Wisconsin Game Review

I have never been a huge Westbrook fan but as much as I dislike him, the whole state of Wisconsin hates him. He has been inconsistent all year and has disappeared for most of the Big Ten but he has single-handedly beat Wisconsin twice when we had no business winning either. Westbrook didn't equal the 29 he scored in Madison but he scored 15 all in the second half. He scored the last 10 points for the Gophers.

This was a huge win. If we had lost that game we would have needed a huge run in the Big Ten tournament. Now, if we beat Michigan on Saturday, we will be in the tournament regardless of how the Big Ten tournament turns out. In fact CBS Sports with the win moved us off the bubble and has us listed as safe. It might be true but I would not like to test that theory by going 0-2.

Another interesting development was that of Devoe Joseph. He started the game at point guard in place of Al Nolen who has been much maligned in the blogosphere. He did not do much only getting 2 points, 2 rebounds and 0 assists but the interesting thing was at the end of the game when we needed stops he was out there and not Nolen. He was in charge of stopping Hughes when we desperately needed stops and he did. He forced back to back misses from Hughes and he also had a hand in the shooters face for both missed 3's down the stretch. While I think he is better as a shooting guard, his defense has drastically improved this season and I would guess he will get the starting nod again on Saturday.

Stats of the Game

• 53.6%: Percentage of Gophers scoring by Westbrook in the second half. He won this game for us down the stretch by being the scorer in the half court.
• 11.25: PPG for Damian Johnson in the last 4 games, outside of Westbrook down the stretch he is the only one who consistently gives the effort and is trying to will the team into the NCAA's. He has become the on-court leader this team needs. He is a lock to win Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
• 2-22: The Gophers from behind the arc in the last 2 games. They currently have no perimeter game. The two 3's were made by Paul Carter and Travis Busch, not exactly the likely suspects. This team would be so different if Blake returned to last year's form but it just is not going to happen.
  

Illini Game Review

This game was more of a shame than anything else. The effort was there, the intensity was there, the defense was there. They just could not hit a jumper to save their life. They didn't just miss the shots they bricked the shots. There had to been at least double digit shots that didn't hit the rim. It seemed as if the guards were more interested in breaking the rim than making a shot. It was almost comical if it wasn't so depressing. If they shot even reasonably well we could have won that game. It was there for the taking but we didn't capitalize. This does not hurt our chances but I think the Gophers need to win both games at home to close out the season or put on a good run in the Big Ten tournament.

The player of the game is not hard to find in this game. There was not a single thing the Damian Johnson did not do. His line is incredible but it still does not do him justice to how he played tonight. He ended up with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks. He was absolutely everywhere. Also playing well were the two freshman down low. Ralph had 8 points and 4 rebounds and Colton had 4 points and 8 rebounds.

While Johnson was the hero we also have goats of the game. Lawrence Westbrook and Al Nolen cost us this game. They combined for 8 turnovers and only 4 points and 1 assist. They did nothing and they caused nothing but turnovers and bricks. To be a good NCAA team you need guard play. Find a team that is elite without a point guard. A lot of people are fed up with Nolen and say that he has regressed. He has not regressed he has just faced the Big Ten. He is not to the point yet where he is an elite point guard. He needs to develop a shot. Also we need him because while he is struggling Devoe Joseph is more of a combo guard and can not run the offense as a starter.

The Gophers are still alive but they have two big games coming up. They have played well at home but the Wisconsin game scares me a lot. Wisconsin needs the win and they are mad about the Gophers winning at Kohl and starting the 6 game losing streak. We will face a very determined Wisconsin team. It helps that we have 5 days to prepare.

Stats of the Game

• 5-35: Shooting by Gophers not named Johnson, Sampson or Iverson. That is 14%. That is unimaginable. This team lacks a shooter and the problem is that even though the incoming recruits are good none are good shooters so those on the team need to step up.
• 1-14: Gophers 3-pt shooting. That is 7%. A high school team would put up better perimeter shooting than that.
• 37-25: The rebounding edge for the Gophers. This was the only reason it was close. The Gophers got 15 offensive rebounds but that is easier with so many bricks.
  

