deep this year. Home winners will dance.

[Scott M]

Final Score 70-58, Michigan State wins. Gophers get beat up losing a 49-27 fight on the glass, including giving up 23 offensive rebounds. Kalin Lucas really hurts the Maroon and Gold by finishing with 24 points on 9 of 18 shooting.

I expect Michigan State to be a Sweet Sixteen team and the conference champion, but at the same time you don't want to start your season off 0-2, especially at home. Gotta beat Ohio State on Saturday. The season isn't over, it just started. This is the kind of adversity that last year's team couldn't overcome, hopefully this is a different team. Sampson and Iverson will be beasts when they learn to bang Big Ten style. But for this year they are still freshmen learning the way.

[guideman]

Ohio St. is a far cry from MS in the paint. This will be a different style of game and the Gophers will win with their defence. Ohio St. has some injury problems as well.

Go Gophers!

"Ace"

Ace guide service.

[mr_jman]

Lots of really nice runs and finally some rebounds. Defense looks good and there hitting some outside shots today. 8 1/2 minutes to go but we're up 13 and looking good!

[Dotch]

That's what it sounded like on the radio. Nice win! Couldn't watch the game as I was doing some office cleaning. A potential client made a remark about the neglected aloe vera and jade plants, hoping his crop wouldn't look like that if he hired us so that was a hint but I digress. Balanced scoring, a substantial rebounding edge and a better game by Damian Johnson. One they needed to win to prove the Louisville game was no fluke. A good clubbing of the Hawkeyes at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Thursday would help further that notion.

[Scott M]

Was out fishing during the game but got home and watched the replay on BTN.

After half of the first half was over and OSU had grabbed like 6 O boards and Evan Turner had about 3 or 4 baskets, Tubby made some changes and the Gophers got rolling. Outside of their mediocre start, the ensuing 3/4 of the game was some of the best basketball of the season, better than grinding out Louisville in Arizona. Devoe Joseph attacked the defense for easy baskets, the 2-3 zone covered the entire half of the floor and defended every shot. Ohio State could only chuck up 3's. The gophs blocked 7 shots; they are one of the top 5 teams in the nation in that category despite not having a 7 footer on the team.

The rebounding was huge. I remember Westbrook didn't box his man and the next thing you knew, he was coming out. Later in the second half he was in, bodied up his man, the shooter, grabbed the ball, and off they went. The message is getting through to the players.

Overall what made this game the highlight of the season was the ball movement. Guys are sharing the ball so well that it is just a pleasure to watch. The barn was just rocking. Pushing the ball in transition for easy layups, making the extra pass in the lane, zipping the ball around the court, skip passes, tip passes.

It was a game that made you think that the newcomers finally 'get it.' The Jucos subbed in and played well all around and the fresmen contributed. It was a total team effort. Damian Johnson was his usual self stuffing the stat sheet in an efficient manner, 6 boards, 4 dimes and 4 steals, 3 rejections, and 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting. The gophers had 8 steals and many of them led to easy baskets...that's where watching this game made you think that Minnesota was heads and shoulders better than OSU...they would press or jump in passing lanes, get a run out or odd man advantage and finish on the break. It was beautiful efficiency.

The balance on this team is unreal. Hoffarber played only 15 minutes and canned only one trey. Busch was 0-1 in 3 minutes. Those two had been huge contributors in earlier games, but with this amount of depth at times any given player may have a huge or no impact at all on a game. Senior Jon Williams, a preseason projected starter that I believe was getting better in the middle and always was a pretty good post defender, only got 3 minutes and seems to be the lost man on the team at this point. Overall the gophers just come at you in waves and their defense continue to point the way to the dance.

Ohio State is no slouch and will be a contender for years to come. They don't have a single senior this year. They lost one of their best players when David Lighty was injured, and the loss of Jamar Butler from last year still stings. It's hard to replace a team that had two NBA lottery picks and played for the national championship only 2 years ago, so Thad Matta's team is young.

B.J. Mullens has been a disappointment. He's averaging under 7 points and under 4 rebounds a game, despite being the number one rated high schooler in the nation last year.

