Gophers Snap 20 Game Losing Streak to Team with Offensive Nickname, Rematch with Ginger-less Spartans Up Next

So this is way late, but the Gophers throttling of University of Illinois [offensive nickname omitted here] this past Thursday cannot be ignored. It's no doubt that if you found your way to this site you are well aware of the fact that the Gophers had not beaten Illinois in a decade. The Gophers broke this streak by playing solid defense and taking advantage of Illinois' flat effort. Illinois had it coming if you ask me. Their nickname reduces an entire culture, one rich in history, to false images of savagery and war. Also, it should be mentioned, Mike Tisdale looks like Gumby:


The Gophers next face Sparty at East Lansing on Wednesday. Sparty lost on Sunday to Penn State and will be without the underachieving Raymar Morgan who is out with an injury.

Gophers Fall at Home, Bounce Back at Indiana

On Thursday, the Gophers lost to Purdue 70-62 in a game that really wasn't even as close as the final score made it sound. Today, Minnesota was able to bounce back at Indiana to win 67-63 even though the Hoosiers had a week to prepare the game, sold tickets for $5 in order to get a sell out, and handed out t-shirts to White Out their arena. Here's one good thing and one bad thing about each game.

Purdue

The Good: Free Throw Shooting
The only good thing that transpired from the Purdue game was that the Gophers were able to take advantage of all the fouls being called by Ed Hightower and his officiating crew. The team went a combined 27 for 31 from the line. Without the efficiency at the free throw line this game could have gotten really out of hand.

The Bad: The Offense
For much of the game, the Gophers half-court offense consisted of Gopher guards taking their defenders off the dribble one-on-one. Al Nolen was effective at getting by his guy but frequently got stuck too far under the hoop or amongst several Purdue big men. This led to tough shots that Nolen was unable to convert. He finished the night 3 for 14 from the field. He wasn't alone in his shooting woes though as the Gophers shot a combined 28% from the floor and 15 % from three point land. The can be attributed to the Gophers lack of movement on offense and Purdue's high pressure half-court defense.

Indiana

The Good: RSIII
With Tubby putting an extra emphasis on getting the ball inside, Ralph stepped up for the Gophers in what was their third Big Ten road win of the season. It was Sampson's second solid game in a row. He finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds (4 offensive), and 6 blocks. As his stat line suggests, he made his presence felt on both ends of the court. After getting his obligatory air ball from 12 ft. out of the way early, Ralph had a couple nice post moves for easy buckets, a sweet alley oop dunk off a pass from DJ, and a key bucket off an offensive rebound to put the Gophers up 5 with less than a minute to play. His length on the defensive end was key to the Gophers neutralization of Indiana's inside game.

The Bad: Blake Hoffarber
The Hoff's recent struggles continued in today's game. He was 1 for 3 from three which isn't all bad but he also 3 turnovers. The biggest sign of the Hoff's troubles came in the first half when he did something that I thought had about 1,000,000:1 odds of ever happening. After getting fouled on a three point shot attempt Blake proceeded to MISS ALL THREE free throw attempts. I wouldn't be surprised to see Blake's minutes decrease in the next few games, especially if he continues this awful slump.

We Had a Bad Day

Bad days, every team has them.  We woke up on the wrong side of the bed Sunday or perhaps had a hang over from the emotional Wisconsin victory.  Yes the Gophers should have beat the Wildcats, but we didn't, and we can't change that.  The young Gopher squad needs to learn from the loss, put it behind them, and get ready pretty darn quick for a tough Big Ten fight to the finish.  The Gophers' remaining schedule looks like this:

16-2 (4-2 Big Ten)

Twelve games remaining

Purdue, @Indiana, Illinois, @Michigan State, @Ohio State, Indiana, @Penn State, @Michigan, Northwestern, @Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan

