Gophers vs. Richmond Post-game thoughts

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I am little surprised this thread isn't more positive. I was impressed by how the players and coaches rebounded from losing a 14 point lead in a tough place to play. Adjustments were made and kids didn't play scared/panicked. Malik Smith hit a huge 3 to put the Gophers up 5 at a point in the game where their shots weren't falling. I believe that 3 was part of the huge run to close out the game. 'Dre Hollins was the player of the game, but Eliason is crucially important to this team right now.

For this season, I am concerned about whether we're athletic enough to play the type of defense Coach Pitino wants to play. I would like to see the press create more turnovers than it has to this point in the season.

Bigger picture, I was pretty excited to see Pitino switch to the zone, and continue to see multiple guys take the open shot when it was presented to them.
 

EG#9 said:
I am little surprised this thread isn't more positive. I was impressed by how the players and coaches rebounded from losing a 14 point lead in a tough place to play. Adjustments were made and kids didn't play scared/panicked. Malik Smith hit a huge 3 to put the Gophers up 5 at a point in the game where their shots weren't falling. I believe that 3 was part of the huge run to close out the game. 'Dre Hollins was the player of the game, but Eliason is crucially important to this team right now.

For this season, I am concerned about whether we're athletic enough to play the type of defense Coach Pitino wants to play. I would like to see the press create more turnovers than it has to this point in the season.

Bigger picture, I was pretty excited to see Pitino switch to the zone, and continue to see multiple guys take the open shot when it was presented to them.
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Maybe if it was on real TV?
 

howeda7 said:
Mav is at point where Miles Tarver rules apply. As long as you don't dribble or shoot anything that's not a put pack, you'll be fine. Sadly, that works better for a PF than a PG.
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How did Tubby ever sign Mav as a combo guard, he just has no hands whatsoever, it's pretty obvious into the fourth year it's not focus or effort.
 

I did not get to see the game last night,but, it seems obvious that we wore Richmond down. I thought I read somewhere on the Hole people were questioning our conditioning earlier in the game. A 19-0 finish to the game suggests otherwise.
 


EG#9 said:
Bigger picture, I was pretty excited to see Pitino switch to the zone, and continue to see multiple guys take the open shot when it was presented to them.
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I'm afraid this is the one thing that might make this a very long season, Mich State, OSU, Indiana, Wisc, etc. will have a field day with that defense, you can go to it as a change of pace but it can't be a mainstay, the press is decent but you better be able to fall back into a lock down half court man, most of Tubby' teams played excellent defense and I for one am used to that, Richmond was getting some easy looks at times, teams in the B1G aren't going to go 3 for whatever from the 3.
 

Good early season win, disappointed to see GopherHole HOFer Chuck Buggs as a scratch yet again.
 

D. McCardle said:
I did not get to see the game last night,but, it seems obvious that we wore Richmond down. I thought I read somewhere on the Hole people were questioning our conditioning earlier in the game. A 19-0 finish to the game suggests otherwise.
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+1 Better conditioned team won. Richmond had no legs to shoot and Gophers were able to keep hitting their shots. Hope RP uses zone more given the lack of depth on the Gopher bench.
 

I can not believe the negative thoughts either! We go on a 19 to 0 run at the end of the game! On the road vs. a good team. When did a Tubby team do that? MSU struggles at home vs Columbia and Wisc. barely beats Green Bay.... I think we have the best 3 some in the Big 10 with Hollins (2) and Little Dre... Go Gophers!!!
 



jovs said:
I'm afraid this is the one thing that might make this a very long season, Mich State, OSU, Indiana, Wisc, etc. will have a field day with that defense, you can go to it as a change of pace but it can't be a mainstay, the press is decent but you better be able to fall back into a lock down half court man, most of Tubby' teams played excellent defense and I for one am used to that, Richmond was getting some easy looks at times, teams in the B1G aren't going to go 3 for whatever from the 3.
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My thoughts exactly. The great thing is we won despite a weakness being exposed, and got some great film to work on.