Penn State Game Review

I almost hit this one on the button. I predicted Penn State 67, Minnesota 63 and I was off by one point. So I can't say that I'm am surprised by the result. This is a team that is regressing to what they were supposed to be this year. A decent team that would be on the bubble. Slightly better than last year but not significantly, certainly not a top 25 team. That said while not playing well they still are in good shape to make the tournament. They need to finish 3-2 down the stretch and they have three games at home left.

In an interesting twist the player of the game is also the goat of the game. Devoe Joseph went berserk in the second half. He ended up with 23 points going 8-11 from the field and a whopping 7-8 from behind the arc. He simply could not miss. He became the goat when Talor Battle picked him clean and went down and made the layup to make it a 4 point lead with under a minute left. The last few minutes showed were Joseph is best served. He isn't able to create his own shot especially being guarded by someone as quick as Talor Battle. What he can do is come off screens. So those who think he should see more time at point than Nolen, I think he should see more time as the 2 guard than Westbrook who has disappeared averaging 4.5 ppg in the last 4 games.

This game once again showed the fatal flaw in the Gophers team this season. No one on the team is able to consistently create their own offense. If you take away Joseph's performance the Gophers went 12-38 or 31.6%. That is not going to win you road games. The Gophers can not shoot and no one can make some offense in the half-court. The biggest reason is that neither Iverson or Sampson has developed enough presence down low that the wings have to collapse down on them or double team opening up the wings. It will happen that they will dominate down low but it is not going to happen this year. Even if they make the tournament this team is currently able to make any noise in March, it will be nice to be in the tournament but this is not a sweet sixteen capable team.

The next game will be interesting because it is the same circumstances as this game. Michigan needs this game to keep the tournament hopes alive. The only change is that it is a little more important for the Gophers. If they lose this game they will have to win all 3 games at the Barn. If they win it gives them a little room to breathe.

Other News

• Hopkins headed to New York this weekend to play in the NIKE Super Six. They dominated a Thomas Jefferson team from New York. It wasn't the best opponent but if you read this blog during the game Hopkins gained a lot of respect for not only themselves but Minnesota basketball. White dominated with 22 points. I think that Hopkins team could beat any high school team in the nation.

Stats of the Day

• 27: Fouls committed by the Gophers. One major reason for the loss was that all our post players were in foul trouble and could not play aggressively like they normally do. It also allowed Penn State to make 21 free throws. It helped them whether the Joseph storm.
• 28: Minutes played by Travis Busch a season high. This was a result of the other's foul trouble. While he played ok (4 points 5 rebounds) it is not a good sign when you get that much time out of Busch.
• 30: Points scored by Gophers not named Joseph or Nolen. We had 9 other players play and they averaged 3.33 points per player. That is unacceptable and down the stretch it was clear the rest of the players were just hoping Joseph would save them and they were not even looking to do something offensively.
  

Penn State Game Preview

Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-5, 7-5) at Penn State Nittany Lions (17-8, 6-6)

This should be a very interesting game. The Gophers only need to go 3-3 down the stretch to make the tournament. They could even go 2-4 if they win a game in the Big Ten tournament. On the other hand Penn State needs this game. A loss at home and they can kiss the tournament goodbye unless they win the conference tournament. Here is Penn State's resume:

Wins to showcase:

• at Michigan State 72 - 68
• vs. Purdue 67 - 64

Losses to hide from:

• vs. Rhode Island 72 - 77
• vs. Temple 59 - 65

Previous Result

• Gophers 79, Penn State 59

I think we can basically forget the previous result between these two teams. Bostick isn't likely to sweep in and get 19 points. I would also wager against the Gophers shooting 9-9 from behind the arc or shooting 62.7% all together. The Gophers played out of their mind and had there best shooting game of the year. That being said I do think the Gophers are the better team but this is Big Ten basketball and it doesn't always matter who is the better team.

Their are downtrodden Gopher fans who are depressed about the Gophers losing 4 of the past 7 and two of the wins being less than satisfying against the Hoosiers. It is worse for the few Nittany Lions basketball fans. They have lost the last 3 games all by double digits and have gone from in the tournament to needing to turn it up to get back in. The biggest issue is Talor Battle he is averaging 6.3 ppg in the three losses including 0 against Purdue. He is averaging 17.4 for the season. Al Nolen is not the guy you want to right the ship against so that favors the Gophers.