Good win for the Gophers. OSU was picked to finish third in the conference, and Minnesota in the 4-6 range. Win games like this, especially away from Wiliams, and you can challenge for the 2 or 3 spot.

The one disheartening thing about the win, outside of the start to the game, was the finish. They were up 18 with about 5 minutes left and gave the Buckeyes some easy ones before holding on to finish by winning by 9. Win that game by 20 and you are sending a message, and it was an attainable goal when you add in some free throws down the stretch to an 18 point lead.

[Scott M]

I turned the game on late and it was 23-10. Ouch. Still, they came back. Nice win by the Gophs. I can't believe I'm saying this, but this is another game that they wouldn't have won without Travis Busch. Sure they played pretty poorly overall, but give Iowa a little credit, they are one of the better defenders in the conference, they are great at home, and they are deadly from 3 point land.

The injury bug helped the gophers out a little bit, but you gotta get the wins however you can. Penn State is a dangerous team come Sunday.

[PierBridge]

Any win on the Road is a great win..... but coming from 13 down is awesome!

I forgot to record game unfortunately.

[Dotch]

Got in from chores and turned the game on even later than you did da chise (halftime) so I didn't think they looked so bad...lol! Sure Tate going down hurt IA but Tubby made the adjustments at the half and these guys clawed their way back into it. 4 or 5 years ago this would've been a big "L". Stifling 2nd half defense and Busch played like he did against Louisville. That 3 with 3 seconds left on the shot clock was awesome, followed the next time down the floor by Nolen's deep 3. This was almost as satisfying for me as the old days when Larry Morgan and Mac McCausland used to do the Hawkeye games on KIMT out of Mason City. Two of the best Hawkeye homers ever to broadcast a game, especially hilarious to listen to when Dr. Tom and his much vaunted "pressure defense" would go down to defeat. Few things more obnoxious than a Hawkeye fan.

[Scott M]

79-59 final score, Minnesota over Penn State. Nice to see that 20 point win...This is not your father's Penn State, they are moving in the right direction. After Paul Carter cashed that 3 off the backcourt turnover, all that was going through my head was it is raining [feces] on Penn State!

If the incoming class rankings were done all over again, where would Minnesota's ranking sit? I would guess they could potentialy move into the national top 15 or 10 depending on how the rest of the year and coming years go. For sure they should be up from 3rd to 2nd or 1st in the conference for this year's play. Paul Carter and Devron Bostick really showed that they are the real deal. They were recruited as strong offensive players and today was their first opportunity to showcase their games. 19 for Bostick and 14 for Carter.

Back to the game....You've got to love this team making the extra pass. Appreciate it, Gopher fans. Anybody remember when Kris Humphries would catch the ball in the high post and try to take on 3 guys while his teammates where wide open? I do. I was fortunate enough to play on some teams that would pass up the 10 footer for the 0 footer. You have to love a team that kills you with the extra pass. You might think your defensive rotation is pretty good, but the extra pass will really hurt you.

If you wanted to nit pick any part of the performance today, you would have to say that Devoe Joseph needs to learn when to use the 3/4 court pass. Twice he was picked off. For the season he has been a great spark off the bunch pushing the team down the floor and getting easy baskets. But today he made a few bad decisions in transition. But, besides that, I was pretty satisified. I always love listening to Double "T" Trent Tucker's color analysis. He made the point that the game was as close to perfect as you can get. Hopefully they can bottle this and bring it to Wisconsin this week. It was probably the most complete all around game I've seen in a while. The 3 point shooting was quite the exhibition, 9 of 9. They needed one more attempt to get in the record books (must attempt at least 10 shots).

Defensively, the gophers quickness, length, and athleticism allows them to recover quickly when they get beat. It'd be hard to find a team around the country playing better defense, and its a sum of parts equation because it isn't just Damian Johnson or Al Nolen, it's everybody.

A very satisfying win and hopefully at some point more people will get on the bandwagon...This is a tournament team built for the month of March. You can win any game you play in when you play defense like they did today. 15-1 for the season.

[Dotch]

Yup, about as apt a description of the game as could be made I'd say. Team win, very unselfish play as TT pointed out and about the only thing I can add is that the Sampson III project appears to be coming along very nicely. I was planning on taking a nap at halftime but was so fired up about their play in the first half, I opted to change the whole house water filter and drinking water filter. Came back up out of the basement and they were already hammering on Penn State. Saved the nap for the first several minutes of the women's game.