The press has really not been affective much this year, we'll need solid half court D in the B1G.
 

jovs said:
I'm afraid this is the one thing that might make this a very long season, Mich State, OSU, Indiana, Wisc, etc. will have a field day with that defense, you can go to it as a change of pace but it can't be a mainstay, the press is decent but you better be able to fall back into a lock down half court man, most of Tubby' teams played excellent defense and I for one am used to that, Richmond was getting some easy looks at times, teams in the B1G aren't going to go 3 for whatever from the 3.
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If you said "pretty good" defense or even "good" defense, you might have a point, but "excellent"? The points against stats simply don't support that assertion. Tubby's teams were consistently hammered by 3-pointers, as he had the guards double-down on interior passes, leaving the kick-back 3 wide out play after play after play after play. Tubby's offense was quite stagnant, but D was his M.O., and the fact that his teams, for as athletic as they were, didn't excel on D to make up for stagnant O is a big reason he is no longer with the U.
 

I didn't get to watch the game but was getting the scoring updates online. Good teams are able to find ways to win and this team found a way to win on the road against a pretty tough Richmond team. There are always things a team can do better but lets focus on the way they finished this game.
 




First time since February 2010 the Gophers didn't register a single block in a game, I think.

But EE just being out there makes a big difference.

Lots of positives from last night, but that defensive 2FG% is still the scary issue for this year.
 

tmvander said:
I didn't get to watch the game but was getting the scoring updates online. Good teams are able to find ways to win and this team found a way to win on the road against a pretty tough Richmond team. There are always things a team can do better but lets focus on the way they finished this game.
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My thoughts exactly. We all know this team has some serious flaws to overcome this season but there plenty of positives to cheer for. They probably won't make the Big Dance this season but I'm anxious to see how the squad develops throughout the year under Coach Pitino.
 

EG#9 said:
I am little surprised this thread isn't more positive. I was impressed by how the players and coaches rebounded from losing a 14 point lead in a tough place to play. Adjustments were made and kids didn't play scared/panicked. Malik Smith hit a huge 3 to put the Gophers up 5 at a point in the game where their shots weren't falling. I believe that 3 was part of the huge run to close out the game. 'Dre Hollins was the player of the game, but Eliason is crucially important to this team right now.

For this season, I am concerned about whether we're athletic enough to play the type of defense Coach Pitino wants to play. I would like to see the press create more turnovers than it has to this point in the season.

Bigger picture, I was pretty excited to see Pitino switch to the zone, and continue to see multiple guys take the open shot when it was presented to them.
Click to expand...

Athleticism, yes, but mostly depth. We're thin in some spots, so it's not ideal for the longer rotation necessary. On the bright side, I feel the press will improve mechanically as the players begin to master it. It's important to remember that we're only three games into the regime.
 

I was at the game last night. I was super impressed with the defense last night. The press was effective in the beginning, in that it pushed the pace of the game to a level that Richmond wasn't ready for and we used that to jump out to an early lead. The Spiders did settle down and adjust for the rest of the game, but the big lead to start sent a strong message. After that, we probably did stick with the press for a little too long (giving up some easy fast break hoops), but I was impressed with our half court m2m defense compared to last year, especially so given our lack of size. The guys were talking, showing on screens, and switching when necessary. Much more fundamentally sound than under Tubby. The zone was solid too (obviously). Almost all of Richmond's looks out of their half court O were heavily contested and that played a BIG factor in Richmond's poor shooting. It was clear they hadn't faced a defense of our caliber yet this season.

Offensively, the attacking style is awesome and required, given our personnel. Dre 1.0, Dre 2.0, and Joey King can all make things happen on their own. I know Austin can too, but haven't seen much of it yet this season. The biggest shot of the game was Malik's three to put us up 5 with a little under 4 min to play. The crowd went silent after that and Richmond never gave them a reason to get back in it after that. I think we have enough shooters so that we won't have to rely on the same guy to hit from the outside all year. This is not a luxury we've had in years past.

Biggest question mark to me moving forward is: what will Mo Walker bring to the table? We desperately need his size on the defensive end. EE cannot play 35+ minutes every game at this pace, though he's been exceptional in his role thus far.
 

