Thad Matta, just a big Cornjerker

I'm still disappointed about the Gophers play against MSU today so I am finding a subject related to our next opponent. Who names their child Thad? Apparently when Thad Matta was born (1967) "Thad" was the 557th most popular baby name for boys, and 110 babies had names starting with Thad per every million babies. If being named Thad isn't strange enough for you, how about being a huge Cornjerker. Many people know Thad Matta as the Ohio State Men's Basketball Head Coach. Few know him as a Cornjerker. Does Thad look like a Cornjerker to you? Ohio State's boy was a basketball standout for the Cornjerkers at Hoopeston-East Lynn High School and he wears the title of a Cornjerker proudly. Lets make sure we make this Cornjerker, and his team, uncomfortable at the Barn with plently of heckling and cheering for our Gophers. For more information, team apparel, and the history of the Cornjerkers visit here. Happy New Year everyone.

Ginger Theory Exposed!!! Sparty Dominates Gopher 70-58

Gophernomics' Ginger Theory was exposed as a fraud as the Michigan State Spartans owned the Gophers today 70-58 without the help of a red haired team member. Tubby's team came out real flat and Michigan State made them pay. The Gophers got out-worked and out-coached. Michigan State dominated the boards (21 offensive rebounds) as Kalin Lucas led the offense with a career high 24 points. The Gopher team that showed up today looked nothing like the team beat Louisville a week and a half ago. Tubby spent the entire game trying to find out which player or player combination would step up and carry the team. Unfortunately no one ever did.

Ginger Kids.

I have nothing personal against Ginger Kids.

I remember watching the Michigan State Spartans win the 2000 National Championship. I remember them being led by a great point guard Mateen Cleaves and an athletic forward named Morris Peterson. I remember watching the energetic and passionate 46 year old coach Tim Izzo cut down the net after defeating the Florida Gators 89-76. I remember the ginger haired Adam Ballinger celebrating with his teammates after the game.

Since then I have always had respect for Michigan State's basketball program, mainly their head coach Mr. Izzo. It has been nearly 9 years since Izzo's Spartans have won the National Championship, and different players came and went. However, the almighty Spartans remained to be a very competitive team year in and year out. When I think of the Michigan State Spartans two words pop into my head - Ginger Kids. As far back as I can remember Michigan State always seemed to have one red-haired kid on every team since their championship season. The Spartans have also dominated the Gophers since then: Spartans 11 wins, Gophers 3. Coincidence? I think not...

The 14 games the Spartans and Gophers have played since the 1999-2000 season, Gopher wins in bold (* denotes Ginger Kid).

3/2/2000 @MSU L 43-79 Adam Ballinger* plays 23 minutes.

2/11/2001 MSU L 83-94 Adam Ballinger* plays 3 minutes.

1/5/2002 MSU W 70-67 No Ginger played (Adam Ballinger* played ZERO minutes)

2/21/2002 @MSU L 55-74 Adam Ballinger* scores 20 points

1/18/2003 MSU W 77-69 Adam Ballinger* played 20 minutes, MSU shot 31.6%

2/26/2003 @MSU L 61-71 Adam Ballinger* played 6 minutes

1/28/2004 MSU L 78-79 Drew Naymick* played 1 minute

2/14/2004 @MSU L 58-69 No Ginger data available

1/22/2005 MSU L 55-69 Drew Naymick* played 16 minutes

2/16/2005 @MSU L 62-81 Drew Naymick* played 7 minutes

2/11/2006 MSU W 69-55 No Ginger played (Naymick* played ZERO minutes)

1/24/2007 @MSU L 46-70 Ginger Drew Naymick* started the game

1/5/2008 @MSU L 59-65 Drew Naymick* played 21 minutes

1/20/2008 MSU L 73-78 Ginger Drew Naymick* started the game

In the 11 Spartan victories over the Gophers the token Spartan Ginger Kid played in 10 of the 11 games. In the 3 Gopher victories over the Spartans the token Spartan Ginger Kid has played 0 minutes or the Spartans shoot a terrible percentage; all 3 Gopher victories have been at Williams Arena. This is great news for the Gophers, who host the Gingerless Spartans next, no Ginger Kid to save you now Mr. Izzo.

