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http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers/2010/02/after-thursdays-poor-showing-i.html
Some of the reasons why the Gophers have struggled
By Marcus Fuller
After Thursday's poor showing in a 71-63 loss to Michigan at home, the Gophers clearly showed how much they have been lacking consistency in every key area.
I wanted to give my take on the Gophers after the midway point in the Big Ten season, but wasn't able to fully judge this team until now. I was giving them a chance to turn things around. But the realistic NCAA tournament hopes are gone now, so here's my analysis of how it happened.
INSIDE PLAY
Smith's team lacked depth and wasn't very consistent inside with Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson last season. Nothing has changed. The two 6-foot-11 big men added weight, but have failed to make a significant jump in production from their freshman year. Sampson has shown some flashes of his potential as a shot blocker and scoring option, but he isn't demanding the ball enough, holding his position firmly enough and finishing aggressively at the rim enough.
Michigan senior forward DeShawn Sims' 27 points against the Gophers on Thursday wasn't surprising. He might have an NBA future, and he is the toughest and most gifted post player in the Big Ten this year. You would think getting beaten up everyday in practice by suspended forward Trevor Mbakwe would have prepared Sampson and his teammates enough to play Sims, but it obviously didn't help.
Sampson wasn't a factor from the start with just seven points on 2 for 7 shooting and five rebounds in 20 minutes. Iverson hasn't gotten any better since his two double-doubles in the 76 Classic in California. And he's gotten way too turnover and foul prone to even trust in the game for stretches. He only played six minutes against Michigan.
At 7-feet and 260 pounds, Iverson might be a productive player by the time his college career is over (might be better off at a mid-major program). He probably wouldn't have played much if Royce White and Mbakwe were not suspended because of legal issues. Sampson would have benefited from Mbakwe's rebounding and interior defense. White would have also taken the pressure offensively away from Sampson, who is the only scoring option inside.
People close to Iverson have not heard that he's looking to transfer to another school. But I wouldn't be surprised if it did happen, considering Smith is set on Sampson as his starting center for the next two years. Plus, you have a talented 7-footer in Elliott Eliason coming in next season. Eliason was going to redshirt, but if Iverson left that could change.
It's hard to knock the play of Damian Johnson this season, because he always works so hard on defense. But it is pretty apparent that he is maximizing his talent. The thumb injury on his right shooting hand has kept him from really having a monster performance, especially on offense and on the boards. But Johnson has to continue to play through the pain and raise his game to a higher level, if he wants the team to win some big games to end the season.
GUARD PLAY
This area has probably been the biggest disappointment this season. Nobody expected Blake Hoffarber to be a major contributor as a junior with the struggles he had last year. Hoffarber has played poorly in many of Minnesota's losses. But not Thursday with 16 points, including three three-pointers in the second half. Hoffarber has proven to be more of a go-to guy than anyone else on the team with his three-point shooting.
Hoffarber and Lawrence Westbrook, though, rarely play well at the same time. That can't happen with your top two scorers if you want to win big games. Most of the blame has to fall on Westbrook, because he was supposed to be a senior captain this season. He has obviously failed to this point to live up to that, even with two memorable games against Penn State. Smith often takes him out for stretches because of poor shot selection and defensive lapses. In Minnesota's two bad losses in Big Ten play against Indiana and Michigan, Westbrook scored seven points in both games. He also has 10 turnovers in the last two games.
Westbrook was benched in the second half against Indiana and Michigan, although Thursday was partly for foul trouble. Did anyone catch Westbrook going crazy and pouting big time when Smith sent him to the bench when he picked up his third foul? If your leader is acting like that, then it's likely the other players will have a hard time responding to the coach's decisions, as well. Who is to blame? Coaches or players? Or both?
RESERVES
Why is Devoe Joseph in this category? Because he just moved into the starting lineup late in the season. Joseph isn't a very good defender, but he had a great offensive performance against Michigan State with 16 points and seven assists at home taking over for Al Nolen as the starting point guard. But it quickly became evident that he is not a floor leader. Joseph has struggled with his new role. He has 13 assists and 14 turnovers in the last four games. That should be a message to newly named McDonald's All-American Cory Joseph that his older brother needs his help. If Cory plays the point, then Devoe can slide over to shooting guard where he's most comfortable. If that happens, then Devoe could end up being a pretty good Big Ten player. If not...