What has worried me about our team is we have yet to play a solid true road game (The win at the Kohl Center was very nice, but we didn't play well for 34 minutes of that game.  A one point win at Colorado State.  An ugly three point win at Iowa.  A nine point loss at Northwestern.)  Yes three of the four games are wins but besides the Badgers the other three teams we should beat comfortably on most nights.  The Gophers need to keep playing well at the Barn and learn how to play consistent ball on the road with the remaining schedule to finish as one of the top teams in the Big Ten Conference.  If the Gophers keep playing like they have on the road, they could realistically lose five of the remaining six road games.  At Indiana better be a win, Michigan State = great team, Team Thad is going to want revenge, Penn State played Michigan State tough and I bet we won't shoot 62.5% from the field next game against them, Michigan = you never know which team will show up; they either play great (beat Duke and UCLA) or plays mediocre.  Illinois, for the moment, is playing the best ball in the Big Ten behind Michigan State.  

Conversely, if we start playing well on the road, watch out Big Ten.  First things first though, a very good Purdue team coming to the Barn on Thursday hot on a three game win streak.  Lets get back on the horse, play a solid 40 minutes, and get a nice win against the Boilermakers.  Go Gophers.

Weekend Long Live Blog: Barnyard Roadtrip @ Northwestern

After the one of the biggest victories in the past decade of Golden Gopher basketball, Tubby's squad is headed to Northwestern for what seems to be an obvious trap game. Northwestern is a decieving 0-4 in the Big Ten. On Thursday they barely lost to pre-season conference favortie Purdue 63-61. Fortunately, 150 members of the Barnyard are attending the game on Sunday for the annual Barnyard Road Trip. Hopefully our presence will be enough to inspire the Gophers to come out strong and defeat the Wildcats handily. The trip starts tomorrow at 9:00 AM and I, Zombie, will be giving updates the entire weekend. Check back for updates!

Saturday 3:43 AM - Gophernomics and I just finished up a game of Territory War Online. Great game to get you pumped up for a big weekend. Right now our pre-trip plan is to get up in a couple hours and have some breakfast at the legendary Al's Breakfast. There isn't a better way to start off a road trip if you ask me.

Saturday 10:06 AM – Doo doo da da da da doo duh duh da da da doo doo. That’s The Office theme song if you couldn’t tell. We’re currently watching season three as our in bus entertainment while en route to Evanston. The drinking game rules are simple: Drink every time Michael says, “That’s what she said.” As you may have guessed based on the time of the first update, we didn’t make it to Al’s Breakfast after oversleeping our 5:45 alarm. We left from the Barn at promptly 8:47 AM and are schedule to arrive in Evanston at 5:00 PM.

Saturday 1:03 PM - Just got back from a little lunch stop in the Dells. Went to Culver's where they feature the "Wisconsin Badger Concrete Mixer". I ordered a butterburger with cheese and requested a "Minnesota Gopher Concrete Mixer". Alas, they did not serve such an item. Upon questioning, the cashier admitted he would rather see a movie than watch a Gopher vs. Badger basketball game. Typical Wisconsin fair weather fan jumping off the bandwagon after the first sign of adversity. I just found out the bus we're on has WI-FI so expect more frequent updates from now on.

Saturday 4:19 PM - G here. Are we there yet? The drive to Northwestern this year seems longer than the drive to Ann Arbor last year. Talked to Spence and he's going to have dinner with the producers for Big Ten Network and then he's going to give us a call. Word is that Evanston is pretty lame so who knows what we will all end up doing tonight. I know that once we get to our hotel we are definitely taking the annual Barnyard Roadtrip swim in the hotel pool. Can't wait to get off this damn bus, sigh. Catch y'all in a bit.

Saturday 6:18 PM - We've made it to the Best Western. All of us (all guys) in attendance are curious to sample the Northwestern University bar scene. Our hotel is located next to two of the most popular hot spots on campus. This is nice because we won't have to travel far to find a good time. The problem that has presented itself, which is especially pertinent to the single members of our group, is that both bars have extremely different atmospheres for macking on the ladies. Nevin's is rumored to have the finest selection of cougars around while The Keg is said to be the place for underage chicks to hang out. It's likely that we will be able to sample both, but deciding where to go first has inspired a spirited debate. Either way, I expect a good time will be had by all.

