PiPress: Trevor Mbakwe questions Tubby Smith's decision

[BleedGopher]

"It's definitely frustrating, especially when you're losing and you think you can help," said Mbakwe, who watched as his team fell behind by 12 points in the first half without him. "Sitting for 15 minutes is never fun. It's tough. It was a tough call (Smith) made. It was kind of questionable, in my opinion. But it doesn't matter because it was made. It's tough that both me and Austin (Hollins) had to sit on the bench."

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci...trevor-mbakwe-questions-tubby-smiths-decision

Go Gophers!!

 

[Monty519]

I can't blame him. That was incredibly frustrating to watch for me as a fan as well. You could just feel them spinning their wheels. I know, they came back and even had a lead late, but I just wonder if he had trusted at least Mbakwe to give him some time in that 1st half with the 2 fouls if things may have turned out different still.

I get sitting Austin, I mean, the dude fouled out with 11 minutes left in the game once by committing 2 fouls in like 10 seconds. But Mbakwe, your senior leader, I think you gotta let him go out there and take that risk.

 

[Section201]

"It's definitely frustrating, especially when you're losing and you think you can help," said Mbakwe, who watched as his team fell behind by 12 points in the first half without him. "Sitting for 15 minutes is never fun. It's tough. It was a tough call (Smith) made. It was kind of questionable, in my opinion. But it doesn't matter because it was made. It's tough that both me and Austin (Hollins) had to sit on the bench."

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci...trevor-mbakwe-questions-tubby-smiths-decision

Go Gophers!!

When Trevor said "tough" he really meant "effing stupid".

 

[ruppertflywheel]

You're not going to win the BTT. You need to get back to winning before you hit the dance.
Austin was filling it up. You keep him in and put somebody else on Paul. Sitting Trevor for 15 minutes was a horrible coaching decision. I can give you several reasons why, but WTF
it should have never occurred.

 

[book]

But the 2nd string played so well.................

 

[GophersInIowa]

The fact that we still got the lead yet absolutely blew it at the end is a lot more troublesome and discouraging than anything else to me. Regardless of this bad decision, we still had the lead late, allowed Illinois to get 3 or 4 (or was it more) looks at the basket to tie it up, couldn't inbound the ball, turned it over, and allowed Illinois to win it at the buzzer. That was way more frustrating than anything else.

 

[westcoastgopher11]

This team has gone to dumpster fire status.

 

[From the Barn]

If Austin and Mbakwe are back in earlier, that 5 point lead is closer to 15 with a few minutes left, and a lot less blowable.

 

[bahamagopherfan]

Tubby is a BAD game day coach. He has proven it with his stupid substituton patterns and his hold solid rule of not playing any player EVER that has two fouls in the first half. That stead fast rule leads to a losing season. What do you expect. The refereeing was questionable on Trevor's second foul, but the really horrendous decision was not to put the six year senior player back into the game in the first half when the game was slipping away. There was no offense on the floor for most of the first half. Can they waive Otto? He can't shoot, he can't play defense, he can't dribble he has no handle of the ball, he makes poor decisions when he is on the floor. His turnover to assist ratio is 13 to's to one assist and he can't rebound, but he does have a good looking girlfriend. I thought I was down after the pathetic Northwestern loss, but I seem to hit new lows with every game. Maybe Tubby will use Buggs in the NIT so he losses a year of eligibilty like Wally did this year???? This year has made no sense. Maybe the better team with the most talent should win once in a while?

 

[BleedGopher]

@gophersnow: Mbakwe through the team spokesman backed off his earlier comment on questioning Tubby. Said he meant the officials. #Gophers

Go Gophers!!

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

@gophersnow: Mbakwe through the team spokesman backed off his earlier comment on questioning Tubby. Said he meant the officials. #Gophers

Go Gophers!!

Saying things that he shouldn't to people that he shouldn't is not a strength of Trevor's. I think the team needs an extra spokesperson to dedicate just to Mbakwe.

 

[fryguy22]

Saying things that he shouldn't to people that he shouldn't is not a strength of Trevor's. I think the team needs an extra spokesperson to dedicate just to Mbakwe.

Read Trevor's quote again. The word "Smith" is in parantheses. It appears that what Trev actually said was "It was a tough call made - kind of questionable...." Not sure why the media interpreted that as a questionable call by Tubby, but it seems to me he was really talking about the refs.

 

[GopherPlaya]

Well I hope this is not a sign for more things to come.

 

[Blackhammer]

The fact that we still got the lead yet absolutely blew it at the end is a lot more troublesome and discouraging than anything else to me. Regardless of this bad decision, we still had the lead late, allowed Illinois to get 3 or 4 (or was it more) looks at the basket to tie it up, couldn't inbound the ball, turned it over, and allowed Illinois to win it at the buzzer. That was way more frustrating than anything else.

+2 We got away with sitting them and were in position to close out the game with a win. The not coming up with the ball after those missed threes was terrible. I like Austin Hollins but it would be hard to have a worse last minute. He had a great chance to come up with the ball on the last miss by Illinois but somehow didn't. As far as Tubby sitting the players it bothered me much less than the end bounds strategy.

 

[MNfootballfan]

Read Trevor's quote again. The word "Smith" is in parantheses. It appears that what Trev actually said was "It was a tough call made - kind of questionable...." Not sure why the media interpreted that as a questionable call by Tubby, but it seems to me he was really talking about the refs.

I agree with you. The parentheses are inserted by the media and the sentence actually makes a lot more sense if you you read it with the context that he was talking about the refs.