***OFFICIAL PENN STATE AT MINNESOTA IN-GAME THREAD!!!!***

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EG#9 said:
Well the positive is the season isn't over...yet. Very, very concerned with Pitino's offense. I believe that Murphy dunk was their only basket in the last 8 minutes of the game. I can't even remember a good, clean look in the last 8 minutes either though I concede there could have been one or two. Amir simply isn't quick enough to beat guards off the dribble from the top of the key. If Pitino insists on running an offense that is almost entirely dependent on dribble penetration, he has to have Washington in the game.

Disappointing to have such a flat, lifeless effort at home in the first half on the heels of such an embarrassing defeat. Hopefully the mere fact that they pulled out this game can be a galvanizing force for the team going forward.
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Pitino needs to expand his offensive schemes beyond the unimaginative dribble-drive/weave/high ball screen. Last 8 minutes were complete garbage on the offensive end and we were very fortunate to get a few calls at the end to hang on. No post touches toward the end of the game; just Coffey and McBrayer curling wildly into the lane or jacking up bad shots.

They need Washington to run the point; Gabe can come off the bench.
 


I'm glad the team gutted this one out. Our shooting from ten feet out and beyond has to improve. It was nice to see some cutting through the paint and hustle under the boards. I wonder if that hustle in the paint isn't an illusion because of how porous PSU's defense is. I don't know if this level of play would get us playing .500 ball the rest of the way through the conference.

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Blitzkrieg said:
Spot on. Nor is Coffey a strong enough ball handler. Wait until he faces the top PG’s in our conference. If IW can keep dishing assists and limit his shots to within 3 feet of the basket there is hope. IW’s ball handling skills are great, he just needs to accept his role on this team. I really believe he can handle anyone who guards him and puts pressure on him.
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Couldn't watch the game. Was working outside and tracking on my phone. I note that IW was 0-4 with 2 assists. Just glad we pulled it put. I was pretty depressed at halftime and I think even the cows knew that.
 


One of the things that is really hurting this team right now is the fact that Gabe has totally lost confidence in his shooting. Starting with the Ohio State game his is now 14-56 during that span - 25% from 3 point range. Early in the year his ability to hit the three with regularity was a difference maker with this team. I noticed that even in warmups he is missing a bunch of them so something is just off right now. He will find it again soon and it is badly needed. Teams have no fear of us from the outside. Put three guys on Murphy, no problem. Great that we won tonight and we get a chance to have a game against Michigan where we have everything to gain and nothing to lose. We need to display the defensive effort shown in the last 10 minutes for 40 minutes.
 

bga1 said:
One of the things that is really hurting this team right now is the fact that Gabe has totally lost confidence in his shooting. Starting with the Ohio State game his is now 14-56 during that span - 25% from 3 point range. Early in the year his ability to hit the three with regularity was a difference maker with this team. I noticed that even in warmups he is missing a bunch of them so something is just off right now. He will find it again soon and it is badly needed. Teams have no fear of us from the outside. Put three guys on Murphy, no problem. Great that we won tonight and we get a chance to have a game against Michigan where we have everything to gain and nothing to lose. We need to display the defensive effort shown in the last 10 minutes for 40 minutes.
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Spot on. Lots of good posts tonight.
 

Gabe is 44% from the 3 vs big ten teams...pitino calling this a great win is more evidence he needs to be replaced
 

theczar said:
Gabe is 44% from the 3 vs big ten teams...pitino calling this a great win is more evidence he needs to be replaced
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Not sure how it will end for him here, but a quote after the game is not evidence of anything. It was hideous at times and the reffing was frustrating as hell, but they did claw their way back. Pretty sure that was his point--they played really hard when they got desperate. Now about getting that far behind; that's another matter.
 



theczar said:
Gabe is 44% from the 3 vs big ten teams...pitino calling this a great win is more evidence he needs to be replaced
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A game that we won or what the coach said in a press conference after are not two of this team's problems. I've been plenty tough on Pitino this year, but we won last night, so yesterday was a good day for the team.
 

