The question I most need answered. ...

Donate To GopherHole
S

SelectionSunday

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 12, 2008
Messages
24,719
Reaction score
4,877
Points
113
(skipping past the SDSU rout) is, how will the Gophers handle being punched in the mouth once the Big 10 season starts? There's been so little adversity (on the court) in the pre-Big 10 season because of the lack of quality competition that I really have no idea. The little evidence we have, most specifically the Miami game, the results were not good. Maybe beating up on inferior teams by 30+ points gives you confidence, I don't know, but I would have rather they have been tested a little more the last couple weeks.

That's the one thing I'm most anxious to see; how will we handle it if (for example) Talor Battle in the Big 10 opener single-handedly puts his team on his back and attempts to will the Nitts to victory, ala like he did vs. MSU at the Breslin Center last year? The Gophers will have not played in a single tight, taut game in nearly 4 weeks by the time they host Penn State.
 

I was wondering something similar last night while watching the game. It seemed like at certain times Tubby and the players were indifferent about the game and the competition. The concern is that they are not prepared to play, and with kids like Battle we need to be ready to roll.

I do however have confidence in Tubby's track record of getting guys ready to go and motivated. It will however require the kids to respond... I suppose last year we began with MSU (IIRC) to begin the BT season, so at least PSU should be a more manageable opponent...
 

SelectionSunday said:
(skipping past the SDSU rout) is, how will the Gophers handle being punched in the mouth once the Big 10 season starts? There's been so little adversity (on the court) in the pre-Big 10 season because of the lack of quality competition that I really have no idea. The little evidence we have, most specifically the Miami game, the results were not good. Maybe beating up on inferior teams by 30+ points gives you confidence, I don't know, but I would have rather they have been tested a little more the last couple weeks.

That's the one thing I'm most anxious to see; how will we handle it if (for example) Talor Battle in the Big 10 opener single-handedly puts his team on his back and attempts to will the Nitts to victory, ala like he did vs. MSU at the Breslin Center last year? The Gophers will have not played in a single a tight, taut game in nearly 4 weeks by the time they host Penn State.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what we've been talking about. As great as it was to be at the game last night, see Hoff break the record, etc...I have NO idea how good this team is. You typically play up to your competition, so we can hope for that. We are led by mostly upperclassman - and they know what it's like to play against the big boys, hopefully that translates into W's.

That's the thing, beyond us season ticket holders wanting to get good games for our $, the main goal of that is to prepare for BT season, I don't feel like we've been able to do that with our NC schedule.
 

I'm not worried about them competing when the time comes. Right now, this team need to get a bit of a rhythm going and they have done that. Now, they prepare mentally to get at it for Big Ten season. Guys like DJ, Westbrook, Nolen, and Hoffarber should know what that's about and be able to convey the importance of bringing it.
 

We are absolutely pounding inferior competition- which is a good sign. Northern Ill's losses against Illinois, NW and Bradley were in the 20 point and less range.

The concern is that we are playing the game totally differently versus the lower level teams than against the better teams. We are playing loose, up tempo, take the first open shot basketball. This team is just so-so on rebounding and very mediocre (putting it kindly) in the half court offense. I am wishing we would continue the uptempo style in the Big Ten- much like MSU does. Get the ball of board or out of the basket and get up court fast to look for the early shot. Oddly enough the up tempo game makes Hoff MUCH more effective and he has been a real key to our offense the last 4 games. We have great defense and depth- we can use those things to our advantage in an uptempo game.
 


"We have great defense and depth- we can use those things to our advantage in an uptempo game."

Therein lies the rub. Big 10 teams are not going to let us do that (up-tempo), not to mention being up-tempo requires you're solid on the boards (not a strength of ours). We better be sound in the half court or we're going to look a lot like year. Problem is, unlike last year 9-9 in the Big 10 isn't likely going to cut it.
 

Don't underestimate The Barn.

Listening to the board and feeling the vibe (subdued, but anticipatory) at the games people are ready for the PSU battle. As they should be. Our expectations are high, but I think we are in a better place mentally than the MSU/INDY games the previous years.

