Reflections and Ponderances

• That folks is what it looks like to win ugly in the Big Ten. The Gophers shot 34% from the field but rallied from 13 down to beat Iowa 52-49. I am unable to type this myself so I had my brother write this sentence: Travis Busch was the player of the game. He contributed 10 points including some critical baskets down the edge. It goes to the theory that against nonathletic team Busch is a very solid player but he still brutal when we play teams with real division 1 players.
• That was not what everyone expected out of the National Championship game but the result was what I expected. Florida was able to slow the Oklahoma offense and they struggled to contain Percy Harvin. What the game came down to though was Oklahoma had the ball inside Florida's 10 twice and got 0 points. If they go into half up 21-7 it is an entirely different ball game.
• The Gopher hockey team returns to WCHA action this weekend with a rivalry series at North Dakota. We have the full lineup again as the WJC players return. It will be interesting to see how they play in a very hostile environment without the Don to help. North Dakota has been struggling this year due to a lack of scoring and inconsistent goalie. They have been known for prolific scorers from Parise to Toews to Oshie. Their leading scorers are Brad Miller and Chay Genoway. Not exactly fear-inducing. They are coming off sweeping Bemidji State but only by 4-3 both nights and Saturday's took overtime. The weekend before they lost to Michigan State and Michigan Tech. They always get up for the Gophers and are known for their hot second halves. I think the Gophers will tie Friday night and win on Saturday.
• The Gophers have announced what was seen coming with Kevin Cosgrove becoming the Defensive Coordinator, but with a twist. Ronnie Lee the Defensive Backs coach has been promoted to Co-Defensive Coordinator. This doesn't stir up the excitement in me but neither did the Ted Roof hiring. The problem was that Cosgrove failed in Nebraska and it has been attributed to his lack of defending the spread properly. That doesn't mean he hasn't in his time off figured out how to stop it but that is the future of College Football. I hope for a bigger impact from the Offensive Coordinator who should be announced in the next few days.
  

Stats of the Day

• 4-16: Blake Hoffarber's shooting in three Big Ten games. We will need him to turn it around if the Gophers are going to go places.
• 7: The number of assists by the Gophers team on Thursday night. The team average is 16.9.
• 7-4: The Gophers record at North Dakota since Ralph Englestad Arena opened in 2001. Have won 4 of the last 6 games.