Prediction

There are major factors that hurt the chances of the Gophers pulling this game out. They have not played well recently lacking intensity and offensive direction. Penn State desperately needs this game. If they lose this game their season is over. This is a must-win game for the Lions but this is not a must-win game for the Gophers. They still will need to match Penn State's intensity. The final major factor is that this game is on the road. The Gophers stink on the road. They can not shoot and have yet to play a complete game that wasn't at home or a neutral court. I think this is a game the Gophers can and maybe should win but I can't predict them to win until they show me something. I think this just means to much to Penn State.

Penn State 67, Minnesota 63

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.
  

Time to Take a Step Back

Back to back losses by the Gophers have caused me to take a step back and try to take a more objective view of the team. Going in to this season I thought this team would be a NCAA bubble team. I figured they would be seeded somewhere between 8-11 and likely be one and done. Then wins over Louisville, Ohio State and Wisconsin had me dreaming of Sweet Sixteens and 4 or 5 seeds. The last two games have made me forget those dreams and for good reasons. It won't happen because as the famous Denny Green said, "They are who we thought they were." This team is better than last year and should make the tournament but they are not a sweet sixteen team.

You can't be an elite team if a 6' (I'm being generous) shooting guard named Lawrence Westbrook is your leading scorer and the only one averaging double digits. You can't be an elite team if him and your point guard are the only ones who can create their own shot. You can't be an elite team if your leading rebounder is a 6' 7" wing who averages 4.1 a game. This isn't the NFL. Defense does not win championships, talent wins championships. Sure, some of the teams have played great defense like UCLA but they still had star talent. I challenge you to find the last Final Four team that did not have a NBA lottery pick on the team.

This team is well coached, play hard and with great intensity but the talent is not there yet. I'm not saying it won't be there soon. Nolen is only a sophomore, all three of the freshman look to be good players eventually, but they are not elite players yet. There will be fans out there that will equate this team to the football team as a big disappointment if we finish fourth or fifth in the conference and lose in the first round. They are stupid and short-sighted. Find me someone who predicted the Gophers were a top 25 team at the beginning of the season. Most prognosticators didn't even have the team making the NCAA tournament. This team is good, but the talent and ability is not currently there for this team to live up to the top 20 ranking and be an elite team. Here is my current view of the Big Ten. This is how I would currently rank the teams and how I expect them to finish the season along with where they will be in the postseason.

Michigan State (2 or 3 seed)
Purdue (4-6 seed)
Illinois (5 or 6 seed)
Minnesota (8 or 9 seed)
Ohio State (8 or 9 seed)
Wisconsin (8-10 seed)
Michigan (bubble team 11 or 12 seed)
Penn State (bubble team, likely NIT)
Northwestern (NIT)
Iowa (CBI)
Indiana Absolutely nothing

Stats of the Day

• 314th: Westbrook's rank in scoring in the NCAA. There are 347 teams in Division 1
• 29th: Johnson's rank in rebounding in the Big Ten. He is not in the top 500 in the NCAA.
• 210th: Westbrook in 3-pt% in the NCAA at 39%. Needed to make 1.5 threes per game to qualify.
  

Purdue Game Review

The Gophers have an issue. Purdue played very well and looked very much the part of the second best team in the conference but the Gophers could of still won this game. The Gophers did a lot of things well. They had 10 blocks, 12 steals, only turned the ball over 3 times in the second half. They made 27-31 free throws making 27 in a row. It wasn't enough to overcome what is the overwhelming issue that has cost them the last two games. No one on this team can shoot. They shot 27.6% and an unbelievable 15.8% from three. How did this same team shoot 9-9 from 3 against Penn State. To prove that no one can shoot look at each players shooting:

Al Nolen 3-14
Damian Johnson 2-9
Lawrence Westbrook 2-8
Devoe Joseph 3-8
Paul Carter 1-5
Blake Hoffarber 1-4
Devron Bostick 0-2
RSIII 2-4
Colton Iverson 2-3
Busch 0-1

Some of the poor percentage can be attributed to Purdue's D but there were a lot of open shots. If the Gophers even shoot 36% I have to believe they win this game. If they are going to turn this season around they have to shoot at least 36%. We have enough problems with half-court offense that when we get shot we have to make them. Purdue played great but our shooting lost the game. One thing I don't get is at the beginning of games we go down low to the bigs and force things and then we don't do that anymore and they usually don't even play towards the end. Ralph went 2-4 with 7 rebounds and Colt was 2-3 and they combined for only 36 minutes.

