Hard to blame Lynch for being frustrated with the foul calls, 3 of the 4 were atrocious. On the over-the-back third foul, the ball had already been rebounded and the play was effectively over. It was the lightest of shoves. And the illegal screen that was his second foul wasn't illegal, he stood there and didn't move. He must value his playing time and know that because of his size, he might be an easy target for foul calls. His playing only 6 minutes in the first half was the difference in the game. Everything changed from a defensive standpoint, Arkansas had no fear driving the lane because we had no rim protector on the floor.
That said, the Gophers defense in the pick-and-roll and their overall communication on the defensive end was horrid. There was no intensity and no talking on screens, Arkansas got whatever shot it wanted when it wanted. They knew what was coming with the "40 Minutes of Hell" and still played flat in the first 10 minutes. Getting beat down the floor repeatedly when you know it's coming is unacceptable. Every time we made a run, there was a defensive breakdown that led to a dunk or an open 3.
Diedhiou was the third-best player on the floor for the Gophers, and that's not a good thing. He was very good for not having played in 5 games, and playing 18 minutes. He's made his case for playing over Bakary. Would have liked to see Harris get some run, but it's understandable that he didn't play with Arkansas size.
I'd rather take this lump now than in February. The Gophers are 1-2 in true road games, and the hope is they're battle tested for life on the road in the Big 10. The silver lining: Win your last 4 non-conference games and you enter the league gauntlet at 12-3 with Big Ten games to follow against Illinois and Indiana, both at home, that you should win.