DanielHouse
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The Gophers dug themselves in a hole and couldn’t dig out. A 22-point lead by Northwestern was too much to overcome as veterans Nate Mason and Jordan Murphy spent most of the night in foul trouble. Dupree McBrayer played extended minutes, scoring 14 points and grabbing three steals in the 83-60 loss. Minnesota simply couldn’t find a rotation and had to lean on young and inexperienced players to make up for the lost production between Mason and Murphy. The senior pair combined to shoot 4-for-15 from the floor, scoring just 17 points. Murphy’s double-double streak came to a close and the Gophers were blown out on the road.
To begin the game, the teams combined to shoot 2-for-11 from the floor. The Gophers moved the ball well early with Isaiah Washington sparking things. He delivered a nice pass to Gaston Diedhiou for an easy layup and found Davonte Fitzgerald for a dunk. Dupree McBrayer added a steal and two free throws, but things quickly went downhill. It was the lone bright spot in a game filled with offensive chaos and struggling defense.
Jordan Murphy went to the bench with two fouls less than six minutes into the game and guard Nate Mason began the game 0-for-3 from the floor. The Gophers struggled to communicate on defense and their rotations were a step slow. Dererk Pardon finished an alley-oop and the Wildcats led 18-12 on the heels of a 4-for-18 start by the Gophers. Minnesota was settling for jumpers and struggled to handle the zone defense Northwestern deployed. The Gophers were outscored 14-3 as Northwestern grabbed a ten-point lead. Minnesota lost the rebounding advantage 51-27 as the Gophers lacked any presence down low. The Wildcats dominated every aspect of the game and it was apparent how the team couldn’t compete with Jordan Murphy on the bench. Murphy returned to the game at the 4:38 mark of the first half, but the Gophers were already trailing by 16 points. Mason and Murphy combined to shoot 0-for-5 from the floor in the first half. This is the type of production the Gophers can’t afford from their main seniors, especially with Coffey and Lynch out. The Gophers went on a five-minute scoring drought and trailed by 22 points at the break.
Minnesota didn’t get any production from their guards, aside from Dupree McBrayer, who hit timely jumpers. McBrayer had 14 points and three steals, playing very efficient throughout the night. The only blemish in his performance came after he argued a foul call and was awarded a technical foul. Nate Mason added another as frustrations rose and the Gophers lacked chemistry. The effort and inability to play together was apparent throughout the game. Things have really reached their boiling point for the Gophers after the tumultuous nature of the past week.
The Gophers simply didn’t have enough shooting from their guards, specifically from the two freshman. They could not attack the zone defense and settled for poor jumpers all night. On the other end, Northwestern shot well from behind the arch as the Gophers lacked defensive effort. The Wildcats shot 45.9 percent from three-point land, fending off any semblance of a run by Minnesota.
With Amir Coffey and Reggie Lynch out, the Gophers just simply haven’t found any contributors. Gaston Diedhiou entered just three minutes into the game as Richard Pitino elected to play with length and size in the front court. He also elected to start Bakary Konate with limited options available at the 5 spot. The Gophers didn’t show any life until an 18-5 run pulled them within 15 points with 9:52 left. Jamir Harris and Isaiah Washington received valuable minutes as Murphy and Mason sat on the bench with four fouls each. Harris displayed quality defensive sequences and delivered a nice pass to Davonte Fitzgerald for an easy layup. As the season progresses, it appears everyone may start seeing what I like to call “investment basketball.” The Gophers need to find players to step up, but the lack of depth and inability to find scoring inside will be magnified as they play more quality opponents down the stretch.
If Minnesota wants to compete, they need contributions from their two best players and Wednesday night was not a winning formula. Things won’t get any easy either as top-five ranked Purdue travels to the Barn on Saturday morning.
To begin the game, the teams combined to shoot 2-for-11 from the floor. The Gophers moved the ball well early with Isaiah Washington sparking things. He delivered a nice pass to Gaston Diedhiou for an easy layup and found Davonte Fitzgerald for a dunk. Dupree McBrayer added a steal and two free throws, but things quickly went downhill. It was the lone bright spot in a game filled with offensive chaos and struggling defense.
Jordan Murphy went to the bench with two fouls less than six minutes into the game and guard Nate Mason began the game 0-for-3 from the floor. The Gophers struggled to communicate on defense and their rotations were a step slow. Dererk Pardon finished an alley-oop and the Wildcats led 18-12 on the heels of a 4-for-18 start by the Gophers. Minnesota was settling for jumpers and struggled to handle the zone defense Northwestern deployed. The Gophers were outscored 14-3 as Northwestern grabbed a ten-point lead. Minnesota lost the rebounding advantage 51-27 as the Gophers lacked any presence down low. The Wildcats dominated every aspect of the game and it was apparent how the team couldn’t compete with Jordan Murphy on the bench. Murphy returned to the game at the 4:38 mark of the first half, but the Gophers were already trailing by 16 points. Mason and Murphy combined to shoot 0-for-5 from the floor in the first half. This is the type of production the Gophers can’t afford from their main seniors, especially with Coffey and Lynch out. The Gophers went on a five-minute scoring drought and trailed by 22 points at the break.
Minnesota didn’t get any production from their guards, aside from Dupree McBrayer, who hit timely jumpers. McBrayer had 14 points and three steals, playing very efficient throughout the night. The only blemish in his performance came after he argued a foul call and was awarded a technical foul. Nate Mason added another as frustrations rose and the Gophers lacked chemistry. The effort and inability to play together was apparent throughout the game. Things have really reached their boiling point for the Gophers after the tumultuous nature of the past week.
The Gophers simply didn’t have enough shooting from their guards, specifically from the two freshman. They could not attack the zone defense and settled for poor jumpers all night. On the other end, Northwestern shot well from behind the arch as the Gophers lacked defensive effort. The Wildcats shot 45.9 percent from three-point land, fending off any semblance of a run by Minnesota.
With Amir Coffey and Reggie Lynch out, the Gophers just simply haven’t found any contributors. Gaston Diedhiou entered just three minutes into the game as Richard Pitino elected to play with length and size in the front court. He also elected to start Bakary Konate with limited options available at the 5 spot. The Gophers didn’t show any life until an 18-5 run pulled them within 15 points with 9:52 left. Jamir Harris and Isaiah Washington received valuable minutes as Murphy and Mason sat on the bench with four fouls each. Harris displayed quality defensive sequences and delivered a nice pass to Davonte Fitzgerald for an easy layup. As the season progresses, it appears everyone may start seeing what I like to call “investment basketball.” The Gophers need to find players to step up, but the lack of depth and inability to find scoring inside will be magnified as they play more quality opponents down the stretch.
If Minnesota wants to compete, they need contributions from their two best players and Wednesday night was not a winning formula. Things won’t get any easy either as top-five ranked Purdue travels to the Barn on Saturday morning.