Peaking at the right time?

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Cobra said:
It sure seems that way. This teams chemistry is cooking, and you can feel it!
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When it comes to chemistry, while I have no insight into the players, I have to believe Parker Fox is huge for this team. He adds an intensity and effort piece that is a major intangible. When he chased down Walker last night, for one...that's just a play that gets everyone engaged. This is a fun team!
 


Not sure if if peaking or continuing to get better every game. I hope they aren't peaking right now.

Payne is a big time problem for opponents if he stays healthy. The guy just gets better and better. Garcia and him need to spend the whole off-season working on some hi/low passing, but man they play so well at times.

Truly a fun game to be at and watch last night.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
Not sure if if peaking or continuing to get better every game. I hope they aren't peaking right now.

Payne is a big time problem for opponents if he stays healthy. The guy just gets better and better. Garcia and him need to spend the whole off-season working on some hi/low passing, but man they play so well at times.

Truly a fun game to be at and watch last night.
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It is kind of crazy to see a big guy like Payne out guarding on the perimeter but he is quick enough to do it. Would like to see him avoid those ticky tack fouls away from the basket though.

You can see the improvement in this team as the season goes on. It starts with Hawkins figuring out how to play under control and has now progressed to Christie really finding his game and staring to become a true weapon as a 3 point shooter.

Nice to see some fans starting to come around on this team as well. I get all the skepticism heading into this season coming off 2 really bad years, but this is a fun team to watch and it is a team that is still developing and getting better which is really exciting for the future assuming they can keep the group together in this crazy college sports landscape we are living in right now.
 


MNVCGUY said:
It is kind of crazy to see a big guy like Payne out guarding on the perimeter but he is quick enough to do it. Would like to see him avoid those ticky tack fouls away from the basket though.
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The next Antonio Gates?!

Love to see a Safety try and tackle him with a full steam - it would be like in Batman TV show -

Pow
💥
Wham
POW
💥
MNVCGUY said:
You can see the improvement in this team as the season goes on. It starts with Hawkins figuring out how to play under control and has now progressed to Christie really finding his game and staring to become a true weapon as a 3 point shooter.

Nice to see some fans starting to come around on this team as well. I get all the skepticism heading into this season coming off 2 really bad years, but this is a fun team to watch and it is a team that is still developing and getting better which is really exciting for the future assuming they can keep the group together in this crazy college sports landscape we are living in right now.
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Cobra said:
It sure seems that way. This teams chemistry is cooking, and you can feel it!
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Not sure what to think. I wonder if they are just growing together and starting to hit their stride/ still ascending. The peaking may still be down the road?

Just an uninformed thought.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
The next Antonio Gates?!

Love to see a Safety try and tackle him with a full steam - it would be like in Batman TV show -

Pow
💥
Wham
POW
💥
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Stay off the Batman...;)

Seriously, He'd have to want to play football. IIRC who (which sport) gives the scholarship would come into question.
 

STPGopher said:
Stay off the Batman...;)

Seriously, He'd have to want to play football. IIRC who (which sport) gives the scholarship would come into question.
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Seriously, Gates didn’t play college football, but rather college basketball, hence my comment.

There was also a Miami basketball player, more recently, who followed the same path, but his name alludes me at present.



en.m.wikipedia.org

Antonio Gates - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org en.m.wikipedia.org
 
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Peaking?

this team still has its issues. they're very streaky - they can go on scoring runs, but they also allow the opponents to go on scoring runs. and the first half vs second half performance remains an issue.
from my vantage point, I would like to see this team work on being more consistent for 40 minutes. cut down on the offensive lulls and really work at having a good offensive possession every time.

and they can certainly get better on late game out-of-bounds situations.

there is also the issue with Payne's FT shooting - one of your best players is a liability if he's on the court in a close game.

and several players have been in funks lately - JOJ among them.

the Gophers have definitely made progress. but that doesn't mean they're a finished product.
 


short ornery norwegian said:
Peaking?

this team still has its issues. they're very streaky - they can go on scoring runs, but they also allow the opponents to go on scoring runs. and the first half vs second half performance remains an issue.
from my vantage point, I would like to see this team work on being more consistent for 40 minutes. cut down on the offensive lulls and really work at having a good offensive possession every time.

and they can certainly get better on late game out-of-bounds situations.

there is also the issue with Payne's FT shooting - one of your best players is a liability if he's on the court in a close game.

and several players have been in funks lately - JOJ among them.

the Gophers have definitely made progress. but that doesn't mean they're a finished product.
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I agree that their offense can be lost at times, but what has changed dramatically in the last two months is that their defense has been consistently, very strong. It keeps them in the game when their offense struggles. That said, while their offense can struggle, overall their shooting is in the top three in the Big Ten and they have started to really limit their turnovers - that is so important to limiting the offensive lulls.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Peaking?

this team still has its issues. they're very streaky - they can go on scoring runs, but they also allow the opponents to go on scoring runs. and the first half vs second half performance remains an issue.
from my vantage point, I would like to see this team work on being more consistent for 40 minutes. cut down on the offensive lulls and really work at having a good offensive possession every time.

and they can certainly get better on late game out-of-bounds situations.

there is also the issue with Payne's FT shooting - one of your best players is a liability if he's on the court in a close game.

and several players have been in funks lately - JOJ among them.

the Gophers have definitely made progress. but that doesn't mean they're a finished product.
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Yep....and the fact that they are not a finished product is the most exciting part of all.

