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House’s Report: Gophers Upset #24 Maryland, Reach Nine Big Ten Wins
By Daniel House
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/761058?referrer_id=
The Gopher men’s basketball team extended their winning streak to six games as they upset #24 Maryland on the road, 89-75. Dupree McBrayer led all scorers with 18 points and Nate Mason added 17. The Gophers had five players in double figures and committed just six turnovers in the game. Minnesota picked up a huge road win to reach nine Big Ten victories. They also secured their first winning Big Ten road record since 1997.
The Rundown
The Gophers started the game on a 10-4 run, fueled by two Akeem Springs three-pointers and an acrobatic finish at the rim. Maryland was shooting just 3-for-13 (23%) at the beginning of the game, but they would eventually come back to life. Eric Curry hit a tough jumper in the lane and Nate Mason finished a layup at the rim to give the Gophers a 17-11 lead. Maryland started hitting three pointers and went on a 10-0 run over 3:31 to claim a four-point lead. However, the Gophers answered with a 10-0 run of their own after Dupree McBrayer and Nate Mason drilled back-to-back three pointers. Nonetheless, Maryland went on another 10-0 run to take a four-point lead, but the Gophers cut the margin to 35-34 at the half.
Akeem Springs opened the second half with back-to-back three pointers and the Gophers led 40-35 out of the break. Maryland would bounce back after three pointers by Kevin Huerter and Anthony Cowan put them up by one-point. Maryland and Minnesota continued to trade leads until a Dupree McBrayer jumper put the Gophers ahead 55-53 with 11:45 left. The Gophers went on a 9-0 run over 1:55 to lead 59-53 with just over ten minutes left in the game. Maryland would again trim the lead to one-point, but Minnesota held the Terps to zero field goals over three minutes and extended their lead to 10 points with under five minutes to play. Maryland went 1-for-8 during a 14-2 Minnesota run over 5:21. The Gophers led 75-62 with 3:26 left and never looked back as they upset the Terrapins 89-75 on the road.
Springs gets his shot back, McBrayer is on fire
Akeem Springs went on an 8-0 run by himself to begin the game, but had to exit early with two quick fouls. The Gophers lost their spark on offense for a short sequence when he exited the game. Springs appeared to have his confidence back on offense and it allowed the Gophers’ offense to show signs of life. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was a huge lift for the Gophers in this game.
Amir Coffey didn’t have any points in the first half and continually has stretches where he doesn’t produce points. He hasn’t put together a complete game performance since his 30-point outburst against St. John’s early in the season. If he could put together one game where he is dominant for a full 40 minutes, it would be a huge lift to the team. Nonetheless, he had 13 second half points and hit some big shots down the stretch.
Dupree McBrayer provided a massive lift to the Gophers in the second half. He had a three-pointer, tough jumper, and a follow at the rim that helped Minnesota stay on top. McBrayer was 6-for-8 from the field in the game (18 points) and it appears he has snapped out of his recent slump.
Murphy shooting too many threes, team shot selection
Jordan Murphy shot two three pointers in the early stages of the game, which wasted valuable possessions. As a team, the Gophers really struggled with shot selection in the first half. Nate Mason forced several shots and Eric Curry tried a long three. In addition, Dupree McBrayer attempted an ill-advised shot during Maryland’s final 10-0 run of the half. Nate Mason shot just 4-for-10 in the first 20 minutes and forced a few shots in traffic. The Gophers need to run more half-court sets to develop scoring opportunities. They weren’t running through the complete offensive sets and took long-range jumpers that weren’t necessary. When Minnesota attacked off the dribble and either scored at the rim, or dished, the offense was totally different. Settling for jumpers early in possessions by big-men isn’t a productive form of offense for this team.
Gophers need to go down low
The Gophers definitely had an advantage down low, but didn’t really attack enough with their post players in the first half. When Jordan Murphy drove hard at the rim and finished, Maryland had no answer. Minnesota started to do this more in the second half and it helped them maximize their offensive possessions. Jordan Murphy had a huge dunk off a spectacular pass from Amir Coffey and the three-point play put the Gophers up 75-62 with 3:26 left. Murphy took over in the second half, scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.
Reggie Lynch again struggled with foul trouble and had four fouls by the midway point of the second half. However, the Gophers have continually found a way to win without him being on the floor. If he could eliminate the poor fouls he commits, he would be on the floor late in games.
Defensive rotations were a step slow
In the first half, the Gophers were a step too slow on their defensive rotations on the backside. Maryland was setting a ball screen and rolling, which left the big men wide-open. The Gophers were unable to hedge hard and recover off of these screens. This was a problem in the first matchup against Maryland and it allowed the Terrapins to convert with too many easy baskets around the rim. In addition, the Terps hit some three pointers when the defense was a step slow to rotate. The Gophers only allowed three made shots behind the arch in the first half, but they all came at timely portions of the game. In addition, the shots allowed Maryland to extend their runs in the first half.
The Gophers managed to hold Melo Trimble to two first half points on 1-of-7 shooting, but still went into halftime trailing. This really illustrates how many easy baskets and timely three pointers Minnesota allowed over the first 20 minutes of the game.
To begin the second half, Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter each had three pointers and Minnesota continued to allow Maryland to go on quick runs. The Terps passed the ball very well and the Gophers had a tough time rotating to defend the perimeter. However, the Gophers clamped down on defense for the remainder of the half and it allowed them to pull away from a tough Terps team. Maryland went 1-for-8 during a 14-2 Minnesota run and the defensive effort/adjustments down the stretch were the difference in this game.
What’s Next?
The Gophers will host Penn State at Williams Arena Saturday afternoon with the tip slated for 2 p.m. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.
