The players have to execute better on offense!
As was mentioned earlier, Hoffarber did get open some today, but teammates didn't get him the ball. Somebody also questioned the overall basketball IQ of the team. I think that is on point. It's probably due to youth in some cases. The Gophers just haven't gotten open enough and when they do, the ball doesn't get in their hands often enough.
Case in points...
- All day MSU was hedging the high screens with the off-ball defender jumping out to help stop the ball aggressively. The resulted in a number of nice rolls by the picker, but the ball handler never identified the open man rolling to the basket and delivered the ball. MSU was so aggressive that the roll was open a lot, but they didn't execute the delivery once all game. Guys shouldn't need a coach to recognize this. MSU did it consistently and it just kept working.
- I also saw a number of times when the player moving to the post on a ball reversal was very late, i.e. the play timing was off. But then, just as he established the post, the wing play dribbled out of position (higher) and then didn't have a passing lane to feed the post. Then again, the times that they were in the right position, they still couldn't manage to execute the post feed. With the twin towers here for three more years, that something that the wing players MUST improve on! We can't just keep playing around the perimeter. Getting the ball inside, even if you just kick it back out makes the defense react and opens up opportunity.
- Too often we don't defend the pick-and-roll well. Suton got open for a wide open shot when both Gopher players followed the ball. You've got to communicate better. Are you switching or fighting through....call the picks...help out.
All that being said, the Gophers showed a lot of guts and hustle to stay in the game and the experience will help them as this program builds. We need some more talent and experience to consistently beat the top teams. The future is still bright.