D. McCardle said:
I did not get to see the game last night,but, it seems obvious that we wore Richmond down. I thought I read somewhere on the Hole people were questioning our conditioning earlier in the game. A 19-0 finish to the game suggests otherwise.
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You may be a referring to one of my posts. I mentioned Grimm and or Spencer(on the radio broadcast) stated that Dre M and EE looked gassed when coach P called a timeout.

BTW Grimm and Spencer were seated right behind the Gopher bench.
 

ChemEGopher said:
I was at the game last night. I was super impressed with the defense last night. The press was effective in the beginning, in that it pushed the pace of the game to a level that Richmond wasn't ready for and we used that to jump out to an early lead. The Spiders did settle down and adjust for the rest of the game, but the big lead to start sent a strong message. After that, we probably did stick with the press for a little too long (giving up some easy fast break hoops), but I was impressed with our half court m2m defense compared to last year, especially so given our lack of size. The guys were talking, showing on screens, and switching when necessary. Much more fundamentally sound than under Tubby. The zone was solid too (obviously). Almost all of Richmond's looks out of their half court O were heavily contested and that played a BIG factor in Richmond's poor shooting. It was clear they hadn't faced a defense of our caliber yet this season.

Offensively, the attacking style is awesome and required, given our personnel. Dre 1.0, Dre 2.0, and Joey King can all make things happen on their own. I know Austin can too, but haven't seen much of it yet this season. The biggest shot of the game was Malik's three to put us up 5 with a little under 4 min to play. The crowd went silent after that and Richmond never gave them a reason to get back in it after that. I think we have enough shooters so that we won't have to rely on the same guy to hit from the outside all year. This is not a luxury we've had in years past.

Biggest question mark to me moving forward is: what will Mo Walker bring to the table? We desperately need his size on the defensive end. EE cannot play 35+ minutes every game at this pace, though he's been exceptional in his role thus far.
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I think we may see EE play 30-32 minutes per game. To improve right now, all he needs is big minutes and hopefully he'll start asking for the ball, like he did at the very end of last season. At this point in time, I'm not sure we can count on Not So Huge Mo to provide anything except 5 fouls. I think he's playing for the chance to come back next season.
 

book said:
I can not believe the negative thoughts either! We go on a 19 to 0 run at the end of the game! On the road vs. a good team. When did a Tubby team do that? MSU struggles at home vs Columbia and Wisc. barely beats Green Bay.... I think we have the best 3 some in the Big 10 with Hollins (2) and Little Dre... Go Gophers!!!
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FYI, I was at the UWGB v Wisky game, UWGB is going to be a pretty decent squad this year. Sykes is someone to keep an eye on, their entire offense runs through him at times, with good reason. Kid has absolutely insane hops, first play of the game he crossed Gasser over and almost jumped out of the gym with a one handed flush that got the sellout crowd (half badger fans) absolutely in a frenzy. UWGB played a great game but Wisky just wore them down in the end and pulled out a tough victory. UWGB, picked #1 in the Horizon this year, could upset some people in the tournament if Sykes gets hot, they have a very interesting lineup with a lot of role players that do their job. A sophomore from Kenosha, Fouse, held Decker in check much of the game playing some pretty good defense and fought quite well on the boards.

Wisky is not the team I expected them to be, and despite all the depth at guard, they played the same slow swing offense. Gasser is a shell of himself this early in the season, Marshall did not play (injured?), and surprisingly one of their best guards is Koenig who looks like a calm veteran boy Ryan guard already. Like I said, Dekker was held in check by Fouse when the two were on the court. If UWGB wouldn't have shot terribly from 3 this would have likely ended up being the 2nd time UWGB has upset UW on their home floor. (Other time was in 09 when Wisky was in the top 25 as well)

One other note, Nigel Hayes is going to be an annoying guy to play against for the next 4 years, he is a solid PF and plays the rugged/scrappy post quite well. Has deceptive speed at the block and will likely cause us to get extremely frustrated at EE as he will pull a couple spins for and 1's and gets us in foul trouble.
 