Non-Conference Grades

By going undefeated, the Gophers as team earned an "A" for their overall performance in the non-conference portion of their schedule. Critics will admonish the Gophers for the lack of top tier opponents that they faced, but this was something that the players themselves could not control. They stepped up and met every challenge with which they were faced, whether is was the Eastern Washington Eagles or Louisville Cardinals, and for that the young Gophers deserve high marks. Since their 12-0 record makes their combined performance difficult to critique, I have chosen to look at the individual players and grade their performance thus far.

Al Nolen - A

Zero has made the leap from being a solid contributor as a freshman to an essential floor leader in his second year. It is clearly evident that he has put in a ton of time in the off-season. His ability to penetrate and get to the rim or dish has been a breath of fresh air into a Gopher offense that has been lacking such a force in recent years.

Paul Carter - I

PC gets an incomplete due to large amount of time he missed due to the ankle sprain he suffered in the Eastern Washington game. Before the injury, Carter starter started three games and showed flashes of being an athletic player that can fill up the stat sheet. It appears that PC has an uphill battle to reclaim significant playing time during Big Ten play as DJ and RSIII have posted some strong performances in his absence. Look for PC to come off the bench for the remainder of the season and have a greater impact in his junior and senior years.

Kevin Payton - A

KP gets an A for the attitude he has taken into this season. He has logged several DNP-CD's already, but remains the most vocal cheerleader on the bench. Considering how he has handled seeing his PT dwindle to almost nothing since his freshman year Gopher fans should be stoked to have a 13th man with such a positive demeanor.

Travis Busch - B+

Not only has Busch earned the best student section chant this season (4 more years! 4 more years!), he has also been a key contributor in first two months of the season. The most notable contribution being the 13 points he dropped on the 9th ranked Louisville Cardinals. He filled in admirably when DJ, PC, and Big Jon fell victim to injury. Busch is an ideal end of the rotation spark who has also displayed a dependable outside stroke.

Devoe Joseph - B

I'd like to give Joseph an even higher grade (I'd give him a A for potential), but he has just not seen enough court time to justify it. To this point Canada's Best has proven to be the quickest Gopher, a solid one-on-one defender, and a capable scoring threat. I look for Tubby to provide Joseph with a similar experience to the one Al Nolen had as a Freshman (although I doubt he will get 6 starts like Zero did his first year unless there is an injury). Joseph has shown that he has a little Lawrence McKenzie in him in that he has dribbled down and launched a couple bad shots. A couple years with Tubby should fix this.

Jon Williams - C

Big Jon has had a slow start to the year. This is partially due to injury, and partially because he just isn't that talented. It appears he will play the role of back-up to Colt 45 and RSIII, which is probably a good fit. It is frustating for Gopher fans to watch a guy of his size he so incapable of crashing the boards, but at this point Big Jon is what he is: A big man who will block a few shots (and alter a few more), grabs a few boards (hopefully), and maybe provide a nice post move or put back every other game.

Lawrence Westbrook - A-

Westbrook has been solid all season so far. His scoring has saved the Gophers during a few stretches in the early games when the rest of the team looked out of sync. I look for Westbrook to remain in the starting line-up and lead the team in scoring for the rest of the season. He gets a minus since he missed one game early on and was sort of a no-show in the Louisville game(thanks to foul trouble).

Devron Bostick - C+
The reigning JUCO player of the year has been somewhat of a dissappointment thus far. Bostick was speculated by some to be the Gophers leading scorer this year after receiving the JUCO honor and impressive showings in the Howard Pulley Summer League. Bostick now finds himself outside the top ten in the Gopher's rotation. It's been rumored that Bostick came in lacking the defensive intensity that Tubby desired. His recent 11 point performance was a sign that he may be turning things around.

Blake Hoffarber - B+

Blake struggled to find his stroke early in the season but since finding it in the Colorado St. game he hasn't looked backed. Expect The Hoff to continue his role as a 6th man scoring boost. Guaranteed there where be a game or two in the Big Ten season where Blake goes of for 24 points on 8 of 10 shooting from three.