It was a good day for the team.

The offense is simply putrid. Horrible. IMO, iw has to play as he can get entries to the post as evidenced by his passes to Oturo.

The offense just has more options with iw running the point. Richard seems to be too committed to Amir at the point for my taste. I would like to see iw start with Amir at a wing and Dupree at the off guard.
 

Block M said:
Pitino needs to expand his offensive schemes beyond the unimaginative dribble-drive/weave/high ball screen. Last 8 minutes were complete garbage on the offensive end and we were very fortunate to get a few calls at the end to hang on. No post touches toward the end of the game; just Coffey and McBrayer curling wildly into the lane or jacking up bad shots.

They need Washington to run the point; Gabe can come off the bench.
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I agree that the offense is very frustrating to watch. But WE were fortunate to get calls at the end? Did you actually watch the game?
 




GopherWeatherGuy said:
I agree that the offense is very frustrating to watch. But WE were fortunate to get calls at the end? Did you actually watch the game?
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No kidding. The lopsided, horrifically bad, calls/non calls against the Gophers should be highlighted. We pulled out a win despite the zebras efforts to stop us.
 

Where is the voice of reason with respect to officiating?
 

theczar said:
Gabe is 44% from the 3 vs big ten teams...pitino calling this a great win is more evidence he needs to be replaced
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Any win in the BigTen is Great. Just saying

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If you play Washington and Coffey together you don’t have a backup point guard. Non tech hook was so bad after Murphy having one called on him in a previous game. A win is a win is a win.


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Good news: the defense was GREAT in the second half, especially down the stretch. This team is capable of playing this calibrer of défense consistently.

Bad news: why can't/won't this team play defense more consistently? Why were they so passive and lifeless against Illinois and in the first half last night?
 

BarnBurner said:
Where is the voice of reason with respect to officiating?
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Ragging on the officiating provides a good outlet, but it is absolutely something every fanbase does after every game. Example, Watkins got called for a foul on Murphy's dunk in the first half and he didn't even touch him and PSU fans and coaches went ballistic. Nothing was mentioned here. It is just natural to see your team as the team that is getting screwed. Especially in basketball where the officiating is close to guesswork at best.

I do it too,but deep down know that there is a guy at a computer on every fan board for every team that feels the same way I do.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Good news: the defense was GREAT in the second half, especially down the stretch. This team is capable of playing this calibrer of défense consistently.

Bad news: why can't/won't this team play defense more consistently? Why were they so passive and lifeless against Illinois and in the first half last night?
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Right on. Te team seems to play in spurts and the worst part is that the downswings are not just a lull, but usually a complete disaster.
 

theczar said:
pitino calling this a great win is more evidence he needs to be replaced
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I can understand him saying it, in a certain context. If you removed the names from the jerseys, pretended you didn't know anything about the teams before the game, were just watching the players playing the game in front of you ..... it was a dog fight at the end, and the Gophers actually looked like they were trying to win. They could've easily lost, but they pulled it out.

So in that context, it could be said that they gave a great fight and came out on top.


In the real world context, where we know Penn St is at the bottom of the Big Ten and this was a home game .... yeah it may not be a "great" win.
 

Gophers_4life said:
I can understand him saying it, in a certain context. If you removed the names from the jerseys, pretended you didn't know anything about the teams before the game, were just watching the players playing the game in front of you ..... it was a dog fight at the end, and the Gophers actually looked like they were trying to win. They could've easily lost, but they pulled it out.

So in that context, it could be said that they gave a great fight and came out on top.


In the real world context, where we know Penn St is at the bottom of the Big Ten and this was a home game .... yeah it may not be a "great" win.
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I think Pitino called it a great win because he knew this was absolute must win.

When we were down most of the game and came back, it was a great win. A loss would have been total armageddon and he knows it.

I think it was kind of a relief to come back and win for him..... making it a great win.
 