[Scott M]

from Myron Medcalf's blog, Star Tribune

What’s up, Gophers fans?

Big game Thursday night at the Kohl Center.

Minnesota will seek its first road win at Wisconsin since a 109-78 victory on Feb. 12, 1994. That win, however, was vacated because of the ‘90 academic scandal.

So Minnesota’s last official win at Wisconsin was on Jan. 15, 1992, exactly 17 years ago.

Clem Haskins was Minnesota’s head coach at the time. I spoke with Haskins Wednesday, and he praised Smith’s efforts this year. He called Smith one of the five best coaches in America because of what he’s done without any stars.

“Tubby Smith is a premier coach,” Haskins said. “You mention five coaches, he’s one of the five [best] in the country.”

Haskins said it’s easy to coach a team with a bunch of lottery picks. But if you take a look at the Associated Press’ top 25, you won’t find many that are playing without a legit pro prospect.

Actually, Minnesota, Butler, Michigan State and California are the only teams in the AP poll that don’t have a player listed among ESPN.com’s top 100 NBA prospects.

At this point, the two Minnesota players that have a shot at the NBA, in the opinion of NBA scouts, are Al Nolen and Colton Iverson, and I think both guys have a long way to go before they even get that opportunity.

“That’s where Tubby is head and shoulders above,” Haskins said. “His talent is not superior at Minnesota.” He told me that he wants to make sure that people don’t take his comments the wrong way. He likes Minnesota’s potential, but said Smith’s coaching has been a major factor in its success.

*******************************************

Speaks great volumes about the kind of coach that Izzo and Smith are. No top 100 prospects playing on their teams. Get the most out of the talent you have.

[Scott M]

People got up, put their red coats on, and walked out into the Wisconsin night, numb not from the -20 temperatures, but from seeing a feat that never happens. A team came into the Kohl Center and beat their beloved Badgers. 8 seasons, and Bo Ryan lost 7 games before tonight to Big Ten Opponents, and darn sure none of them were the Minnesota Golden Gophers. I waited way too long to see this happen, so I'm going to savor it. Most teams would have been down 14 in that situation and would have given up. Most teams would see a player of Al Nolen's importance foul out and would crawl into the fetal position. Now you see why the Gophers play 11. Two marquee players, Nolen and Johnson foul out and yet they persevere and win. I know that Bucky isn't ranked, but don't underestimate this team. I believe they are a NCAA tournament team. But for the first time that I can recall during Ryan's tenure, his team lost their composure at home. WI played out of position late on defense, looked unsure, were herded into funnels and traps for turnovers and blocks. Usually you'd be saying this about the Gophers. But not tonight. Games like this you have to savor. I know that the announcers are beating it to death, but it's absolutely true, not just this year but in year's past, you don't win many road games in this conference. Michigan State is the only team that is going to roll into any given arena and be favored. The Gophs didn't absolutely have to have this game, but it will sure help their seeding and their confidence. They have some tough games later in the schedule when they go to Columbus and East Lansing.

Westbrook was huge...He was just feeling it. Carter really stepped it up as well. It was a total team effort as it always is. This is a squad that really believes in each other and hopefully now more Minnesotans will believe as well. With defense and depth anything is possible. Win a few more road games and I might be convinced this team can contend for the round of 16.

[Scott K]

This is the best Gophers team for many years, and it only took Tubby a couple years. With next years recruits we should contend for the championship!

[Dotch]

I am still so giddy following this game I'm pinching myself! Can't believe they got up off the floor at the half, dusted themselves off, tied the game, put it away in OT and above all else at the Kohl Center. When they went to the small lineup it simply wreaked havoc & as da chise said, really rattled the Badgers in the final 2 minutes. Tubby is da man!

[zepman]

Tubby claims to like the TC but I wonder how long he plans to stay around. If he stays and finishes out his career here we will be in for some great basketball for years to come.

[Big Tom]

Nice summation Da Chise. As bad as they looked during the Badger's 1st half run, this team has a lot of Moxie.