Sunday 10:40 AM - Northwestern nightlife was decent. Dinner was had at Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. Chicago style pizza hit the spot. We started the late night festivities at Nevin's Pub and spent the most of the night at The Keg. The Keg featured a pretty good live band. After midnight the place was so packed that you could hardly move and most of the kids their were 19 years old. Dollar beers though, so that makes up for everything. 2:20 til game time. Gophers are 1 point underdogs. The oddsmakers must not know that the Barnyard made the trip. Prediction: Gophers by 15.

Sunday 8:41 PM - Well, we're somewhere in Wisconsin and I have had some time to mull over the disappointing outcome of today's game. The Gophers lost 74-65 to Northwestern if you didn't already know. Game day started off great. G-nomics and I were able to meet Kevin Coble's mother. She was a very nice lady. She confessed that she sometimes accidentally cheers for the Gophers because they have the same colors as her alma mater, Arizona St. The first half unfolded as expected. The Gophers looked like the better team. They got up by as much as 9 and for a moment looked like the were going to run away with the game. Then, NU switched defenses and for some reason the Gophers were unable to beat the Wildcat's halfcourt 1-3-1 trap which they employed for the last 2/3 of the game. None of the Gopher guards were able to effectively pass out of NU's triple teams and attack the middle of the zone. The Gophers offensive ineptitude against the trap made the game extremely frustrating to watch. The Barnyard's presence was made known emphatically, but it was not enough to push the Gophers to victory. This is the end of the Barnyard Trip live blog. BEAT PURDUE!!!

Live Blog: Gophers Stun Badgers in OT, 78-74

Gophers are looking to for their first win ever at the Kohl Center tonight. This is the first time in a long time that I think the Gophers have a legitimate chance at pulling off a win in Madison. And by legitimate chance I mean about a 25% chance compared to the <1% chance the Gophers have had when heading east the last 10+ years. I am not expecting the Gophers to win tonight at Wisconsin but I would not be shocked if they did.

7:28 PM - While waiting for the game to start I ind myself watching the Gopher women playing at Ohio St (I know, I know girl's basketball isn't really a sport). The Lady Gophers are up 46-40 with under 8 minutes left. Apparently the women's team has never won at Value City arena in 23 attempts. Could this be a sign that today is the day Gopher basketball road losing streaks are broken???

7:42 PM - Somehow Northwestern is beating Purdue right now in their high school gymnasium. It's 51-43 with eight and a half minutes left. I haven't watched this game at all but the announcers just said that Purdue already has 19 turnovers. Purdue must really suck or something....

8:00 PM - Okay it's game time but the girl's game is still going. Hopefully it doesn't go into OT.

8:10 PM - Missed the tip-off but that's it (Lady Gophers won, hopefully that's a good omen) Westbrook comes out and knocks down a three to start things off. Gophers get a 10 second back court violation. Looks like we won't have to worry about a slow start tonight.

8:18 PM - Gophers are pushing the tempo in the game and it's working to their advantage. 14-10 at the 14 minute mark thanks to several turnovers by the BADgers.

8:27 PM - The Gophers second five has let the Badgers back in the game. PC has a couple turnovers while the Badgers have been able to slow the game back down. 9-0 run for Wisconsin. They're up 19-14.

8:31 PM - RSIII misses his third shot from outside 15 ft. I really wouldn't mind if he didn't shoot another one for the rest of the year. He may be able to make them in practice when he's wide open, but the when things are sped up during a game his shot gets rushed and looks real bad.

8:40 PM - This game has totally reversed since the opening minutes. Wisconsin is dominating. The Gophers offense has been reduced to Nolen or Westbrook taking their opponents one-on-one. The Badgers in the meanwhile are working the ball around, making cuts to the hoop, and making nice bounce passes to connect for easy buckets.

8:50 PM - Gophers try to close out the half strong, but turn it over after struggling to inbounds the ball once again, and Landry hits a 3 as time expires. 33-22 at the half. Gophers half court offense looks awful. There's no movement away from the ball and no one is looking to get the ball inside. Part of that is our big men's inability to get open and part of it is just lack of trying. All this results in 4 points for the Gophers in the last 11 minutes of the half.

