Gopher Basketball
-Said that the 1-3-1 gave MN some problems, but that the Gophers were too big and strong inside
-Didn’t think his team made good decisions throughout the game; said his team did a lot of “ring-around-the-rosey” stuff
-Said they didn’t pressure the ball enough on the wings, making the passes easy
-Said he was impressed by the big men for Minnesota on their ability to defend away from the basket, saying they are not a big, slow team
-Carmody said he forgot what happened on the technical foul
-On how to play Minnesota when they have all three big men on the floor, he said teams have to make shots, saying you can either do that or take it right at them, and that making shots is probably the better option
-He was impressed by the way Williams did with the ball tonight
-Thought the 1-3-1 took the ball out of Williams’ hands as a scorer
-Said that Shurna needed a bunch of stitches for the gash in his chin from the injury during the game
Minnesota Gophers Players Blake Hoffarber and Ralph Sampson:
-(Blake) On playing point guard, he said he’s got to get re-acclimated to playing the position, but there’s not too big of a difference
-(Ralph) On playing all three big men, he said they can use that to their advantage, since one of them always had a small player on them, and they can exploit other teams that way
-(Blake) That 1-3-1 is tough, but thought they handled it pretty well with the exception of one stretch late in the first half
-(Blake) Said that the things he worked on during the summer have really come in handy now that he’s going to be playing more point guard, particularly moving with the ball
-(Blake) Said a lot of teams are trying to shoot the three-pointer a lot against them, and Northwestern was no exception tonight
-(Ralph) It was definitely a first test to see how well the three big men played together, and said that spacing was a bit of an issue earlier, and that it’s something you have to get used to, but thought it went pretty well tonight
-(Blake) When you’re at the point guard position, and the other four players are all taller than everyone else, you have to look to lob it over the top
-(Blake) Said Tubby was in a good mood going into the half, and thought they had played pretty well
-(Blake) Said when you have that many weapons out there, they are going to be tough to beat
-(Blake) Pointed out that the passing game was great between the big men tonight
-(Blake) Said he likes playing point guard, though ball-handling is more evident at point guard than the #2 guard. Mentioned that all the guards need to step up now and fill Al Nolen’s spot
-(Ralph) Mentioned that coming out of the half, the team knew they had to come out strong in the second half to take control of the game, knowing how well Northwestern shoots the three
Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith:
-Thought the team did a good job sticking with the game-plan tonight, and that Minnesota did a very good job with the new lineup of three big men, especially getting the ball inside and finishing
-Didn’t think it was a smooth transition with the new lineup, but thought it went fine
-The biggest adjustment is for the perimeter guys, particularly Rodney Williams moving to the #2 guard position
-Thought Iverson had an awesome night tonight
-Said when you get the balanced scoring that the team got tonight, that’s a very good sign
-Looking ahead to Purdue, Tubby said match-ups will dictate, but he said he likes the big lineup that they had tonight. Mentioned they have a short bench because of it
-Mentioned Ralph Sampson has been outstanding these past three games, adding that he’s probably been one of the more consistent players on the team over the past couple of years; he’s been a big key to Minnesota’s resurgence, as well as Rodney
-Thought Hoffarber did a good job at the point tonight, saying they’ve always struggled with the 1-3-1 in the past, but he did a nice job with it (MN had 18 assists on 24 Field Goals)
-If they can cut back on turnovers and make free throws, they are going to be pretty solid
-Said he’ll take Blake’s line tonight any night (20 Points, 4 Assists, 3 Rebounds)
-Minnesota needs to do a better job of tossing it back out on a double-team and find the open man on the perimeter
-Said he decided in the past few days, but solidly yesterday, to go to the big lineup, due to good practicing in that time span. Credited Halverson and Dawson to practice with them for making them better
-Said it was wonderful to have Charley Mencel here tonight, and said how much the game has changed over the years since he played. Said it’s a credit to him to be able to shift from basketball to business and really be a success in all facets of life. Added it’s great to celebrate players like that, because there are a lot of success stories that have come through the “U” like that. Mentioned it was great to honor him with a win