Backup point guard Justin Cobbs is a decent decision maker for a freshman, but he just isn't much of a scoring threat and he's not a game-changing defender like Nolen. I'm not sure what kind of player he will be in the future.
Paul Carter and Rodney Williams both had opportunities to start at the beginning of the season, but they eventually lost their jobs. They were real X-factors on this team, because both had the potential to help the Gophers in so many ways. But Carter and Williams haven't stood out in one particular area. Smith has limited their playing time throughout the season, because they haven't been rebounding or playing defense well enough at times. Carter was aggressive offensively with 11 points against Michigan on Thursday, but he has a difficult time stringing games like that together. The same can be said about Williams. Carter or Williams will have to fill Johnson's spot next season. But I'm not sure if they can.
Senior Devron Bostick is handling himself well off the court, especially in the classroom, Smith said. But Bostick is often playing out of position in the post. For some reason when he was suspended earlier in the season for violating team rules, Bostick lost his shot. He isn't even looking for his three-point shot anymore. His scoring ability off the bench was a plus to finish last season, but it just isn't there. That's just one of the many things that hurts this team.
-- After Thursday night's performance, I'm predicting a 7-11 Big Ten finish. I think the Gophers will beat Indiana and Iowa at home. But that's it. They will be 16-14 going into the conference tournament, and maybe win a game. That means a solid NIT berth.
-- Other transfer rumors? I heard speculation about a number of players for a while now. It's not just something new that has popped up recently like some would suggest. Only time will tell how many of them actually follow through with it. Those things happen on struggling teams every year. Remember former Gophers coach Dan Monson having two to three players leave every season. The players Smith can't afford to lose are Mbakwe, Sampson, Williams, Hoffarber and Joseph (because that would mean his brother is definitely not coming here). Anybody else departing would hurt the Gophers depth, but they might be able to survive, especially if White returns. Well, if Minnesota isn't making the NCAA tournament, at least there will be something to pay close attention to in late March and April.
Go Gophers!!
Some of the reasons why the Gophers have struggled
By Marcus Fuller
After Thursday's poor showing in a 71-63 loss to Michigan at home, the Gophers clearly showed how much they have been lacking consistency in every key area.
I wanted to give my take on the Gophers after the midway point in the Big Ten season, but wasn't able to fully judge this team until now. I was giving them a chance to turn things around. But the realistic NCAA tournament hopes are gone now, so here's my analysis of how it happened.
INSIDE PLAY
Smith's team lacked depth and wasn't very consistent inside with Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson last season. Nothing has changed. The two 6-foot-11 big men added weight, but have failed to make a significant jump in production from their freshman year. Sampson has shown some flashes of his potential as a shot blocker and scoring option, but he isn't demanding the ball enough, holding his position firmly enough and finishing aggressively at the rim enough.
Michigan senior forward DeShawn Sims' 27 points against the Gophers on Thursday wasn't surprising. He might have an NBA future, and he is the toughest and most gifted post player in the Big Ten this year. You would think getting beaten up everyday in practice by suspended forward Trevor Mbakwe would have prepared Sampson and his teammates enough to play Sims, but it obviously didn't help.
Sampson wasn't a factor from the start with just seven points on 2 for 7 shooting and five rebounds in 20 minutes. Iverson hasn't gotten any better since his two double-doubles in the 76 Classic in California. And he's gotten way too turnover and foul prone to even trust in the game for stretches. He only played six minutes against Michigan.
At 7-feet and 260 pounds, Iverson might be a productive player by the time his college career is over (might be better off at a mid-major program). He probably wouldn't have played much if Royce White and Mbakwe were not suspended because of legal issues. Sampson would have benefited from Mbakwe's rebounding and interior defense. White would have also taken the pressure offensively away from Sampson, who is the only scoring option inside.
People close to Iverson have not heard that he's looking to transfer to another school. But I wouldn't be surprised if it did happen, considering Smith is set on Sampson as his starting center for the next two years. Plus, you have a talented 7-footer in Elliott Eliason coming in next season. Eliason was going to redshirt, but if Iverson left that could change.