9:01 PM - So only three Badgers have scored (BTN has only mentioned this like 1200845 times). Landry, Bohannon and Leuer. Gophers have depth but all three of these guys have played better than any Gopher on the court. I'd like to see Tubby go with an athletic line-up this half. Limit the minutes Busch, JAS, and Hoffarber get. Let's really get in Wisconsin's face and force the tempo. Hopefully Damian will come back after sitting out most of the second half with two fouls and spark the Gophers.

9:09 PM - Damian draws a shooting foul. Gophers first two free throws come with 18 minutes left in the 2nd half. Classic homecooking for the Badgers.

9:21 PM - Back and forth half so far. The Gophers are down nine but it still feels like Wisconsin is in control of the game. There have been some questionable calls both ways. Big Jon got "blocked" somehow on a two handed dunk attempt even though Landry had jumped forward into him. Before that the Gophers got a fortunate push in the back call on the offensive end with the shot clock at zero.

9:27 PM - Westbrook cuts it to 6, but the Gophers have been on a cheap fouling spree and now the Badgers are in the bonus for the rest of the game. 44-36 Badgers with 9 minutes to go.

9:39 PM - The Badgers are working the shot clock below 3 with every possession. 52 - 40 with 4:50 on the clock. The Gophers won't come back unless they can knock down about 7 threes in a row.

9:49 PM - 52-42 with 3:41 to go. I really surprised how much the Hoff has played tonight. I'd really like to see Bostick take some of his minutes, especially since it's clearly evident that Hoff has been off as of late.

9:52 PM - Nolen fouls out. The call was questionable at best. Al went for the steal in the backcourt on the full court press. Replays showed it looked like he pretty much got all ball. The free throw attempts are something like 20 to 4 in favor of the Badgers. Must be that great body control Bo Ryan teaches.

9:58 PM - Gophers are now pressing and got the Badger lead down to three. The lead is now five after the Badgers finally succcessfully broke Minnesota's press for a lay up and Carter missed the front end of a one and one. 57-52 with a minute and a half to go.

10:05 PM - The Gophers have somehow cut the lead to one. It's 60-59 with 22 seconds left. DJ hit a three after PC came up with a huge block on a Badger transition lay-up attempt. Damian's presence in this second has been key for the Gophers.

10:08 PM - Ladies and gents, we're going to overtime! Westbrook hits a three with two seconds left after two free throws by Krabbenhoft. Then, for some reason, the Badgers don't even put up a shot as time expires. The Gophers depth is going to be huge in overtime as Nolen has fouled out and Damian has four fouls.

10:15 PM - Suffocating defense by the Gophers to start overtime. The Badgers can't get a clean look. Westbrook has taken over for the Gophers. Five unanswered points for the Gophers 67-62 with 1.33 to go.

10:21 PM - If the Gophers hit their free throws, this game is over. 72-67 with 30 seconds left in OT.

10:27 PM - Gophers almost gave it away by throwing it away with 22 seconds left but Westbrook seals it with 4 big free throws and finishes with a career high 29 points. Gophers win 78-74. Damian was huge in the second half with 11 second half points. The JUCO guys also came up big. PC had 10 points and 11 rebounds and one huge block. Bostick chipped in 11 points, 4 of which came in the overtime period. Overall, a great come from behind victory for the Gophers. This is the signature win of the Tubby Smith era at Minnesota.

Jamal Abu-Shamala on the Deep Rotation

Club Tubby: This year Tubby has been playing many different players and throwing various lineups at opponents, often going 9-10 players deep.  Some are critics of this saying it doesn't allow the players to develop a solid chemistry and prevents players from "getting into a groove" in games because they only play for small spurts at a time.  As an experienced Gopher basketball player, do you believe playing many players in smaller spurts prevents them from getting into a groove?  Obviously it allows players to remain more rested and fresh, but is it easier to play with 7-8 and develop a good court chemistry compared to 9-10?  Or does it not effect much because you all practice together so much?