On a bright note while he shot 3-14 I was impressed with the play of Al Nolen. He was fouled on most of those shots and went 10-10 from the line. He also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and one block. He was the only player aggressive on the offensive end and got into the paint whenever he wanted.

The Gophers should get the good feelings going again when they head to lowly Indiana on Sunday. Hopefully someone gets their shot going.

Purdue Preview

#21 Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-2, 4-2) Vs. #18 Purdue Boilermakers (14-4, 3-2)

This is a big game for Minnesota. While a loss won't hurt their chances of making the NCAA tournament. A loss will make it hard to get a seed higher than 8 or 9 and finish 3rd or better in the conference. If they are going to stay in 2nd place they need to protect the home court from other top 25 teams. Here is Purdue's resume:

Wins to showcase

• vs. Wisconsin 65 - 52
• vs. Davidson 76 - 58

Losses to hide from

• at Penn State 64 - 67
• vs Illinois 67 - 71

Assets

• Defense: Hold opponents to 36% from the field, best in Big Ten and 57.3 ppg, 3rd in Big Ten
  
• Scoring: Score 72.2 ppg 2nd in conference despite shooting 9th best 44.5%
• Robbie Hummel: 13.8 ppg, 7.9 rebs, 2.4 ass

Issues

• Shooting: shoot 35.4% from three and 44.5% from the field both 9th in conference
• Road Experience: Have only played 3 true road games. Only two road wins are Northwestern in which they were down 11 with 7:45 left and at Ball State who has an rpi of 208.
  
• Defensive rebounding: Opponents get 12.8 offensive rebounds/game most in Big Ten

They came into the year with high expectations after returning almost everyone from a 15-3 second place team. They have been very underwhelming so far this year. They were crushed by Duke at home, and started the conference 0-2 losing at home to Illinois and losing at Penn State. That said they are a very talented team that still is a lock for the NCAA's. They play a game very similar to the Gophers where they play tough defense and get the offense going through turnovers.

Interesting things to watch

• Robbie Hummel Vs. Damian Johnson: Robbie Hummel was the preseason Big Ten Player of the year and has struggled with back issues but looks to be back in top form. Damian Johnson has a chance to make his case as the Defensive Player of the Year with a great game here.
• Al Nolen: He is coming off a bad game at Northwestern. Purdue feeds off turnovers so it will be up to Nolen to play fast but under control and lead the defensive intensity.
  
• Gophers response: The Gophers are coming off a bad loss to Northwestern and are coming back to Williams playing a very important game. All the students are back and so the Gophers need to get out to a good start to get Williams rocking and put doubt in Purdue.

Prediction

Purdue has been very underwhelming so far this year but is coming off a throttling of Iowa at home. While that is not impressive it may have gotten them going in the right direction. They have All-Big Ten talent they just haven't put it together yet this year. If this game was at Purdue I think it would be an easy win for Purdue. However, this is a nationally televised game at a packed Williams Arena. Tubby should have the Gophers coming out hard and playing well, very similar to the Ohio State game. This will be very close but I think the Gophers will play with enough urgency to pull this game out.

Gophers 79, Purdue 78

Quick News

• It is official. Jedd Fisch is the new offensive coordinator for the Gophers. It lacks great excitement but it will be interesting to see what becomes of the offense.
• In disappointing but who really cares news, Kevin Payton has been suspended indefinitely for academic reasons. He has appeared in only 8 games so far this year.
• Helping my opinion that Tubby is here to stay. The Star Tribune is reporting that Minnesota is evaluating ways to build a practice facility for the basketball team.
  

A Time to Reflect

That was ugly. We couldn't do anything offensively. Our defensive had issues. Nothing was working in the second half and to make it all the more frustrating we had to watch it listening to Tim Doyle who made Spencer Tollackson seem like Bob Costas. His most annoying call, after another three by Craig Moore, he cried "In the midnight hour, you need Moore, Moore, Moore." Stupid and he wouldn't shut up about playing Spencer.

When we win I give the player of the game but today you get the goat of the game and it was an easy one to call. Al Nolen came into the game with 93 assists and 25 turnovers. In the game he had only two assists and 6 turnovers. He failed to get the offense going at all and did not look like a college basketball player at all. He is only a sophomore but he needs to play like he did in the Louisville game by controlling the tempo and running the offense.

