First time poster here, but have long enjoyed this site (and all your contributions) from afar.
Obviously, a really tough loss. I think the 0-5 start to the Big is attributable to a range of factors, but I'll hone in on one. Certainly our rebounding and interior defense has been problematic, but given our personnel, many of us recognized this would be challenge at the beginning of the season. IMO Walker isn't really the problem, as much as it is the lack of rebounding and interior defense at the 4 spot. I think Joey brings a lot to the position, and he has/will make some big shots for this team, but it is what it is. By the way, virtually every team in the big has a glaring deficiency. This is a problem we should have been able to weather.
I think the biggest issue is the underperformance of the Mathieu/Hollins duo. When the season started, I thought that both would need to play at an all-conference level for this team to comfortably make the tournament, given some of the deficiencies we have (particularly on the defensive side) in the front court. Their lack of production across five games (even with all the attention Walker attracts from opposing defenses), and failure to make winning plays for this team in key late game situations, has been huge. Its all about the guards
I think Mathieu/Hollins are quality players, and are critical to the Gophers recovery, but their play has been the one variable I didn't anticipate. I don't think pulling them from the starting line up is really the answer, but Pitino might want to try the following:
1) Even hobbled, Hollins is important to this team. But I'm not sure I foresee major improvements in his performance going forward. I think his usage on the offensive side of the ball probably needs to be reduced, pending some change in his ability to knock down shots. Take the open three by all means, but that is probably about it.
2) The major difference, IMO, between Deandre this year and last year, is his aggressiveness offensively. I think Deandre is much better when he is looking to get to the rim and score, or pulling up from the mid-range. The jump-stop in the lane which leads to the forced pass isn't working. He needs to shoot more, because when he does, he scores it at a pretty decent rate. I liked Deandre's ability to bounce back from poor games last year, and I believe he has the capacity to elevate his game going forward. If we are going to recover, he has to play better, particularly in late game situations (and he proved last year he has the ability to help us finish games).
3) Nate Mason needs to play more. Like 30 minutes a game. And he needs to be more of a focal point of this Gophers offense