Jamal:  As a player, you would want to play the whole game if you could but that is unrealistic.  I feel like our team works better by having the rotation we have because it allows the players to go all out while on the court and not save themselves because they know someone is going to be coming in to bring fresh legs out there.  It is a great strategy because it is hard for the other teams to keep up with the personnel which causes problems.  But Coach Smith does a great job of understanding when someone is playing well and will adjust to reward them.

Thanks for the comment Jamal.

At the Halfway Point, 14-1. Does it mean anything?

I love every single Gopher basketball player.  I love Tubby Smith and his staff.  I love Gopher basketball.  I want the Gophers to win every game.  I want a Gopher Big Ten title.  I want a Gopher National Championship.  However based on what I have seen this season thus far, the Gophers' 14-1 record doesn't prove anything about our team besides that we have beaten teams that we should beat.

Now be honest with yourself.  11 of the Gophers' 14 wins have been at the Barn, 1 at a neutral site, and 2 on the road.  Think of the teams we have defeated this year: Concordia St. Paul (7-7; Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference), Bowling Green (7-6; MAC Conference), Georgia State (4-11; CAA Conference), Colorado State (5-10; Mountain West Conference), Eastern Washington (8-7; Big Sky Conference), North Dakota State (8-5; Summit League), Virginia (7-5; ACC), Cornell (9-6; Ivy League), South Dakota State (7-10; Summit League), Louisville (10-3; Big East), Southeastern Louisiana (6-7; Southland Conference), High Point (5-9; Big South Conference), Ohio State (10-3; Big Ten), Iowa (11-5; Big Ten).  How many of those teams would you label as a "good team"?  At most two: Louisville and arguably Ohio State.

After the Gophers' next four games we will know how good our team actually is.  The Gophers host a good Penn State team on Sunday, then travel to Madison to play the Badgers, who are always tough to beat at the Kohl Center.  Then a potential trap game, on the road (where the Gophers have not played well this year; a one point win at Colorado State, and an ugly win by three at Iowa) at Northwestern.  Although the Wildcats are at the bottom of the Big Ten they took Penn State to the wire on the road and lost to Michigan State by fewer points then the Gophers did.  Northwestern also is #45 in the RPI and #15 strength of schedule.  Then the Gophers welcome Purdue to the Barn which certainly will be a tough game, especially if the Boilermakers have a healthy Robbie Hummel.  Now being recognized in the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls is nice for some national attention, but besides that it doesn't mean much at all.  Playing a weak schedule for the first half of the season, racking up wins, and receiving national attention doesn't mean a darn thing.  Disagree?  See: Gopher Football 2008.  The Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC) Rankings are compiled by individuals who make a living off rankings and odds.  For the moment, the LVSC Rankings don't have the Gophers as a top 30 team in the country, for good reason too.  We haven't played enough "good teams" or road games to determine if we are a top 30 team.  My pick is Michigan State to win the Big Ten this year but behind the Spartans the Big Ten is wide open.  The Gophers could realistically finish anywhere from second to sixth in the conference.  With our lack of games against "good teams" and ugly road play at this moment it's difficult to predict where the Gophers will finish in the Big Ten.  If I had to make a prediction, the Gophers will finish fourth in the Big Ten.  Prove me wrong boys, win the Big Ten.

Live Blog: Gophers Survive vs. Hawkeyes 52-49

4:30 PM: Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Welcome to the first live blog in the history of Club Tubby. Check back around 6 pm Central where I, Zombie, will provide a constant stream of my thoughts as they come to be during the Gophers' battle at Carver Hawkeye Arena. It should be interesting to see how the younger players on the squad perform in their second true road game of the season.

4:51 PM: Before the game begins I'd like to open this live blog up to you, the viewer. Please refer any thoughts, comments, or questions you have prior to or during the game to the comments section of this post!

6:02 PM: Game is on! Oh great, Doug Gottlieb announcing. OOOoooohh... and Jamal with the intro. Let's hope that's not his only contribution to tonight's game.

6:04 PM: Crashing the boards early! RSIII on the defensive side. Colt 45 on the offensive glass and Damian draws a foul too. Let's hope they can keep this up.

