He may be an a-hole journalist, but he's on to something here. Wrong calling Hollins a C ball handler though.
Ahanmisi hasn't played well in Big Ten games, perhaps because he hasn't played all that much. "Turn it over and get ready to sit down'' -- basically, that's the burden under which Ahanmisi has played during the conference schedule.
The problem with that is the Gophers are better off when Andre Hollins can slide over to a wing and hunt for shots. Hollins is a B-plus as a shooter and a C as a ball-handler, so if someone else can handle the point ...
Ahanmisi stood up to become that player Tuesday. And Eliason was a fanatic in the middle -- sharing that attitude with Mbakwe -- and helped the Gophers beat up No. 1 Indiana for a 77-73 upset.
Ahanmisi played 21 minutes, with two huge threes, three assists and two rebounds. He played 13 of those minutes with Andre Hollins on his wing, and the offense looked better than it has in weeks.
Eliason played 14 minutes but it seemed like 30. He had seven points, five rebounds, an emphatic block and four nasty fouls. And it was he and Ahanmisi who brought the Gophers from down 44-36 with 15 1/2 minutes left to 56-all when Ahanmisi left at 5:12.
The run started with an enormous three by Ahanmisi, then seven consecutive points for Eliason. They had assists for one another. They had rebounds and hustled to loose balls on both ends.
Tubby went to his bench for four players and 46 minutes. Eliason and Ahanmisi played 35 of those, with a combined 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and one (Eliason) turnover.
Logic says Smith now has a bench for tough games: Eliason in middle, Ahanmisi in the backcourt, and a couple of shifts for the hard-working Andre Ingram.