Jamal Abu-Shamala - C-

The only reason JAS isn't failing is that he put up a big game in what has turned out to be the Gophers closest game o the season (the 1 point win over Colorado State). Unfortunately for him that was the one game I wasn't able to watch this season so he isn't even getting much credit from me on that one. Aside from that one game, JAS has been basically a non-factor when he's on the court. Actually, I take that back as I remember he hit one key turn around jumper in of the NABC Classic, but I think his game has regressed since the beginning of the season. My point is, the impact Jamal makes when he is on the court is minimal incomparison to the rest of the top 12. He needs to be shooting around 45% from three to justify being on the court (he's at a very mediocre 33% right now). If I had my way, JAS would find a spot next to KP on the bench for the rest of the year. This is unlikely to happen, however, as Tubby values his leadership too much. I guess even though Tubby has won only one more national championship than I do, I will defer to him on this one.

Damian Johnson - A

Basically, DJ provides whatever the Gophers need. If they need scoring, he can step up and lead the team there. If they need defense, DJ can increase the defensive pressure all by himself. The time it took for him to return to his old form after suffering a broken hand was also very impressive. DJ will start the rest of the year and probably be second in total minutes played to Nolen.

Colton Iverson and RSIII - B+

Tubby has made it very clear that he expects these two to become deadly combination (that high-low entry for a dunk from Ralph to Colt 45 against High Point was something any coach would LOVE to see on a regular basis). Therefore, I have chosen to grade them together. Colt 45 stepped in early and solidified a starting spot for the remainder of the year after Big Jon was injured. His 20 point performance against Eastern Washington was very impressive. He has been the Gophers best rebounder (although that isn't saying a whole lot) and provides a physical presence down low that the Gophers have lacked in recent years. RSIII has been coming on strong as of late. He seems to respond more positively the more Tubby puts him out there. I now expect both freshmen big men to start for the remainder of the year. Look for both to bulk up over the next year and improve together.

BIG TEN OUTLOOK:

Before the season started I predicted a 11-1 non-conference record and 11-7 Big Ten record for the Gophers (Overall 22-8). This was the most optimistic amongst my peers over on Gopher Hole. Now after besting my non-conference prediction by 1 game, I am going to predict they do the same for the Big Ten schedule and finish 12-6. The Gophers have look better than expected and I think teams like Wisconsin and Ohio State, who who were picked to finish above the Gophers, have looked worst. In general, the Big Ten looks wide open. I don't think any team will finish with fewer than 4 losses. I expect the Gophers 12-6 record to be good enough for 3rd or 4th in the conference.

Gophers Bump Up to #21

The Gophs are ranked #21 in both national polls which came out today. Sparty is ranked #10 in the AP Poll and #15 in the coaches poll. Ohio St. slid to #23 in both polls after a tumultuous week.

The Barn should be rockin' this week!

Gophers Punish High Point Panthers, Finish Non-Conference 12-0

The Gophers were able to focus on the task at hand and soundly beat High Point 82-56. Here's a look at the good and bad things to come out of tonight's game as well as the big question that remains unanswered.

The GOOD:

1. Team Play
With Wednesday's Michigan State match-up looming large, the Gophers put forth an impressive team effort tonight. Five Gophers finished the game with double figure scoring as RSIII led the way with 17 points. Just about everyone played well tonight and the Gophers seem to be peaking just in time for the start of the Big Ten season.

2. Devron Bostick Sighting
You can question his defensive effort, but you cannot deny his ability to put the ball in the hoop, especially from beyond the arc. He hit 3 long balls and finished the game with 11 points. This just gives Big Ten opponents another weapon to game plan for.

3. Joseph a Stud in the Making
It's easy to imagine Joseph becoming a star for the Gophers. He's got a excellent shot creating and play making ability and the way he pushes the ball up the floor makes any basketball purist drool. He had 11 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals tonight.

4. The Starting Five
It looks like Tubby has settled on a starting line-up of Nolen, Westbrook, DJ, RSIII, and Colt 45. If these five can gel by the time the postseason rolls around, they could be scary good. With Nolen leading, Westbrook scoring, and any of the other three capable of stepping up and having a big offensive night, this starting five should be able to compete with any in the Big Ten.