6:08 PM: I'm diggin' the all maroon look tonight. I'm also surprised by the lack of fans at the game. There are a lot of empty seats behind the two team benches. Maybe all the Hawkeye fans are getting busy in the bathroom... (I have a feeling that joke will never get old)

6:13 PM: Four quality losses??? Yeah Drake is 11-4 but two of those losses are to Evansville and Stephen F. Austin!

6:14 PM: Al gets a 5 second call! Intangibles, intangibles, intangibles...

6:17 PM: FromTheBarn.org gets a shout out! Nice work!

6:21 PM: Cyrus Tate goes down hard. That's a big hit for the Hawks. Hopefully it's not too serious.

6:23 PM: So I am not one of those guys that follows Big Ten referees intensely, but one of my faves is out there tonight. I don't know his real name, but we at Club Tubby fondly call him "Man Boobs". You'll know him when you see him.

6:25 PM: Thank you Doug Gottlieb for pointing out the obvious flaws in the Gophers resume. He's right though, this game will show a lot to those outside the program.

6:28 PM: The good news is Travis Busch shaved. The bad news is he forgot the part above his upper lip.

6:30 PM: 18-10 Hawkeyes with 7:36 left in the first half. I guess a slow start was to be expected. The Hawkeyes could really have us down and out right now if there was any semblence of a fan base there supporting their team and getting on the Gophers for their sloppy play.

6:33 PM: "I think it's colder in Iowa City than it is in Minneapolis." Remind me to never rely on Doug Gottleib for weather forecasts. (20-10 now..... WAKE UP, there's no energy in the building or on the Gopher bench)

6:36 PM: Slam by Cole after Iowa breaks the press. This is NOT a pressing line-up for the Gophers. Any time Busch and JAS are on the court at the same time, we should not press. I actually can't think of anytime that those two should be on the court together.

6:40 PM: JAS saves a horrible possession by nailing a contested three with 3 seconds on the shot clock. That was huge. In the meantime, the Gophers have switched to a zone on the defensive end. A similar switch was made last game against OSU and led to a 19-2 run by the Gophers to close out the first half of that game. Hopefully MN can go on a similar run and get the game knotted up before half. (23-15 right now)

6:44 PM: I am not a big fan of this Gopher line-up right now. I just really don't like Busch and JAS on the court at the same time, although they have both hit threes in the last couple minutes. I'd like to PC out there in place of one of those guys.

6:47 PM: Horrible end of the half possession (airball by Nolen), but the Gophers are only down 26-20 at half after hitting a couple shots and switching to the zone.

7:04 PM: Tate is out for the game. It will be really disappointing if the Gophers don't pull this one out against a Tate-less Hawkeye team.

7:10 PM: Minnesota is sticking with the zone this half and it's working with one exception: they haven't been able to coral the long offensive rebounds.

7:15 PM: PC does a real nice job following his miss and taking it strong for a three point play. Gopher fans should hope to see more of that as the season progresses.

7:17 PM: The turnover bug has bit the Hawkeyes. Gophers need to take advantage.

7:19 PM: Bostick with a nice baseline drive and floater. Gophers only down two now 31-29. They have Iowa struggling on offense. If they could get their collective three point stroke going, the Gophers could quickly jump ahead here.

7:24 PM: Joseph really looks like a freshman tonight. A couple bad shots taken, some missed open looks, and a couple turnovers. In the meantime, Gophers tie it at 31 a piece.

7:28 PM: PC hits a 20 ft. two-pointer and Gophers take the lead 33-31. Honestly, if the Gophers don't win against an Iowa team without Tate, Tucker, and now Kelly, who appears injured, that will look real bad on national TV.

7:32 PM: Will either team break the 50 point barrier??? Gophers lead 36-33 with 7 minutes left.

7:39 PM: Gophers taking over now 39-33. Iowa's offense looks totally lost. Now I know why all those Hawkeye fans decided to stay home tonight.

7:41 PM: Great body control by Damian on the pick and roll feed from Hoff. A less experienced player would have gotten a charge call there but DJ was able to stop his momentum and jump straight up for the baby hook.

