It’s not often the Barn is entertained with a top-15 matchup in late November. Miami and Minnesota was a treat for the fans in attendance and may be a preview for a future March matchup. Dewan Huell led the Miami with 23 points as the Hurricanes shot 56 percent in the second half. The Gophers clearly missed guard Dupree McBrayer, who was out with a leg infection. Amir Coffey dropped 23 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Gophers fell to the No. 10 ranked, Hurricanes, 86-81.
Murphy tallies another double-double
Early in the game, Miami was struggling to defend the Gophers’ big-men inside. The Hurricanes started a four-guard lineup and Minnesota took advantage with a heavy dose of Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy inside. The Gophers used a little high-low action to facilitate offensive action. Jordan Murphy has evolved so much on the offensive end and displays patience when setting up his moves. He beautiful eased into a finish off the dribble and maintained control through all his moves. Last year, he often picked up unnecessary fouls or dribbled too much. This year, he is so comfortable on the floor and is an extremely difficult matchup because of his athleticism. Murphy tallied his eighth consecutive double-double, which is the longest Big Ten streak since 2000.
Defending the pick-and-roll
On the defensive end, the Gophers were protecting the paint and defending Miami drives in first half. They blocked 12 shots and managed to defend the rim relatively well. Their defense in the paint was excellent through the first 20 minutes and Reggie Lynch managed to play without fouling. He had seven blocked shots in the first half and picked up just one foul. The post defense was debilitating for the Hurricanes as they tried to match up with the talented duo of Lynch and Murphy. However, during the second half, Miami broke the Gophers defense via pick-and-roll action. Minnesota struggled to rotate on defense and Miami shot the ball well, too. When Dewan Huell was coming off pick-and-roll action, Minnesota had no answer for him. The Canes shot 56 percent in the second half and ran away from the Gophers over the final 20 minutes. Minnesota had 12 turnovers and it allowed Miami to get on the run, which is their strength. The live ball turnovers are something the Gophers must clean up before Sunday’s Big Ten opener.
McBrayer was missed in this game
The Gophers struggled to overcome the absence of Dupree McBrayer (leg infection). Freshman Isaiah Washington was forced to play the two guard spot and again struggled to hit shots. He was just 1-for-12 from the floor before hitting back-to-back layups in the final minutes. Nate Mason and Amir Coffey were forced to shoulder the load with McBrayer out. Mason hit back-to-back three-pointers in the early stages of the game, but went to the bench with two fouls. It was good news: the offense ran through Amir Coffey. Coffey had 23 points, including a notable Blake Hoffarber-esque shot while sitting on the floor. He played aggressive from the two spot, but the Gophers lacked personnel to make it work. They had zero bench points and it was a major difference in the game. The Gophers must start gaining some production from their bench in future games.
Gophers’ ball movement
The Gophers started the second half by displaying poor ball movement. It allowed the Hurricanes to go on a 7-0 run out of the break. Isaiah Washington took two poor shots and Minnesota wasn’t rotating the ball. They had just three assists at the 17:23 mark of the second half and finished with just 12 on the night. Richard Pitino attempted to fix this by playing Amir Coffey at the two and Michael Hurt at the three spot. This helped the offensive movement, but presented challenges on the defensive end. Miami jumped out to a ten-point lead and never looked back en route to a five-point road win. It’s clear the Gophers will need to work on their help side defense off pick-and-roll to prevent easy baskets. Miami had seven dunks and Minnesota must eliminate easy opportunities.
In the end, it was clear to see the major role Dupree McBrayer plays in the guard rotation. Richard Pitino said he will be day-to-day with a leg infection and will be reevaluated later in the week. If he misses more time, the Gophers will be relying upon Isaiah Washington to improve upon Wednesday night’s performance.