***OFFICIAL MINNESOTA AT MISSOURI IN-GAME THREAD!!!***

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The second half was definitely a "Gilligan, you can't fly; it's impossible" situation. The Gophers are better than that. I don't know what Niko said post game, but what I saw was a team that lost their composure and folded like a cheap tent. The hope is, by later in the season, they'll be mentally tougher and more resilient. Medved's teams always improve, including last year's CSU team, which I remember being rough early and all but written off at one point.

They need to find a way to lengthen the bench. Fatigue was a factor last night.

Last but not least, Missouri is very good. Unlike some of Gates' past teams, they have multiple guys who can make shots. They have some things to work on, obviously, but I like their chances to do great things this year. At least in this one game, they looked like a top 20 team.
 

This is part of the process - you learn way more against real competition, as well as away from friendly confines. Mizzou is in the sweet spot of a likely tournament team, but a middle of the pack squad in a P4 conference that’s in the others receiving votes section of the polls. Not that it would be bad to play a top 4 seed type of team, but a team of Mizzou caliber is more likely to be competitive for MN, and it was for a good chunk.
 



It was about what I expected. A loss against a solid team when we have players who are all new in playing together. It also shows where the weakness of the team is at.
It seems leadership on the court when things go south is one of them.

We saw we can rebound. We saw that the team had few assists and too many turnovers. 3 point shooting was awful against a team that is more competitive.
Lets hope they learn and grow.
 



Mark Mitchell is an absolute problem. We played good defense on a number of his shots, he just hit them. The 7,8 point possession in the midst of that 19-1 run doomed us. Missouri had a lot of momentum but we're compounded by us missing free throws and turning the ball over. We played well in the first half and the start of the 2nd half. Lessons learned.
 


Beerculees said:
That's about when I turned it on... it was 47-51 when I turned the TV on. Wasn't quite paying attention yet, but I looked back at it was 60 something to 47.
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So what I'm hearing is it was your fault then.... :)

I got to see a good chunk of the first half before I had to do other things. Was surprised by the final score but get the sense from those that watched it that it maybe wasn't quite as bad as the score would indicate.

Hopefully players and coaches picked up a lot of valuable insights from going against a quality opponent that will help the team when Big Ten play begins.
 



MaxyJR1 said:
I’m more concerned about still having a limited number of players he can trust in the rotation and doing it for 30 games.
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That usually seems to be the #1 concern, doesn't it? They never seem to have as many good players as they need. Even in the best season of recent history (2017), it all unraveled after one player went down with an injury.
 

TwistingMyMelon said:
That usually seems to be the #1 concern, doesn't it? They never seem to have as many good players as they need. Even in the best season of recent history (2017), it all unraveled after one player went down with an injury.
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Even if you only trust 7, you still have to play 9.

This has been my Ted talk.
 

JZABR said:
Mark Mitchell is an absolute problem. We played good defense on a number of his shots, he just hit them. The 7,8 point possession in the midst of that 19-1 run doomed us. Missouri had a lot of momentum but we're compounded by us missing free throws and turning the ball over. We played well in the first half and the start of the 2nd half. Lessons learned.
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This.

Mitchell killed Mn. All by himself.
 

Bad Gopher said:
The second half was definitely a "Gilligan, you can't fly; it's impossible" situation. The Gophers are better than that. I don't know what Niko said post game, but what I saw was a team that lost their composure and folded like a cheap tent. The hope is, by later in the season, they'll be mentally tougher and more resilient. Medved's teams always improve, including last year's CSU team, which I remember being rough early and all but written off at one point.

They need to find a way to lengthen the bench. Fatigue was a factor last night.

Last but not least, Missouri is very good. Unlike some of Gates' past teams, they have multiple guys who can make shots. They have some things to work on, obviously, but I like their chances to do great things this year. At least in this one game, they looked like a top 20 team.
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I immediately thought of Wrongway Feldman. The 2nd half was definitely a Wrongway flight. :)
 




The season is a journey. Each game, especially losses, provides a message. Am super excited to watch the squad's growth. Remember, the real competition is with ourselves, to become as good a team as possible considering the limited individual talent level. Playing strong competition is essential.
 

TwistingMyMelon said:
That usually seems to be the #1 concern, doesn't it? They never seem to have as many good players as they need. Even in the best season of recent history (2017), it all unraveled after one player went down with an injury.
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The gophers are going to have to have continued success under Niko, with some tourney invites and success before we will get that deep. We don't have the money to over-pay anyone. We likely are middle of the road there. We have 3 total guards who are players, and two of those are adjusting from mid-majors.