7:43 PM: Gaten hits two threes in a row for Iowa, but Nolen answers with a three of his own with the shot clock under 5. Gophers up 7 with 3:16 left. Busch has made his presence known in this game with two threes and a key put back a minute ago. Good to see him bounce back after not seeing much PT against OSU.

7:50 PM: Hoff with a bad turnover and Busch with a bad foul late in the shot clock and Iowa cuts it to 46-44 with 1:17 left.

7:52 PM: Busch, with a classic "No, no, no, YES!" drive for two to push the Gopher lead back to four with 39.4 seconds left. Good possession by the Gophers.

7:54 PM: Good defense to by the Gophers. The ball gets crotched in the rim and Gophers get the ball back on the possession arrow. They lead 48-44 with 25.6 seconds left.

7:57 PM: Another poor turnover at the end of a close game by the Gophers. It looks like they'll escape after Iowa misses a three but these end-game mishaps are going to come back to haunt them sometime this season.

7:59 PM: Nolen misses two FTs and Iowa hits a three! It's a one point game with 5 seconds left!

8:02 PM: Westbrook hits two FTs to push the lead to three. Kelly then lets a half court shot fly with 2 seconds still on the clock and misses. The Gophers escape 52-49. If there ever was an ugly win this was it.

The Gopher: such a balanced and versatile creature

Most of you have probably heard by now that the Gophers are off to their best start since the 1996-1997 season.  The surprising part of this 13-1 start is how the Gophers have went about accomplishing their midseason success.  The Gophers and Coach Tubby Smith have shown amazing balance and versatility.  Six Gophers (Lawrence Westbrook, Damian Johnson, Blake Hoffarber, Al Nolen, Colton Iverson, and Ralph Sampson III) average more than 6.0 points per game and eleven Gophers average more than 10.0 minutes per game and more than 3.5 points per game.  When asked about the distribution of playing time Tubby said, "I don't care about playing time.  That's the last thing on my mind.  I want to know who can help me win the game.  If you can help me win the game, fine.  If you can't, you ain't playing. I've always done that.  I've been pretty good with it."  The Gophers also have one of the most balanced offenses in the Big Ten, ranking third in points per game (73.1), despite having only one player who ranks in the Big Ten's top 29 scorers, Lawrence Westbrook averaging 13.0 points per game.  The Gophers also rely on contributions from many versatile players, such as Damian Johnson.  Damian 'Just Too Sexy' Johnson is leading the Big Ten with 2.4 steals per game, is second with 2.5 blocks per game, is eighth shooting 56.6% from the floor, and fourth with a 2.5 assist/turnover ratio.  The balance and versatility of the Gophers hopefully will continue throughout the remainder of the season.  Along with, most importantly, the wins that the Gophers have produced thus far.

Illustrating the balance and versatility below is a chart showing the percentage of each statistic that each player is responsible for.  The Y-axis contains the statistical categories and the legend  states which color corresponds to each player.  If you place your arrow over a figure in the chart you can see the percentage amount that player contributes to the Gophers overall statistical category.  

Stats by StatSheet.com

Rodney Williams Highlight Reel

A nice highlight reel of Gopher commit Rodney Williams. Props to shimmy.

Gophers #19. Iowa Assistant Coach Chad Walthall

The #19 Gophers (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll) will now travel to Iowa City on Thursday to face off against a young Hawkeye team.  We know a lot about our Gophers squad but I wanted to get Iowa's perspective on their own performance this year so I asked Iowa Assistant Coach, and Minnesota native, Chad Walthall a few questions.

Club Tubby:  

You have a relatively young team this season, with only 5 upper classmen, how have the younger players handled the intensity of the Big Ten so far?  In your opinion, what is the most difficult aspect for young players to adapt to playing in the Big Ten?

Coach Walthall:

I believe the young players have handled things very well with all the new things thrown at them in the first year.  At times there will be growing pains that go along with first year players but overall we have been very pleased.  I think the most difficult thing anytime you are playing a very young and new to the program team is consistency running your system day in and day out.

Club Tubby:

The Gophers had problems with rebounding in their loss this year to Michigan State.  In the losses the Hawkeyes have had this year what has been the team's biggest weakness, or area that they need to improve in?

