TGFI

I know it is only Wednesday and I'm not dyslexic. It is Thank God For Indiana. Only Indiana would let us get away with playing the sloppy disinterested game we played on Wednesday. The Gophers gave the ball away 19 times. Indiana responded by turning the ball over 26 times. It was an absolutely brutal game and the Gophers looked nothing like a tournament team outside a run in the second half.

The player of the game is obviously Paul Carter. He put up 22 points, 6 rebs, 1 block and 2 steals. I've remarked before about his lack of shooting and this was evidence of what he can accomplish with his skills given a decent shot. He went 7-13 from the field and more impressively went 7-8 from the line. Until he develops an outside shot he needs to force the issue down low and get to the free throw line. He is actually a 72% free throw shooter.

The other player that needs to be mentioned is Devoe Joseph. He was the only player who played with any effort on both ends in the first half. He ended up with 9 points and 4 rebounds. He played alot as the off-guard with Nolen at the point and I think that is where he is at his best. He still struggles to run the half-court offense, but can play up-tempo, has a good shot and also has the ability to create his own shot. I would like to see him get 20+ minutes a game with half of it as the 2 guard. The next game is an important one at Penn State.

Other News

• Royce White has been named to the Jordan Brand Classic which will be at the Madison Square Garden on April 18th on ESPN2. This game is not as big as the McDonald's All-American Game but this is a good indicator that he might be a McDonald's All-Star. Only one player (Lance Stephenson) out of the top 10 players on Rivals will not be attending. Even if he doesn't make the McDonald's Game it will be great to see him against the nation's best on national tv.
• Brett Farve has retired again. I will believe he is truly retired when it is September and he is not on a team. I think it is more that he doesn't want to play for the Jets than he doesn't want to play. I think if the right team came along he would put on the uniform because he has to feed his almighty ego that took a hit by his sup-standard play in New York.

Stats of the Day

• 14: Steals by the Gophers against Indiana. Nolen lead the team with 4 steals.
• 24: Points off turnovers by the Gophers. That needs to be better off of 26 turnovers.
• 8: Points scored by the 3 leading scorers (Westbrook 4, Nolen 4, Johnson 0). They average a combined 29.4 ppg. They shot a combined 2-16. The biggest problem with the team is a lack of a superstar who can put us on his back consistently.