I want Wisconsin type success here and understand it's going to take 2-3 seasons to see if Niko can make the jump from top notch mid-major success to the big leagues. We have had players from Minnesota rather go to Wisconsin and sit on the bench for 1-2 years than to get significant minutes for the gophers. If we can become like Wisconsin, where you don't play freshmen unless they are so good you can't not play them, I will be happy. I will wait.
 

touchdownvikings said:
Due to a conflict, I couldn't watch.

...Reading various comments here, I see reference to an eight-point possession. Can someone clue me in: how did that go down?
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Me memory of it was this: It started with an out of control drive to basket by Reynolds. On the ensuing possession, Missouri sunk a left corner 3, and Vaihola was called for a foul underneath on the shot. Mitchell used that possession for them to get into the lane and score with a foul. He misses the FT but we couldn't corral the rebound and it went off us. They then hit another 3. I think it went from down 6 to down 14.
 

MNVCGUY said:
So what I'm hearing is it was your fault then.... :)

I got to see a good chunk of the first half before I had to do other things. Was surprised by the final score but get the sense from those that watched it that it maybe wasn't quite as bad as the score would indicate.

Hopefully players and coaches picked up a lot of valuable insights from going against a quality opponent that will help the team when Big Ten play begins.
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I was born after the Twins won the world series and am a fan of all Minnesota sports. I haven't seen a single professional men's major sports team make a championship. It is completely my fault 😂
 

march madness said:
I want Wisconsin type success here and understand it's going to take 2-3 seasons to see if Niko can make the jump from top notch mid-major success to the big leagues.
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Sure, let's add him to the list of other coaches who would need a few years to achieve Wisconsin level success:

Dan Monson, Tubby Smith, Richard Pitino, Ben Johnson. (Granted, one of these coaches doesn't quite belong with the others)

Niko's prior success at the mid-major level speaks for itself but it's not like the Gophers haven't had coaches before who had previous success. Excuse me if I remain a little skeptical for now.
 


march madness said:
The gophers are going to have to have continued success under Niko, with some tourney invites and success before we will get that deep. We don't have the money to over-pay anyone. We likely are middle of the road there. We have 3 total guards who are players, and two of those are adjusting from mid-majors.

I want Wisconsin type success here and understand it's going to take 2-3 seasons to see if Niko can make the jump from top notch mid-major success to the big leagues. We have had players from Minnesota rather go to Wisconsin and sit on the bench for 1-2 years than to get significant minutes for the gophers. If we can become like Wisconsin, where you don't play freshmen unless they are so good you can't not play them, I will be happy. I will wait.
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If a MN player would get significant minutes for the Gophers and would sit on the bench 1-2 years for another P4 team, that seems problematic - you're kind of conceding that you have a talent gap that can be filled by lesser players. If said player would also sit for 1-2 years on the bench for MN, then OK.

Also, Wisconsin kinda doesn't do that anymore. Freitag is gone, for example. They're as portal-heavy as anyone. If you can't contribute meaningfully (now), they will portal over you, like most programs these days.

I do think you're right, though, about giving it time to establish a culture and a system that can compete with the rest of the conference. Quick-fixes can happen in basketball, but you've got to be very good at identifying players who will both fit the system and aren't as coveted by the deeper-pocketed schools - it's a tough gig.
 

TwistingMyMelon said:
Sure, let's add him to the list of other coaches who would need a few years to achieve Wisconsin level success:

Dan Monson, Tubby Smith, Richard Pitino, Ben Johnson. (Granted, one of these coaches doesn't quite belong with the others)

Niko's prior success at the mid-major level speaks for itself but it's not like the Gophers haven't had coaches before who had previous success. Excuse me if I remain a little skeptical for now.
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That's fair, and some skepticism is always appropriate. But let me ask you to employ the eye test. This is a team that clearly knows what it's doing out there. To me, this has the look of the best-coached Gopher team since Clem had Bill Brown on his staff.
 

SomeGopherFan said:
Me memory of it was this: It started with an out of control drive to basket by Reynolds. On the ensuing possession, Missouri sunk a left corner 3, and Vaihola was called for a foul underneath on the shot. Mitchell used that possession for them to get into the lane and score with a foul. He misses the FT but we couldn't corral the rebound and it went off us. They then hit another 3. I think it went from down 6 to down 14.
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Yep.....it was an 8 point trip....you don't see that very often.
 