howieramone said:
I think we may see EE play 30-32 minutes per game. To improve right now, all he needs is big minutes and hopefully he'll start asking for the ball, like he did at the very end of last season. At this point in time, I'm not sure we can count on Not So Huge Mo to provide anything except 5 fouls. I think he's playing for the chance to come back next season.
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Mo played pretty well in the exhibitions, and he is going to get plenty of playing time when he gets back. He is much better than EE offensively, and he provides us another big body, we will need when we start playing teams with more size in the frontcourt.
 

howieramone said:
I think we may see EE play 30-32 minutes per game. To improve right now, all he needs is big minutes and hopefully he'll start asking for the ball, like he did at the very end of last season. At this point in time, I'm not sure we can count on Not So Huge Mo to provide anything except 5 fouls. I think he's playing for the chance to come back next season.
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This isn't a post up offense where the big man calls for the ball. This is an offense where EE picks and passes and then cleans up the junk for following baskets or gets a pick and roll opportunity. Perfect role for him. Meanwhile Mo has played well when on court. He will be a factor. In the Big Ten we are going to need Mo badly.
 

cncmin said:
If you said "pretty good" defense or even "good" defense, you might have a point, but "excellent"? The points against stats simply don't support that assertion. Tubby's teams were consistently hammered by 3-pointers, as he had the guards double-down on interior passes, leaving the kick-back 3 wide out play after play after play after play. Tubby's offense was quite stagnant, but D was his M.O., and the fact that his teams, for as athletic as they were, didn't excel on D to make up for stagnant O is a big reason he is no longer with the U.
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Tubby's teams played far from "Good defense" in my opinion. His slow it down approach, and the ability of our guards to allow teams to drive at will, had more to do with any defensive cumulative stats looking impressive more than anything else. True, he had a few stud defensive players (Mbakwe, EE, Sampson, DJ and Nolan), usually big's, but our guard defensive abilities have always lacked effort, technique, and ability, with the exception of Nolan.
 

Gopher Warrior said:
First time since February 2010 the Gophers didn't register a single block in a game, I think.

But EE just being out there makes a big difference.

Lots of positives from last night, but that defensive 2FG% is still the scary issue for this year.
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Elliott had a block in the second half.
 

howieramone said:
I think we may see EE play 30-32 minutes per game. To improve right now, all he needs is big minutes and hopefully he'll start asking for the ball, like he did at the very end of last season. At this point in time, I'm not sure we can count on Not So Huge Mo to provide anything except 5 fouls. I think he's playing for the chance to come back next season.
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Didn't watch the exhibition games?
 

bga1 said:
This isn't a post up offense where the big man calls for the ball. This is an offense where EE picks and passes and then cleans up the junk for following baskets or gets a pick and roll opportunity. Perfect role for him. Meanwhile Mo has played well when on court. He will be a factor. In the Big Ten we are going to need Mo badly.
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In every offense the center can call for the ball. In fact Coach P. said EE should be more aggressive calling for the ball recently. Not So Huge Mo has played well when on the court? Are you talking about the 19 points he slammed home last B1G season, or his ability to dominate NAIA and Division II opponents in exhibition games?
 

howieramone said:
In every offense the center can call for the ball. In fact Coach P. said EE should be more aggressive calling for the ball recently. Not So Huge Mo has played well when on the court? Are you talking about the 19 points he slammed home last B1G season, or his ability to dominate NAIA and Division II opponents in exhibition games?
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He also said Mo needs to demand the ball more. Anyone who has watched him can tell he has improved and is likely to contribute in a positive way this year.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Elliott had a block in the second half.
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I appreciate corrections, but not sure you're right on this one. I've got Eliason (and the team) at zero blocks for the game. Wonder if you're basing this off recollection or something else?
 

Gopher Warrior said:
I appreciate corrections, but not sure you're right on this one. I've got Eliason (and the team) at zero blocks for the game. Wonder if you're basing this off recollection or something else?
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I can't guarantee it was registered on the official score sheet, but he did in fact block a shot.
 


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