***OFFICIAL ST. LOUIS AT MINNESOTA IN-GAME THREAD!!!***

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Best game they have played all year and it's not close. Movement on offense, more relentless on defense, they shot the ball extremely well also. Their rebounding needs to improve.

It is also IMO, plain to see that we are better when Ihnen is in the game. Mashburn as well is earning more minutes.

One other thing I liked to see was that there were times when we attacked the basket, rather than settle for jumpshots/3 pointers. I think there needs to be more of this.

On the bad side, Robbins is going to get eaten alive in Big Ten play down low. He is way way too soft.

If I am Pitino, I adjust my minutes, give Ihnen, Mashburn, Curry more and less Robbins, Johnson and Gabe. Sure seemed to work well last night this way. It's also OK, to do like he did and have some of his bench players get more run that the starters. Either way, 35 and 4 need to see the floor as much or more.
 

matt said:
I have made similar observations, but I don’t know if it is a Robbins thing. I think Carr has issues passing it in the interior altogether. Multiple times Carr has ignored the back door cut from Robbins, Gach, and Curry when there is an opening there. I don’t know if he is slow to pull the trigger on the pass or if it is a lack of confidence in the receiving player, but Carr doesn’t try to pass in a small window or thread the needle very often.
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Jeff Teague Syndrome
 

Gopherfan1000 said:
Nice win. Longest last 3 minutes of any game I can remember. St. Louis is a gritty team. I feel we caught them on an off night for whatever reason. Carr came through big and played his best game of the season to date.
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I was only able to catch the last 8 minutes of the game, but i regardless had the same feeling that St. Louis seemed to be not getting the bounces that other teams seem to always get against the Gophers.
 

GrampaGopher said:
4:00 minutes left in the game and Pitino goes to the milk the clock offense; Carr dribbles out front waiting for the 8 seconds left on the shot clock, then run a ball screen where Carr dribbles some more and usually get double teamed, and finally takes a terrible shot at the shot clock buzzer that more likely clanks off the rim. I do not like our late game strategy, run offense, take quality shots especially with 4 minutes left in the game. As Herm said, "You play to win the game."
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I'm just pleased that he passed it to him TWICE off the pick and roll, something this team has stubbornly refused to do for years regardless of the ball handler. Both went for easy baskets. Baby steps.
 


Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Gach is this team's bellwether. How he goes, the team goes, it seems. Last night he did it in all phases, including poised balllhandling when called upon. This guy is a difference maker.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Gach is this team's bellwether. How he goes, the team goes, it seems. Last night he did it in all phases, including poised balllhandling when called upon. This guy is a difference maker.
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Also had five turnovers, including a horrific one on a one hand pass breaking the press late. Needs to clean that up. For a guy known as a gunner, he has appeared pretty disciplined in his shot selection, though. I want him on the line in the clutch, too.
 

GrampaGopher said:
4:00 minutes left in the game and Pitino goes to the milk the clock offense; Carr dribbles out front waiting for the 8 seconds left on the shot clock, then run a ball screen where Carr dribbles some more and usually get double teamed, and finally takes a terrible shot at the shot clock buzzer that more likely clanks off the rim. I do not like our late game strategy, run offense, take quality shots especially with 4 minutes left in the game. As Herm said, "You play to win the game."
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This.

4:58 left in the game!!!

And that possession ended in pissing the ball away. AGAIN!!

Just ridiculous
 

Otis said:
You just reminded me of my favorite bumper sticker of all-time!

"Jesus SAVES! But Gretzky scores on the rebound."
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Aging myself but the first time I saw that phrase it was pre-Gretzky. It was Jesus Saves, and Espo scores on the rebound (Phil Esposito for you youngsters).
 



Spottedmuskie said:
Good free throw shooting by the team.

Need to see less hero ball by Carr.


Robbins was soft, no wonder Curry/GermanKD finished the game.

We couldn't hardly break the press but still put up 90.

Good offense finally for Pitino, moving ball, cutting without the ball, less forced shots.

Confidence booster going into B1G play
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Robbins basically played to a draw against a very physical Hasahn French. I'll take that.
 