Talor may will his team, but so will we.
 

inflectionpoint said:
Don't underestimate The Barn.

Listening to the board and feeling the vibe (subdued, but anticipatory) at the games people are ready for the PSU battle. As they should be. Our expectations are high, but I think we are in a better place mentally than the MSU/INDY games the previous years.

Talor may will his team, but so will we.
Click to expand...

The Barn isn't what it used to be.
 




The Gophers have been red hot from the perimeter lately and have brought their season's 3pt% up to 40%, which is truly outstanding.

So why don't I trust their perimeter shooting? Maybe it's the 3-19 against Portland, or the 3-9 against Texas A&M or the memory of their 3pt shooting woes in the Big Ten last year (last in the conference at 31%).

The Gophers have given up some rebounding to get Hoffarber in the lineup. This is probably the Gopher's best shot at having a respectable Big Ten record (barring a return to the basketball court of Mbakwe or White, which I don't expect any time soon). But the Gopher's hopes rest not only on Hoffarber's continued hot hand, but also on DJ not giving up too much on the boards at PF (which I have doubts about).
 

Mikie S said:
The Gophers have been red hot from the perimeter lately and have brought their season's 3pt% up to 40%, which is truly outstanding.

So why don't I trust their perimeter shooting? Maybe it's the 3-19 against Portland, or the 3-9 against Texas A&M or the memory of their 3pt shooting woes in the Big Ten last year (last in the conference at 31%).

The Gophers have given up some rebounding to get Hoffarber in the lineup. This is probably the Gopher's best shot at having a respectable Big Ten record (barring a return to the basketball court of Mbakwe or White, which I don't expect any time soon). But the Gopher's hopes rest not only on Hoffarber's continued hot hand, but also on DJ not giving up too much on the boards at PF (which I have doubts about).
Click to expand...

I agree. And I think the team is headed that way. The three guard rotation is a good fit for this team right now, at least, offensively. Defensively we lose rebounding and shot blocking. But as long as the three point shots are falling and we don't have have a true power forward on the roster, it seems we've found a way to take advantage of the current roster's strengths. Also, it helps give us an actual identity with regards to the kind of offensive system we're running.
 

I agree with many of the concerns of people on this board about where the Gophers are right now.

Beating the snot out of inferior opponents is a good thing. It beats pretty much every alternative. But it doesn't really tell/show you anything.

I pretty much think results in games like Northern Illinois is fool's gold. It's great that Blake made a bunch of shots last night, but I would again like to see what he does against BCS competition. He was ineffective against A&M and Miami. He's been great of late. But he's still a guy who has been largely ineffective in Big Ten play.

Want to know why December is fool's gold: Dan Coleman once went for 22 and 11 in a December game and 29 and 10 in another game. That, clearly, didn't translate.
 

anonymous said:
He was ineffective against A&M and Miami.
Click to expand...
He only took 4 shots and had 4 rebs, 3 assists against A&M, and actually played well going 3-6 with 9 pts in 20 min against Miami.

The real problem was similar to a few times last year with a number of our guards; he went in for a few minutes, and if he missed one or two, he was back on the bench. As most of the players on the team have noted at different times, that's a pretty hard way to find a rhythm, especially for a shooter.

If you let a player play through a few misses, especially kids that can shoot, things usually end up alright. With Tubby starting him and giving him a little more free reign lately, his confidence and play seem to have improved ten-fold.
 



ShowinGoldyLove,

Last season Blake averaged 4.5 points per game in Big Ten play. In two games this season against BCS conference opponents, he has 0 and 9 points. Even if you add in the 12 he scored against Butler, he's only averaging 7 ppg against top competition.

For his career, he is averaging 6.3 points per game against BCS conference opponents.

That is more than going in for a few minutes, missing a shot or two and going to the bench. To me that is not being able to get shots against more athletic, bigger and stronger opponents. It's also about not being able to get on the floor because of defensive issues.
 

I Obviously Don't Know, Either

But I have read quotes from several coaches of Gopher oppents, saying Minnesota Is The Best Team We've Played.