By Daniel House
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/761058?referrer_id=
The Gopher men’s basketball team extended their winning streak to six games as they upset #24 Maryland on the road, 89-75. Dupree McBrayer led all scorers with 18 points and Nate Mason added 17. The Gophers had five players in double figures and committed just six turnovers in the game. Minnesota picked up a huge road win to reach nine Big Ten victories. They also secured their first winning Big Ten road record since 1997.
The Rundown
The Gophers started the game on a 10-4 run, fueled by two Akeem Springs three-pointers and an acrobatic finish at the rim. Maryland was shooting just 3-for-13 (23%) at the beginning of the game, but they would eventually come back to life. Eric Curry hit a tough jumper in the lane and Nate Mason finished a layup at the rim to give the Gophers a 17-11 lead. Maryland started hitting three pointers and went on a 10-0 run over 3:31 to claim a four-point lead. However, the Gophers answered with a 10-0 run of their own after Dupree McBrayer and Nate Mason drilled back-to-back three pointers. Nonetheless, Maryland went on another 10-0 run to take a four-point lead, but the Gophers cut the margin to 35-34 at the half.
Akeem Springs opened the second half with back-to-back three pointers and the Gophers led 40-35 out of the break. Maryland would bounce back after three pointers by Kevin Huerter and Anthony Cowan put them up by one-point. Maryland and Minnesota continued to trade leads until a Dupree McBrayer jumper put the Gophers ahead 55-53 with 11:45 left. The Gophers went on a 9-0 run over 1:55 to lead 59-53 with just over ten minutes left in the game. Maryland would again trim the lead to one-point, but Minnesota held the Terps to zero field goals over three minutes and extended their lead to 10 points with under five minutes to play. Maryland went 1-for-8 during a 14-2 Minnesota run over 5:21. The Gophers led 75-62 with 3:26 left and never looked back as they upset the Terrapins 89-75 on the road.
Springs gets his shot back, McBrayer is on fire
Akeem Springs went on an 8-0 run by himself to begin the game, but had to exit early with two quick fouls. The Gophers lost their spark on offense for a short sequence when he exited the game. Springs appeared to have his confidence back on offense and it allowed the Gophers’ offense to show signs of life. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was a huge lift for the Gophers in this game.
Amir Coffey didn’t have any points in the first half and continually has stretches where he doesn’t produce points. He hasn’t put together a complete game performance since his 30-point outburst against St. John’s early in the season. If he could put together one game where he is dominant for a full 40 minutes, it would be a huge lift to the team. Nonetheless, he had 13 second half points and hit some big shots down the stretch.
Dupree McBrayer provided a massive lift to the Gophers in the second half. He had a three-pointer, tough jumper, and a follow at the rim that helped Minnesota stay on top. McBrayer was 6-for-8 from the field in the game (18 points) and it appears he has snapped out of his recent slump.
Murphy shooting too many threes, team shot selection
Jordan Murphy shot two three pointers in the early stages of the game, which wasted valuable possessions. As a team, the Gophers really struggled with shot selection in the first half. Nate Mason forced several shots and Eric Curry tried a long three. In addition, Dupree McBrayer attempted an ill-advised shot during Maryland’s final 10-0 run of the half. Nate Mason shot just 4-for-10 in the first 20 minutes and forced a few shots in traffic. The Gophers need to run more half-court sets to develop scoring opportunities. They weren’t running through the complete offensive sets and took long-range jumpers that weren’t necessary. When Minnesota attacked off the dribble and either scored at the rim, or dished, the offense was totally different. Settling for jumpers early in possessions by big-men isn’t a productive form of offense for this team.
Gophers need to go down low
The Gophers definitely had an advantage down low, but didn’t really attack enough with their post players in the first half. When Jordan Murphy drove hard at the rim and finished, Maryland had no answer. Minnesota started to do this more in the second half and it helped them maximize their offensive possessions. Jordan Murphy had a huge dunk off a spectacular pass from Amir Coffey and the three-point play put the Gophers up 75-62 with 3:26 left. Murphy took over in the second half, scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.
Reggie Lynch again struggled with foul trouble and had four fouls by the midway point of the second half. However, the Gophers have continually found a way to win without him being on the floor. If he could eliminate the poor fouls he commits, he would be on the floor late in games.
Defensive rotations were a step slow
In the first half, the Gophers were a step too slow on their defensive rotations on the backside. Maryland was setting a ball screen and rolling, which left the big men wide-open. The Gophers were unable to hedge hard and recover off of these screens. This was a problem in the first matchup against Maryland and it allowed the Terrapins to convert with too many easy baskets around the rim. In addition, the Terps hit some three pointers when the defense was a step slow to rotate. The Gophers only allowed three made shots behind the arch in the first half, but they all came at timely portions of the game. In addition, the shots allowed Maryland to extend their runs in the first half.
The Gophers managed to hold Melo Trimble to two first half points on 1-of-7 shooting, but still went into halftime trailing. This really illustrates how many easy baskets and timely three pointers Minnesota allowed over the first 20 minutes of the game.
To begin the second half, Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter each had three pointers and Minnesota continued to allow Maryland to go on quick runs. The Terps passed the ball very well and the Gophers had a tough time rotating to defend the perimeter. However, the Gophers clamped down on defense for the remainder of the half and it allowed them to pull away from a tough Terps team. Maryland went 1-for-8 during a 14-2 Minnesota run and the defensive effort/adjustments down the stretch were the difference in this game.
What’s Next?
The Gophers will host Penn State at Williams Arena Saturday afternoon with the tip slated for 2 p.m. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.