Otis said:
What happened to BJ last night? He aggravate his injury? Gave us a big goose egg.

Double-double from Ihnen! He had a few blocks as well. He is a player. Nice to have 26 points off the bench again!

Curry! I like my chilli with extra Curry please! Very nice Game from him!
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I think BJ gets lost on D a bit. He may be still learning it. His stroke isn't bad at all...just not going in.

He will contribute down the stretch
 

Could have been addressed before, anyone worried about Tre? Seemed to have poor body language last night. Could certainly be over analyzing but he came in with whatever it was 90 seconds left he looked pretty disinterested, jersey untucked, and more like whatever. I hope we keep him engaged, I like his game but I think his minutes will continue to dip as we have a lot of bodies (and Pitino refuses to take Gabe off the floor more than he does).
 
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Go Gophs said:
Best game they have played all year and it's not close. Movement on offense, more relentless on defense, they shot the ball extremely well also. Their rebounding needs to improve.

It is also IMO, plain to see that we are better when Ihnen is in the game. Mashburn as well is earning more minutes.

One other thing I liked to see was that there were times when we attacked the basket, rather than settle for jumpshots/3 pointers. I think there needs to be more of this.

On the bad side, Robbins is going to get eaten alive in Big Ten play down low. He is way way too soft.

If I am Pitino, I adjust my minutes, give Ihnen, Mashburn, Curry more and less Robbins, Johnson and Gabe. Sure seemed to work well last night this way. It's also OK, to do like he did and have some of his bench players get more run that the starters. Either way, 35 and 4 need to see the floor as much or more.
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I don't see much argument for why Johnson should start over Ihnen....Gabe/Mashburn is more debatable.
 

GrampaGopher said:
4:00 minutes left in the game and Pitino goes to the milk the clock offense; Carr dribbles out front waiting for the 8 seconds left on the shot clock, then run a ball screen where Carr dribbles some more and usually get double teamed, and finally takes a terrible shot at the shot clock buzzer that more likely clanks off the rim. I do not like our late game strategy, run offense, take quality shots especially with 4 minutes left in the game. As Herm said, "You play to win the game."
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The big problem is that Carr is far and away the best player on the team. It is not even close. Last year it was Oturu was A and Carr was option B. When a guy thinks that he is the only reliable option, the coach has to convince him not to hog the ball and go it alone. So far Carr has done it in spurts. I would pretty much bet that Pitino didn't want him playing like that with 4 minutes left. That's why I mentioned the Humphries thing last night. Not sayin' that Carr is like Humphries but it can get like that when a guy is clearly head and shoulders better than the other players- especially when that guy is the PG.

I love Marcus Carr as a ball player, I hope that Pitino can work out the team play offense. I have seen it work fairly well under him in about three or four of the years and poorly in the others. Right now this is the worst looking offense I have seen here under him.
 

leib0039 said:
Could have been addressed before, anyone worried about Tre? Seemed to have poor body language last night. Could certainly be over analyzing but he came in with whatever it was 90 seconds left he looked pretty disinterested, jersey untucked, and more like whatever. I hope we keep him engaged, I like his game but I think his minutes will continue to dip as we have a lot of bodies (and Pitino refuses to take Gabe off the floor more than he does).
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Has seemed this way a couple of times this season.....
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Robbins basically played to a draw against a very physical Hasahn French. I'll take that.
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Yeah, Robbins played a nice game.

Robbins isn't a perfect player, but I don't think anyone would call him soft. His biggest problem is that he is too physical (foul problems).
 

TNGophfan said:
Aging myself but the first time I saw that phrase it was pre-Gretzky. It was Jesus Saves, and Espo scores on the rebound (Phil Esposito for you youngsters).
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I like the old one painted on the railroad brides... Jesus saves at TCF
 

leib0039 said:
Could have been addressed before, anyone worried about Tre? Seemed to have poor body language last night. Could certainly be over analyzing but he came in with whatever it was 90 seconds left he looked pretty disinterested, jersey untucked, and more like whatever. I hope we keep him engaged, I like his game but I think his minutes will continue to dip as we have a lot of bodies (and Pitino refuses to take Gabe off the floor more than he does).
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In the timeout just before that, Tre had his warmup t-shirt on, so pulling that off in a hurry could have made the jersey look like you described.
 