It's hard to knock the play of Damian Johnson this season, because he always works so hard on defense. But it is pretty apparent that he is maximizing his talent. The thumb injury on his right shooting hand has kept him from really having a monster performance, especially on offense and on the boards. But Johnson has to continue to play through the pain and raise his game to a higher level, if he wants the team to win some big games to end the season.
GUARD PLAY
This area has probably been the biggest disappointment this season. Nobody expected Blake Hoffarber to be a major contributor as a junior with the struggles he had last year. Hoffarber has played poorly in many of Minnesota's losses. But not Thursday with 16 points, including three three-pointers in the second half. Hoffarber has proven to be more of a go-to guy than anyone else on the team with his three-point shooting.
Hoffarber and Lawrence Westbrook, though, rarely play well at the same time. That can't happen with your top two scorers if you want to win big games. Most of the blame has to fall on Westbrook, because he was supposed to be a senior captain this season. He has obviously failed to this point to live up to that, even with two memorable games against Penn State. Smith often takes him out for stretches because of poor shot selection and defensive lapses. In Minnesota's two bad losses in Big Ten play against Indiana and Michigan, Westbrook scored seven points in both games. He also has 10 turnovers in the last two games.
Westbrook was benched in the second half against Indiana and Michigan, although Thursday was partly for foul trouble. Did anyone catch Westbrook going crazy and pouting big time when Smith sent him to the bench when he picked up his third foul? If your leader is acting like that, then it's likely the other players will have a hard time responding to the coach's decisions, as well. Who is to blame? Coaches or players? Or both?
RESERVES
Why is Devoe Joseph in this category? Because he just moved into the starting lineup late in the season. Joseph isn't a very good defender, but he had a great offensive performance against Michigan State with 16 points and seven assists at home taking over for Al Nolen as the starting point guard. But it quickly became evident that he is not a floor leader. Joseph has struggled with his new role. He has 13 assists and 14 turnovers in the last four games. That should be a message to newly named McDonald's All-American Cory Joseph that his older brother needs his help. If Cory plays the point, then Devoe can slide over to shooting guard where he's most comfortable. If that happens, then Devoe could end up being a pretty good Big Ten player. If not...
Backup point guard Justin Cobbs is a decent decision maker for a freshman, but he just isn't much of a scoring threat and he's not a game-changing defender like Nolen. I'm not sure what kind of player he will be in the future.
Paul Carter and Rodney Williams both had opportunities to start at the beginning of the season, but they eventually lost their jobs. They were real X-factors on this team, because both had the potential to help the Gophers in so many ways. But Carter and Williams haven't stood out in one particular area. Smith has limited their playing time throughout the season, because they haven't been rebounding or playing defense well enough at times. Carter was aggressive offensively with 11 points against Michigan on Thursday, but he has a difficult time stringing games like that together. The same can be said about Williams. Carter or Williams will have to fill Johnson's spot next season. But I'm not sure if they can.
Senior Devron Bostick is handling himself well off the court, especially in the classroom, Smith said. But Bostick is often playing out of position in the post. For some reason when he was suspended earlier in the season for violating team rules, Bostick lost his shot. He isn't even looking for his three-point shot anymore. His scoring ability off the bench was a plus to finish last season, but it just isn't there. That's just one of the many things that hurts this team.
-- After Thursday night's performance, I'm predicting a 7-11 Big Ten finish. I think the Gophers will beat Indiana and Iowa at home. But that's it. They will be 16-14 going into the conference tournament, and maybe win a game. That means a solid NIT berth.
-- Other transfer rumors? I heard speculation about a number of players for a while now. It's not just something new that has popped up recently like some would suggest. Only time will tell how many of them actually follow through with it. Those things happen on struggling teams every year. Remember former Gophers coach Dan Monson having two to three players leave every season. The players Smith can't afford to lose are Mbakwe, Sampson, Williams, Hoffarber and Joseph (because that would mean his brother is definitely not coming here). Anybody else departing would hurt the Gophers depth, but they might be able to survive, especially if White returns. Well, if Minnesota isn't making the NCAA tournament, at least there will be something to pay close attention to in late March and April.
Go Gophers!!