Have said it before, if/when this team figures out how to have a good first half....look out....

There are so many areas this team can improve. Christie is just a freshman, Payne is still developing and the free throw thing is a definite concern (though I saw some things last night that make it clear he is really working on it), Carrington and JOJ have shown flashes but are struggling to find consistency, Garcia has a tendency to vanish at times, especially early.....you can make a long list of ways this team can get better.
 



TwistingMyMelon said:
I'm almost at the point where I would feel nervous and uncomfortable if this team led at halftime.
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Made the comment in the MSU game thread that I was relieved when we were just down 5 at the half. Figured we had a great chance of winning :)
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Peaking?

this team still has its issues. they're very streaky - they can go on scoring runs, but they also allow the opponents to go on scoring runs. and the first half vs second half performance remains an issue.
from my vantage point, I would like to see this team work on being more consistent for 40 minutes. cut down on the offensive lulls and really work at having a good offensive possession every time.

and they can certainly get better on late game out-of-bounds situations.

there is also the issue with Payne's FT shooting - one of your best players is a liability if he's on the court in a close game.

and several players have been in funks lately - JOJ among them.

the Gophers have definitely made progress. but that doesn't mean they're a finished product.
Click to expand...
Would agree with this post. The offense stands around way too often, when they move their bodies and the ball we score fairly easily. That said, the defense they play is flat out pretty good.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Seriously, Gates didn’t play college football, but rather college basketball, hence my comment.

There was also a Miami basketball player, more recently, who followed the same path, but his name alludes me at present.



en.m.wikipedia.org

Antonio Gates - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org en.m.wikipedia.org
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Silly me. I thought Gates started playing organized football for the first time late in college.

Edit: "Failure is Growth!";)
 
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I'd like to see more slashing from the guards. It feels like the only guard who tries consistently to take off the dribble is Hawkins and he's been hesitant to finish in the paint among the trees. I think Cam will slowly start to do that when his match-up inevitably overplays because of his shooting. That's a big gap between what I saw from Mich State guards vs ours last night. Glad I can find things to nitpick on after a big win tho! Defense has been stellar.
 

STPGopher said:
Silly me. I thought Gates started playing organized football for the first time late in college.
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Not anymore than usual 😉, he played in HS was supposed to play both at Sparty, but Saban, said no and he left to pursue his basketball jones, until someone brilliantly figured out he could be a TE; he was also 6’4” & 240, not 6’9” & 265.

The idea of someone trying to tackle Payne makes me chuckle. 🤭 I, have no clue if he could or couldn’t.

If he can’t play in the NBA, he can have an extraordinary life playing overseas.
 
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Gopher_In_NYC said:
Not anymore than usual 😉, he played in HS was supposed to play both at Sparty, but Saban, said no and he left to pursue his basketball jones, until someone brilliantly figured out he could be a TE; he was also 6’4” & 240, not 6’9” & 265.

The idea of someone trying to tackle Payne makes me chuckle. 🤭 I, have no clue if he could or couldn’t.

If he can’t play in the NBA, he can have an extraordinary life playing overseas.
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Linebackers, yes. That would be funny. Safeties? Just another day in the office...
 


Gopher_In_NYC said:
I’d be doing my matador impression as I whiff on the tackle🤣 while asking for an autograph ✍️
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Game film...
mickey-mouse-matador.gif
https://media1.tenor.com/m/VsAob0BhAWAAAAAd/mickey-mouse-matador.gif
 


Gopher_T-line said:
I'd like to see more slashing from the guards. It feels like the only guard who tries consistently to take off the dribble is Hawkins and he's been hesitant to finish in the paint among the trees. I think Cam will slowly start to do that when his match-up inevitably overplays because of his shooting. That's a big gap between what I saw from Mich State guards vs ours last night. Glad I can find things to nitpick on after a big win tho! Defense has been stellar.
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You can bet Cam is going to be getting more and more attention with the run he has been on. Going to be on him to figure out a counter to that and one definite way will be to take it to the hoop more when they try to get right on him at the 3 point line.

Gotta believe that is in his game, he has good size and is a solid ball handler. Just has to develop the strength and confidence to go right at defenders.
 



Cobra said:
Andy Katz just ranked the Gophers #3 in the B1G Ten power rankings, with only Purdue and Illinois ahead of us.
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Sconnie is struggling right now so I can see how he could put us in the 3 spot. The gap between 3 and 11 is probably razor thin but right now we are playing better then most of the rest in the conference.
 



STPGopher said:
Not sure what to think. I wonder if they are just growing together and starting to hit their stride/ still ascending. The peaking may still be down the road?

Just an uninformed thought.
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This is exactly what I was thinking.

They need to hit more of the 3s they are taking. ... then maybe I'd say peaking
 

I can say with a fair amount of confidence that CBJ and staff is trying to get Payne making his free throws, get Ihnen slashing to be the next KD, working on Carrington's 3's so he doesn't get Kalscheuritis, Hawkins changing speeds more and making the easy play, slowing down Mitchell's brain, having Garcia isolate doubles faster, and having everyone pump fake more. We are stating the obvious, while the MN coaches are playing 3D chess vs. opposing coaches that are trying to stop exactly what we are doing. That's why games don't go perfectly as we'd like! Every team has multiple modes of improvement, and fan base complaints.
 

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