Goldteam said:
I think Pitino called it a great win because he knew this was absolute must win.

When we were down most of the game and came back, it was a great win. A loss would have been total armageddon and he knows it.

I think it was kind of a relief to come back and win for him..... making it a great win.
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That works for me :cool:

Would be interesting to know if Pitino would've been fired today, if they had lost.


I mean .... the guy had a look to win the game with a shot right at the end. It could've just as easily gone in. He just missed it, instead. That was ultimately the difference, between Pitino surviving to fight another day.
 

I didn’t watch any of this game. Was at a wedding. Worth watching the recording?
 

WoodburyTim said:
Ragging on the officiating provides a good outlet, but it is absolutely something every fanbase does after every game. Example, Watkins got called for a foul on Murphy's dunk in the first half and he didn't even touch him and PSU fans and coaches went ballistic. Nothing was mentioned here. It is just natural to see your team as the team that is getting screwed. Especially in basketball where the officiating is close to guesswork at best.

I do it too,but deep down know that there is a guy at a computer on every fan board for every team that feels the same way I do.
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While I agree that this is generally true, I think this game was lopsided against the Gophers. The most egregious thing I saw from the zebras, and this probably wasn't shown on the telecast, but after a "questionable" call in the second half, they went to a long review, then affirmed it against the gophers. As the huddles were breaking up, one of the refs fist-bumped the PSU player that was involved in the play.

How is that acceptable? Honestly, that kind of **** should get refs disciplined.
 

Saber said:
While I agree that this is generally true, I think this game was lopsided against the Gophers. The most egregious thing I saw from the zebras, and this probably wasn't shown on the telecast, but after a "questionable" call in the second half, they went to a long review, then affirmed it against the gophers. As the huddles were breaking up, one of the refs fist-bumped the PSU player that was involved in the play.

How is that acceptable? Honestly, that kind of **** should get refs disciplined.
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Wow. Did some research. Player in question is the nephew of the refs college roommate!!! Are you kidding me?? Come on Big Ten. Try to be fair
 

WoodburyTim said:
Ragging on the officiating provides a good outlet, but it is absolutely something every fanbase does after every game. Example, Watkins got called for a foul on Murphy's dunk in the first half and he didn't even touch him and PSU fans and coaches went ballistic. Nothing was mentioned here. It is just natural to see your team as the team that is getting screwed. Especially in basketball where the officiating is close to guesswork at best.

I do it too,but deep down know that there is a guy at a computer on every fan board for every team that feels the same way I do.
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Well, said. Another was the foul call on a PSU defender that sent Coffey to the line for three shots. That was a flop that would have made Bill Laimbeer smile. The replay showed that the PSU player's fingers lightly grazed Coffey's hips to steady himself as he was running by after the shot was out of Coffey's hand.

People call out particularly bad commissions or omissions as representatives but since PSU received two more fouls and 10 fewer free throw attempts for the game I don't think the overall officiating was unfair to Minnesota.
 
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Random thoughts after watching that mess last night in person:
We seem to have absolutely no purpose on offense - what are we trying to accomplish?
One guy dribbles, four guys stand around. Jack up a prayer as the shot clock expires.
Murphy spends way too much time outside of his scoring range, beyond 15 feet.
Not only do we not know how to attack zones, we can't handle any kind of pressure because of our guard play.
When a post player has position, we don't feed them the ball. If Murphy or Curry have position, give them the damn ball -- EVERY TIME! And then they need to make decisive moves to the basket.
We have two left-handers who cannot go to their right and create a shot. Smart defenses know this.
Passers don't seem to recognize when teammates are open, late getting them the ball.
Cutters run through the offensive zone not looking for the ball, even when they may be open.
We don't screen any defenders, we walk by and wave at them; therefore, no one gets open.
How can it seem like all five guys on offense are confused so often?
Need much more consistency in production and intensity on both ends of the court from our veteran leaders, they need to carry this team -- every night. We can't afford to have them disappear, even for a half.
 

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