The BAD:

1. Rusty PC
The criticism probably isn't fair since he is still recovering, but Paul Carter looked a little shaky in what was his first extended PT since his ankle injury. He had a couple turnovers and missed a couple open looks including one bunny put back (bringing back Tollackson nightmares). It was good he was able to test himself before Big Ten play. Hopefully he will be able to regain his pre-injury form sooner rather than later. He did show signs of him old self in other facets of the game by grabbing 4 rebounds and getting 1 assist, steal, and block each in just 12 minutes of play.

2. Jamal Abu-Shamala
Like the Louisville game, JAS did not start tonight (finally as I have been pleading for this all season). While it's not his fault, it's pretty obvious that he is just not on the same level athletically as the rest of the guys on the team. He continues to be unable to knock down open looks, and if he can't do that he adds little value to the squad beyond senior leadership. Westbrook, Hoff, Joseph, Bostick, and even Busch have displayed solid three point strokes which makes it difficult for Tubby to justify putting JAS out there. I appreciate the contributions JAS has made to Golden Gopher basketball, but it appears his role will be drastically reduced this season. Look for Carter and Bostick to eat up Jamal's minutes.

The Looming Question:

So Many Players, So Little Time
With the solid performance by Bostick tonight and PC nearing full strength, how will Tubby dole out playing time amongst 12 players? In WCCO's post game interview Tubby stressed that the he would continue to use his deep bench and thinks it will be to the Gophers advantage. I agree with Coach that a deep bench is key, but 12 players? That's too many mouths to feed. Games are only 40 minutes long. Tubby needs to shorten his bench down to at least 10. I can only speculate but I think the two guys that end up with the shaft will come from the following group: Bostick, JAS, Busch, and PC.

Dev"Oh" Canada. "Bostick with the Basket." 0 > 1 ?

It was nice to see all of the Gophers get good minutes tonight.  Everyone played at least 7 minutes and contributed to the routing of High Point.  I was most impressed with Devoe Joseph's and Devron Bostick's performances.  Devoe and Devron each shot 3 for 4 from three point land, each scored 11 points, snatched 2 steals each, and each dished out 2 assists.  As a team the Gophers played very well and were focused on the task at hand and not concentrating on Michigan State.  However, the Gophers continue to struggle from the charity stripe, shooting a pitiful 58.3% from the line tonight.  The Gophers will need to improve free throw shooting if they want to win close hard-fought games in the Big Ten this year.  The 12-0 start doesn't tell us much about the team yet, the Louisville win was a nice win for the program, but besides that game the rest of the schedule has been fairly weak.  I am looking forward to seeing us compete against two of the Big Ten's best in our next two games, Michigan State and Ohio State.  Michigan State will come ready to play and the point guard match up will most likely determine the outcome of the game.  I am a big fan of Al Nolen, but he won't be the best point guard on the floor that day.  Kalin Lucas comes into the game with the best assist to turnover ratio in the country (6.5 assists to 1 turnover) and he is averaging 11.4 points per game, 6.5 assists per game, and 1.2 steals per game.  His statistics are comparable to Nolen's 8.7 points per game, 6.2 assists per game, and 1.2 steals per game, but Nolen averages 3.78 assists to 1 turnover.  I am not saying Nolen will be outplayed by Lucas, and I don't believe he will be, but Nolen will be the key to the Gophers chance of winning this game.  Nolen must keep Lucas out of the paint for most of the game and continue to distribute the ball well on the Gopher's offensive end.  Hopefully, #0 will be greater than #1 on Wednesday.

What I want for the holidays

First off happy holidays to you all and I hope you have a great time with your families. Now back to hoops. The win over the ninth ranked Louisville Cardinals was a nice win for the program, and we didn't follow it up with a hiccup against an unranked Southeastern Louisiana team. Now we just need to take care of business against High Point on the 28th (we better see you all at the Barn!) and then another test awaits us. For the holidays I want the next two games to be wins, no sweaters, shirts, money, or anything else! We play #18 Michigan State and #13 Ohio State in back to back games. Needless to say these two games could be huge wins for the Gophers and big resume wins come tourney time. Fortunately for us we get both of these teams at the Barn, making these games very winnable, although it will take 40 minutes of smart basketball for us. Well it's time to go to my relatives' house. Keep warm, Happy Holidays, and Go Gophers!