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.