The initial reaction of the diehard Gopher fan is to declare that the sky is falling and all the progress they have made is destroyed but that is totally incorrect. The loss hurts and stings but the damage is minimal. They only fell to #21 in the AP poll. The latest Bracketology has them as a 5 seed which is up from the 8 seed they were last week. In college basketball it is more who you beat than who you lose to and Northwestern despite the record is very dangerous with Moore and Coble they will win a few more Big Ten games they shouldn't. All it does is make the Purdue game more important. If the Gophers want to be a team with a 4-6 seed and make some noise instead of just making the tournament they need to beat Purdue at home. They are still on the way to making the tournament, they just had a little setback and probably lost any small chance they had of winning the Big Ten which will go to Michigan State.

If there is any questions of the affect Lucia has on the Gopher hockey team those were answered this weekend. Without him at North Dakota they get swept 6-3 and 6-1. With him they sweep St. Cloud 5-1, 8-6. This team was struggling of late but I still think this team has a very real chance of winning the National Title they just need to get hot at the right time. Also it is time to start looking at Ryan Stoa as the front-runner for the Hobey Baker award. He leads the WCHA in scoring and has 15g and 15a for 30 pts in 21 games.

Stats of the Day

• 19: Number of turnovers committed by the Gophers against Northwestern.
• 6-23: Gophers shooting from 3 after starting 4-4. If you aren't making them maybe you should try to go inside.
• 5-11: Gophers free throw shooting. They need more than 11 attempts but they really need to make more than 5. They missed some big free throws that could have gotten them back in the game in the second half.
  

Penn State Preview

#22 Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-1, 2-1) Vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (13-3, 2-1)

There are teams in the Big Ten like Michigan State we know are elite and their are teams like Iowa we know are subpar. Penn St. has yet to be placed in the pecking order of the Big Ten. They have perennially been in the basement of the conference not making the NCAA tournament since 2001. They have had some good wins including beating Purdue, however, Purdue was playing without Robbie Hummel and Kramer Berg. Here is Penn State's resume:

Wins to Showcase:

• Vs. #14 Purdue 67 - 64
• at Georgia Tech (9-6) 85 - 83

Losses to hide from:

• Vs. Rhode Island (11-5) 72 - 77
• Vs. Temple (7-6) 59 - 65

Assets

• Rebounding: 40.5 rebounds per game second in the conference behind MSU
• Ball Control: 10.9 turnovers per game second least in conference behind Wisconsin
• Talor Battle: 18.9 ppg, 6.1 rebs, 5.3 ass

Issues

• Defense: Allow 60.7 ppg and opponents shoot 41.2%
• Depth: After top three scorers, the fourth scorer Danny Morrissey scores 6.1 ppg. By comparison our fourth scorer is Al Nolen with 8.3 ppg.

While Penn State has some talent in Battle, Stanley Pringle and Jamelle Cornley, they are not in my opinion a tournament-caliber team. If the game was at Penn State it would be one thing but they are a team we should beat at Williams. Losing to teams like Rhode Island and Temple at home shows they aren't ready to jump up to the top tier of the conference.

Interesting things to watch

• Talor Battle Vs. Al Nolen: Two of the best point guards match-up. Nolen struggled to control Kalin Lucas but Battle doesn't have the speed that Lucas does. If Nolen is able to shut down Battle the game will be over quick. Battle last year at Williams was shut out shooting 0-8. If that is repeated this game will be over quick.
  
• Blake Hoffarber: Last year Blake put up 29 points in his two games against Penn State. He has been struggling lately but a big game from him would do wonders for the Gophers.

Prediction

Penn State is a dangerous team. Overall they are average but if their stars get hot they can beat any team in the Big Ten. The key for the Gophers is to jump on them early, let the crowd get into it and Penn State should go away. If Penn State gets going early it will be a long game. The Penn State offense is very perimeter oriented, Minnesota has a lot of defensively talented players in Nolen, Joseph and Johnson. They also should be able to utilize Iverson's blocking abilty in help defense. I think Tubby has this team to focused and determined to get upset but this game will be close. Let's hope the Gophers shoot a lot better than they did Thursday night.

Gophers 65, Penn State 63