Goldstein: Here are the five questions that will define the Gophers season

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BleedGopher

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per Goldstein:

1. How do they handle life without Daniel Oturu?

2. How good can Marcus Carr be?

3. How will the team incorporate new talent?

4. How productive will the bench be?

5. How does the team gel?

bringmethenews.com

Gophers season preview: New lineup, deeper bench, more questions

Mathew Goldstein takes a deep dive into the murky waters of the college hoops season.
bringmethenews.com bringmethenews.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Or,
1. How effective is Liam stepping up a level of competition?
2. Can Gach And Gabe consistently make threes this year?
3. Will Johnson be effective against better competition?
4. Is Carr too focused on impressing NBA scouts versus leading the team?
5. Is Mashburn a top freshman in the country or just a newcomer?
6. How high is the ceiling for Ihnen? Will he show us dramatic improvement?
7. How many guys will Richard actively incorporate into his rotation on a consistent basis?
8. Is this the season the Gophers and Richard surpass Bob’s expectations?
9. Do the Gophers finish Top 5 in the conference despite everyone picking them bottom 4?
10. Do the Gophers get to play more than 10 games this year?
 

My questions are: #1 with a Bullet* Will they defend well enough to win even if they aren't shooting well? And: Will they make the open shots on the perimeter that clanked last year? And: Will they accept roles and play well as a team as opposed to 5 individuals thrown together for the first time and not quite on the same page?
 

My question is will Richard use his depth? Too many close games lost last year because guys were playing 35+ minutes a game. Let Carr sit a few minutes in the second half.
 

tmvander said:
My question is will Richard use his depth? Too many close games lost last year because guys were playing 35+ minutes a game. Let Carr sit a few minutes in the second half.
Click to expand...
*cough*40*cough*
 



Answer #1: Rollins was much better choice than Markusen.

It will be hard to tell until the competition gets better. Gabe has to shoot better than he has so far from 3. Would like to see Ihnen more. But can understand its hard to get Gach off the court. If Williams, Mashburn and Ihnen are going to play a decent amount of minutes, those minutes are going to come from Gabe. Both Gach is just way more polished and looks better at playing with Carr than Kalesheur. Don't see how Pitino short bench complex will not keep Carr and Gach on the court for 30+ min every game in the B1G.

Front court minutes look up for grabs between Rollins, Curry, Johnson, Omersa (surprisingly) and Ihnen.

Watch out for COVID impact.
 

Ignoring the COVID question because every team will have that one hanging over it

Here are the big questions I'd have for this team

1. Can they score efficiently in the halfcourt? They aren't going to be a fast breaking team (and man they had some rough looking transition opportunities the other night) so they'll need to grind out halfcourt possessions.

2. Who besides Carr can score consistently? Who besides Carr can create an easy shot for someone else?

3. Can Robbins consistently stay out of foul trouble (so far that's a no)?

4. Can Ihnen/Williams take a significant step forward and be productive rotation pieces?

5. Can Mashburn (some of this may be tied to playing time) provide another capable ballhandler and shot-creator?
 




I think the team goes as Carr goes. Hard to see them beating good competition without him or if he has a bad game. However, there are a variety of other guys who can step up and be a solid #2

My biggest (non-covid) questions so far are:
1. Who can shoot from the perimeter at a good enough rate to help us win games? So far, no one.
2. Can Robbins stay out of foul trouble? So far, no. Couple soft ones in each game.
3. Can Carr sustain this level of play? I know he likely won't average 33ppg but it'd be cool if he was good all year
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
I think the team goes as Carr goes. Hard to see them beating good competition without him or if he has a bad game. However, there are a variety of other guys who can step up and be a solid #2

My biggest (non-covid) questions so far are:
1. Who can shoot from the perimeter at a good enough rate to help us win games? So far, no one.
2. Can Robbins stay out of foul trouble? So far, no. Couple soft ones in each game.
3. Can Carr sustain this level of play? I know he likely won't average 33ppg but it'd be cool if he was good all year
Click to expand...
Good questions...
1. Totally, sadly agree...so far.
2. Robbins and Johnson have to be consistently better by a large margin. I'd like to think, they'd agree.
3. I think Carr is hungry. He's just good! How does he handle success? Can he and Gach become a duo? Carr needs some help to not be game planned away by the opponent.
4. Is there a cure for Ihnen and Gabe? If they play like tonight going forward our ceiling is significantly lower. Both were cover your eyes bad in different ways.
 

Biggsohnasty said:
Ignoring the COVID question because every team will have that one hanging over it

Here are the big questions I'd have for this team

1. Can they score efficiently in the halfcourt? They aren't going to be a fast breaking team (and man they had some rough looking transition opportunities the other night) so they'll need to grind out halfcourt possessions.

2. Who besides Carr can score consistently? Who besides Carr can create an easy shot for someone else?

3. Can Robbins consistently stay out of foul trouble (so far that's a no)?

4. Can Ihnen/Williams take a significant step forward and be productive rotation pieces?

5. Can Mashburn (some of this may be tied to playing time) provide another capable ballhandler and shot-creator?
Click to expand...
1. Good question! They look pretty ugly in a slow down game. They would have lost last night without Carr's ability to create his own shot and "Ice" in his veins. He can create for others, but they have to make the shots.
2. Gach is the second option so far. Need consistent production (10-12pts) from someone else, preferably down low. Rollins has not shown he can do that, Johnson doesn't shoot enough, Curry may not hold up enough to produce and Ihnen can't get enough run for whatever reason. Omersa is strict garbage and opportunity buckets. Not reliable. Kalesheur can't seem to hit the ocean from a boat. WTF?
3. Rollins is going to have to learn quickly how not to foul. B1G refs will help.
4. Not if they don't get some run! They need to get some significant minutes in some of these upcoming games against lesser competition. What happens if COVID hits?
5. See answer to 4.

Pitno has got to lengthen the bench in these non-conference games. Sooner or later, one of these major players is going to get exposed or contract COVID and the team will be screwed if the young guys don't get some time.
 

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