Bad Gopher said:
That's fair, and some skepticism is always appropriate. But let me ask you to employ the eye test. This is a team that clearly knows what it's doing out there. To me, this has the look of the best-coached Gopher team since Clem had Bill Brown on his staff.
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Not saying you're wrong....saying I didn't see it last night. They looked completely lost when Missouri went zone. Some nice backdoor cuts, which we haven't seen in years, but overall, I thought it was ugly.
 

SomeGopherFan said:
Me memory of it was this: It started with an out of control drive to basket by Reynolds. On the ensuing possession, Missouri sunk a left corner 3, and Vaihola was called for a foul underneath on the shot. Mitchell used that possession for them to get into the lane and score with a foul. He misses the FT but we couldn't corral the rebound and it went off us. They then hit another 3. I think it went from down 6 to down 14.
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Dang...that is a brutal sequence....especially in the second half.
 

Bad Gopher said:
That's fair, and some skepticism is always appropriate. But let me ask you to employ the eye test. This is a team that clearly knows what it's doing out there. To me, this has the look of the best-coached Gopher team since Clem had Bill Brown on his staff.
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I will confess that I've watched the team only once so far (against Alcorn State). I think Niko was about as good of a coaching hire as could have been made but it looks like we're probably short on talent again. By "short" I mean short of middle-of-the-conference level talent. But, we'll see I guess.
 

Beerculees said:
I was born after the Twins won the world series and am a fan of all Minnesota sports. I haven't seen a single professional men's major sports team make a championship. It is completely my fault 😂
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Actually Minnesota does have a professional sports championship in recent years. Minnesota Wind Chill won the Ultimate Frisbee Association title in 2024 and were the runners up last year.

Of course my guess is many of you are just hearing there is such a thing as professional ultimate frisbee right now so.....yeah.....but still a championship for Minnesota in a men's sport. :)

en.wikipedia.org

Ultimate Frisbee Association - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 

MNVCGUY said:
Actually Minnesota does have a professional sports championship in recent years. Minnesota Wind Chill won the Ultimate Frisbee Association title in 2024 and were the runners up last year.

Of course my guess is many of you are just hearing there is such a thing as professional ultimate frisbee right now so.....yeah.....but still a championship for Minnesota in a men's sport. :)

en.wikipedia.org

Ultimate Frisbee Association - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
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Core 4 Men's Sports Championship* (Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey). My life is pain.

Go Wind Chill, Lynx, and Frost I guess 😂. I did see two Gopher Hockey Championships at least, but was too young to care/understand. I golfed with Jimmy Snuggerud the summer after they lost the championship game. On hole 18 I asked when he was born (04) and let him know he hadn't been alive for a Minnesota Men's championship and to go win one for us. A week later Logan Cooley declared for the NHL....
 

formerlybis said:
If a MN player would get significant minutes for the Gophers and would sit on the bench 1-2 years for another P4 team, that seems problematic - you're kind of conceding that you have a talent gap that can be filled by lesser players. If said player would also sit for 1-2 years on the bench for MN, then OK.

Also, Wisconsin kinda doesn't do that anymore. Freitag is gone, for example. They're as portal-heavy as anyone. If you can't contribute meaningfully (now), they will portal over you, like most programs these days.

I do think you're right, though, about giving it time to establish a culture and a system that can compete with the rest of the conference. Quick-fixes can happen in basketball, but you've got to be very good at identifying players who will both fit the system and aren't as coveted by the deeper-pocketed schools - it's a tough gig.
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Wisconsin has been in another universe better than the gophers. Nolan Winter played 9 min per game as a freshman there. Freitag is exactly an example, he could have got major minutes for the gophers but sat on there bench, for one year. Jack Robinson could be another, as he still isn't getting major minutes.

As far as the Portal, they have been getting 1 star like AJ Storr in 23-24, lost him in 24-25, also lost Hepburn, added Tonje that year. I do see now that have quite a few for this season, but really one very good player in Nick Boyd via San Diego st.

I would love if the gophers can get there. Where a system is established, and athletic wings who can score know they have the other pieces to make a very good team if they transfer in.
 

Beerculees said:
Core 4 Men's Sports Championship* (Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey). My life is pain.

Go Wind Chill, Lynx, and Frost I guess 😂. I did see two Gopher Hockey Championships at least, but was too young to care/understand. I golfed with Jimmy Snuggerud the summer after they lost the championship game. On hole 18 I asked when he was born (04) and let him know he hadn't been alive for a Minnesota Men's championship and to go win one for us. A week later Logan Cooley declared for the NHL....
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Of course the Wind Chill would be the one to win. Really advertises the best of Minnesota. Maybe if the Vikings changed their name to the Frost Bite and the Twins to Seasonal Depression the would win.
 

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