Coach Walthall:

I think we need to be a little bit more consistent on the defensive side of the floor.  We have had moments where we have been very good and at certain times we forget to continue to do those things that helped us play well.  When we play consistent on that side of the floor we have had good success.

Club Tubby:

You are from Minnesota and took runner-up in state in 1986.  Was the state championship game played in the Barn?  Did you grow up as a Gopher fan?  Minnesota's big rivals are Iowa and Wisconsin, who are Iowa's biggest rivals in basketball?

Coach Walthall:

I actually did not have the opportunity to play in the Barn during the state tournament because it was our turn (class A - it was a 2 class system in those days) to play at the Civic Center.  I did though get to play at the Barn in the Minnesota All-Star Game and that was a great experience.  It has always been one of my all time favorite arenas.  Such a great environment and of course I was a huge Gopher fan.  Grew up watching Mychal Thompson, Kevin McHale, Trent Tucker, Darryl Mitchell, Gary Holmes, Randy Brewer, Mark Hall, etc.  Biggest rival is pretty much the same as the Gophers but you could probably add Iowa State as well.

Club Tubby wants to thank Coach Walthall for his comments.  

The Gophers come into the matchup with the Hawkeyes averaging 73.1 points per game, while the Hawkeyes come in averaging 64.7 points per game.  The Gophers gather more rebounds than the Hawkeyes; Minnesota 35.7 per game, Iowa 29.0 per game.  However the Hawkeyes' leading rebounder Cyrus Tate is pulling down 6.7 rebounds per game followed by Matt Gatens (3.9 rebounds per game).  The Gophers leader is Colton Iverson with 4.4 rebounds per game, followed by Al Nolen and Damian Johnson (both 3.9 rebounds per game).  If the Gophers keep Tate off the glass and apply consistent pressure on the defensive end they should leave their first Big Ten road game with a 'W'.

Sisters??? You tell me.... Gophers Beat Juwanna Mann led Buckeyes, 68-59

The Gophers rebounded (literally) from their poor showing against MSU to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes rather handily. The Buckeyes came into the game ranked 24th in the nation but based on what I saw from the Buckeyes I suspect this win won't look as impressive by the end of the year as they appaer to be a team headed downhill. The Buckeyes do boast a future WNBA first round pick in back-up point guard P.J. Hill (aka Juwanna Mann), but that doesn't change the fact that she is a girl and can't compete with men. She's probably one of the worst players in the Big Ten this year. The Buckeys are also having to deal with the loss of defensive leader David Lighty to injury who is out 'til February. The defensive intensity of the Buckeyes was nothing compared to what the Gophers faced against Sparty on Wednesday. Thad hinted in his post-game remarks that this is largely because of Lighty's absence. The Gophers though, do deserve credit for knocking down the all the open looks they were given and finally outrebounding a legitimate opponent. All the Gophers that played looked good (especially Damian, Dev"oh" and Colt 45) and Tubby showed early signs of what could be a rotation forming by giving no PT to Busch and Big John in the second half. All in all a solid performance in a game that the Gophers needed to win.

Two side notes:

1. JAS has successfully put together two consecutive games were he actually didn't eff anything up even provided a little boost on the offensive end. He probably saw that I called him out in my non-conference grades.

2. The legendary Mark Titus was present on the Buckeye bench for the entire game where he succcessfully completed his goal contibuting nothing to the team. In case you've been living in cave and haven't heard, Titus started a blog this season that has earned accolades from several media outlets inlcuding the B.S. Report and SI On Campus. His blog, called Club Trillion, revolves around his goal to provide zero statistical contributions to the team when he gets in for his minute of garbage time so that his stat line reads: 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (hence the name Club Trillion). What an awesome goal. Anyway, from what I have seen, his blog sucks. I've gone to it twice and read two stupid posts. The first was some sappy one thanking everyone for giving him and his blog attention. The second most recent one was his ten wishes for 2009, all of which involve him using his blog and friendship with Greg Oden to his advantage in some really idiotic way. In summary, Mark Titus is a tool.