NIU coach Ricardo Patton (for example) said that, and the Huskies also played Illinois and Northwestern this season.
 

I'm going to go ahead and hang my hat on Ken Pomeroy's predictions, which were eerily accurate for the Gophers last year. As I'm sure most of you know, he uses a computer model based on tempo, offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and quality of opponents to make comparisons and predict wins and losses.

The NIU game hasn't been tabulated yet, but he's got us at 13-5 in the Big Ten behind only Purdue, MSU, and OSU. And keep in mind this is based off our efficiency so far this year and takes into account our pathetic OOC schedule. I'll take it!
 

anonymous said:
That is more than going in for a few minutes, missing a shot or two and going to the bench. To me that is not being able to get shots against more athletic, bigger and stronger opponents. It's also about not being able to get on the floor because of defensive issues.
Click to expand...
It's really not though.

Look at his career FG %, and look at how many shots he took in those games. It was typically a 1-4, 2-5, usually less than 5 shots in a game in 18-20 min/game. Part of it is not creating his own shot, part of it is not running plays/finding your top shooter.

Take a few glances at some games; Louisville last year, OSU last year, IL his freshman year, etc., athletic teams, but he was still able to get good shots and put up good numbers (18+ pts, 4+ rebs, etc.).

Also, re: his defense; ask Tubby, look at his rebounds/game, or Uncle Joe watching on the sofa, and it's vastly improved over the past 12 months.
 

ShowinGoldy,

It might be real improvement. It might not be.

In 90 days we'll know for sure.
 

These easy home games have allowed the team to get some confidence back and, maybe, let us find an effective starting five. However, like others, I'm not that sure they'll keep that confidence when the defensive pressure is ratcheted up. For having two guys as big as Ralph and Colton, we haven't exactly dominated inside against these lesser teams either scoring or rebounding.

Most of the other Big Ten teams have had or will have at least one tough game since the ACC games. They scheduled the likes of Butler, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri, Stanford, Kansas, Georgia, and Texas. I really wish we had also scheduled one school like that; it would have been a lot more helpful getting us ready for Big Ten play than the game I saw last night. Nothing wrong with the way they played, but they were almost nonchalant at times. Westbrook trying that pass off the backboard, and Tubby putting Blake back in just to get a meaningless record?
 

Mulligan,

While it's technically true that we didn't schedule Butler, we did play and beat them.

That said I'm nervous too. I had hoped for and expected Colt and RS3 to be more improved than they've appeared. Also hoped and expected Westbrook to be smarter/faster than he's looked.

I'm glad that Blake is hot. And the power of a real outside threat is great to have. No one however, should expect him to have as good a looks as he's gotten in the last few games for the rest of the year

I really don't know what to expect, but I'm excited for the B10 season to get underway.
 

Relative

ShowinGoldyLove said:
Not as bad as it was 5 years ago...it's starting to come back. Get us a Top 15 team and it'll be rockin' once again.

This town is dying for a winner right now.
Click to expand...

One of the things I was looking forward to from Tubby's teams was the barn atmopshere from the Haskins days.

It hasnt happened. IN fact, attendance appears to be down at the games. The crowds are not into it at all.
 

pmgz said:
It hasnt happened. IN fact, attendance appears to be down at the games. The crowds are not into it at all.
Click to expand...
Attendance has increased every year that Tubby's been here.

Keep in mind that the last Clemson game in the NIT when Monson was coaching there weren't 3k people in the Barn. Tubby had to resurrect a program that literally had a crypt of a fanbase at the games...and it's on its way.
 

ShowinGoldyLove said:
Attendance has increased every year that Tubby's been here.

Keep in mind that the last Clemson game in the NIT when Monson was coaching there weren't 3k people in the Barn. Tubby had to resurrect a program that literally had a crypt of a fanbase at the games...and it's on its way.
Click to expand...

OK - if attendance has indeed increased, then those folks are not very into the game.

Silence.

Of course, that could have a lot to do with the teams the G's are playing.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom