Preview: Gophers vs. UT-Chattanooga

Saturday’s second game of the regular season brings a first glimpse at the new-look Gophers. Unfortunately, “œnew-look” doesn’t mean the debut of Kevin Payton orRico Tucker . It of course means the first absence of Vincent Grier as he recovers from his broken finger. Tennessee-Chattanooga will hopefully be a good team for the Gophers to work on their new look against.

The Mocs are off to an 0-2 start to the season. They dropped their opener 64-48 at Mississippi State, and then lost to Belmont 93-79 at home on Tuesday. The latter does not make the Mocs sound very good, although Belmont did hit 17 three-pointers and may just have had a hot game.

Still, this should be a good opponent for the first no-Grier game. The trip to Maryland is just 4 days away, so time is short to find some confidence and forge a new identity. But with Vince out 4-6 weeks and several tough games on the schedule during that stretch, that’s exactly what Minnesota has to do.

Here are my Gopher Keys of the Game:

1. Fill Moe’s Shoes. Filling Vince’s shoes is the obvious task, but I think Moe Hargrow is up to it as well as anybody could be. The real issue now becomes filling Moe’s role as the #2 scorer. The Gophers don’t have another proven consistent scorer on the roster, but I think Dan Coleman‘s their best bet. Dan had some very big games early in his freshman season, but he’s been quiet this year. He needs to step up and look to score the ball aggressively. Guys like Adam Boone and J’son Stamper can help, but Dan’s the one with the most ability to put points on the board.

2. Keep Up the Little Things. Vince can score as well as anybody, but what he does better than anybody is the little things ““ hustle, steals, rebounds, and intensity. That’s something everybody on the roster can help replace, and you can be sure Vince will also be doing his part on the bench and in the huddles.

3. New Strategy. The Mocs have some bulk inside but not a whole lot of height. Coleman, Spencer Tollackson, and Jonathan Williams need to attack that. With Vince gone and Rico still out, Minnesota likely won’t have an edge in quickness and transition. So it’s time to switch strategies and look to the place where they should have an edge. This will also hopefully get a couple more guys confident enough to help fill Vince’s scoring gap.

There’s no doubt Vince’s loss is huge, and it’s hard not to think it will cost the Gophers at least a couple of losses. But, it doesn’t have to be all bad. If other guys can step up and help minimize the damage, this team could be in good shape 4-6 weeks from now and then get the big boost of Vince’s return. My prediction: Minnesota 66 UT-Chattanooga 56.

Talk about the game on our Gopher Basketball message board.