Robbins is not too physical. Many of Robbins fouls are from being out of position and reacting a tad slow. He will get better. Footwork in the post on defense is just as important as footwork in the low post on O.
 


LongLiveMilesTarver said:
The first 37 minutes were about as good and intense of basketball from both teams and you'll ever see. Then the endless fouls and monitor reviews ruined a great game.
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Yes. My pet peeve is most of the game is enjoyable watching players' skill and athleticism as they compete. and then, the last few minutes, the coaches take over the game with a parade of timeouts.

No timeouts allowed the last 3 minutes would be much more enjoyable from a viewer's perspective. The last 3 minutes should be played with a similar flow to the first 37 minutes and that certainly isnt happening now.
 
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My comments on the game and the team in general:

1. Ihnen needs to be getting a lot more minutes. He is the only guy on the team that shows any desire to fight for rebounds. He has a decent stroke and his length on D is a nice bonus. I have been pleasantly surprised with Ihnen and disappointed in Johnson so far.

2. Maybe I heard wrong, but I thought Johnson was advertised as a junkyard dog type who wouldn't contribute a ton on offense but would be a big boost on defense and rebounding. He seems like more of a finesse type player than anything. I have yet to see him grab a contested rebound. Hoping his ankle is the issue, but he didn't do much prior to the injury either...

3. Being even just average from 3 is so important for this team. When we aren't hitting outside shots and teams can pack it in, that really kills Pitino's one dimensional offense. If Gabe continues to struggle we really need Mashburn to grow up quickly so he can take some of Gabe's minutes. Even if I concede that Gabe is a good defender (he is above average) our need for offense outweighs whatever he brings to the table for defense.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
Yeah, Robbins played a nice game.

Robbins isn't a perfect player, but I don't think anyone would call him soft. His biggest problem is that he is too physical (foul problems).
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I think he is still adjusting to the major increase in athleticism and quality of play that comes with the transfer to a B1G school. He is plenty athletic and quick enough for a seven footer and can score with either hand when he's not rushing around the hoop. He's also a shot eraser but definitely needs to wise up on the defensive end. The splash FTs are also a bonus. Without LR we'd be in big trouble this season.
 

Roland Brooks said:
Robbins is not too physical. Many of Robbins fouls are from being out of position and reacting a tad slow. He will get better. Footwork in the post on defense is just as important as footwork in the low post on O.
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IMO, for the season so far Robbins is the most improved player on the team. Contrast his play now versus the first couple of games, and he's come a long ways. He's adjusting fast (and really needs to do it even faster with the upcoming games). Pitino's halftime adjustments helped a LOT in shutting down SLU's inside game, but you also saw Robbins adjust his own game at halftime. Robbins isn't a Garza yet, but he's making good strides in the right direction.
 

Holy Man said:
Also had five turnovers, including a horrific one on a one hand pass breaking the press late. Needs to clean that up. For a guy known as a gunner, he has appeared pretty disciplined in his shot selection, though. I want him on the line in the clutch, too.
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Speaking of free throws, Gabe is hitting 90 percent. That's elite.
 

Block M said:
I think he is still adjusting to the major increase in athleticism and quality of play that comes with the transfer to a B1G school. He is plenty athletic and quick enough for a seven footer and can score with either hand when he's not rushing around the hoop. He's also a shot eraser but definitely needs to wise up on the defensive end. The splash FTs are also a bonus. Without LR we'd be in big trouble this season.
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Absolutely. I am impressed with Liam and thought he played well. He is pretty athletic, skilled and plays with an edge. It is much easier to get him to reign that in than it is to create any of those other skills.
 

My biggest issue with Carr, flat out misses to many easy entries to the post. Or just throws a terrible pass in there.
 

Outsider said:
My biggest issue with Carr, flat out misses to many easy entries to the post. Or just throws a terrible pass in there.
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We are only 7 games in. I don't remember there being an issue with him feeding Oturu last year so I am just going to attribute it to unfamiliarity.
 

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