My first question was whether or not this Gopher teams depth was for real. It's one thing to be effective against Eastern Washington or Bowling Green and entirely another to be able to play with Louisville. The Gophers depth is for real as guys like Busch and Hoffarber and, to a lesser extent, Joseph and Williams provided some nice plays off the bench.
My second question was whether the Gophers were as athletic as I thought they were, or if there athleticism was just magnified by the competition they faced. Once again, the Gophers proved that they are an athletic team. There were many times where Louisville was rotating the ball around quickly with sharp passes, and the Gophers were able to move their feet and close the distance instead of giving up an open shot. Al Nolen was the quickest player on the floor and Damian held his own with some tough defensive matchups.
My third question was whether or not our Bigs could play well in the paint against top competition. This is a question that is still left unanswered in my mind. Colton and Ralph both had their moments, and neither looked slow or out of place out there which is a huge positive. I thought both played well defensively, but neither rebounded or scored very well. Against physical teams in the Big Ten, we will need one of the two (and hopefully both) to be a force on the boards and a factor in the post.
Overall, I came away very encouraged about the prospects for the Big Ten season. The Gophers never lost the lead after being tied at 11 despite Westbrook's foul trouble and still not having Paul Carter who I think would have matched up well in this game. I know the announcers were really playing up the Louisville "tired/travel" angle, but the Gophers could just as easily have played u p the "rusty/finals" angle. It's not easy to go ten days without playing and then go up against the best team on your non-conference schedule.
Some other observations:
Damian Johnson has really taken the next step in his game. I thought Damian should try to add weight to play the 4 this year, but instead he's vastly improved his ball handling and passing skills and is a nice small forward. Damian must have put a ton of time in the gym this summer because he's a much better player with the ball in his hands than he was last season. It's extremely rare for someone to improve in those areas so much, especially when they are already in college.
Travis Busch is a great steadying influence on the court. Against the Louisville pressure, Busch's crisp, accurate passes really stood out to me. The kid is just a great fundamental player, he boxes out, he cuts hard to the basket, and he positions himself well on defense.
Blake Hoffarber did an admirable job against the press. Blake is another guy who's progress with his ball handling this summer is very noticeable. I can almost guarantee that Blake turns it over multiple times last year if forced to bring the ball up the court against that kind of pressure against some very good athletes form Louisville. It might not have always looked the prettiest, but Blake got the job done.
It was nice to hear the announcers mention that the Gophers have produced the 2nd most NBA players in the Big Ten. It was also nice to hear that the NBA scouts in attendance were looking at Al Nolen and Colton Iverson. Those are great things for potential recruits to hear.
My second question was whether the Gophers were as athletic as I thought they were, or if there athleticism was just magnified by the competition they faced. Once again, the Gophers proved that they are an athletic team. There were many times where Louisville was rotating the ball around quickly with sharp passes, and the Gophers were able to move their feet and close the distance instead of giving up an open shot. Al Nolen was the quickest player on the floor and Damian held his own with some tough defensive matchups.
My third question was whether or not our Bigs could play well in the paint against top competition. This is a question that is still left unanswered in my mind. Colton and Ralph both had their moments, and neither looked slow or out of place out there which is a huge positive. I thought both played well defensively, but neither rebounded or scored very well. Against physical teams in the Big Ten, we will need one of the two (and hopefully both) to be a force on the boards and a factor in the post.
Overall, I came away very encouraged about the prospects for the Big Ten season. The Gophers never lost the lead after being tied at 11 despite Westbrook's foul trouble and still not having Paul Carter who I think would have matched up well in this game. I know the announcers were really playing up the Louisville "tired/travel" angle, but the Gophers could just as easily have played u p the "rusty/finals" angle. It's not easy to go ten days without playing and then go up against the best team on your non-conference schedule.
Some other observations:
Damian Johnson has really taken the next step in his game. I thought Damian should try to add weight to play the 4 this year, but instead he's vastly improved his ball handling and passing skills and is a nice small forward. Damian must have put a ton of time in the gym this summer because he's a much better player with the ball in his hands than he was last season. It's extremely rare for someone to improve in those areas so much, especially when they are already in college.
Travis Busch is a great steadying influence on the court. Against the Louisville pressure, Busch's crisp, accurate passes really stood out to me. The kid is just a great fundamental player, he boxes out, he cuts hard to the basket, and he positions himself well on defense.
Blake Hoffarber did an admirable job against the press. Blake is another guy who's progress with his ball handling this summer is very noticeable. I can almost guarantee that Blake turns it over multiple times last year if forced to bring the ball up the court against that kind of pressure against some very good athletes form Louisville. It might not have always looked the prettiest, but Blake got the job done.
It was nice to hear the announcers mention that the Gophers have produced the 2nd most NBA players in the Big Ten. It was also nice to hear that the NBA scouts in attendance were looking at Al Nolen and Colton Iverson. Those are great things for potential recruits to hear.
