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SelectionSunday

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It didn't for Trevor, it didn't for Royce and it won't for Al.

Press on. ... that's all the Gophers can do. We're going to find out a lot more about Cobbs now that Al's likely done for the season. Losing Al hurts, no doubt about it, but that doesn't change the fact 6-0 Michigan State is staring us right in the face. Izzo and his guys aren't going to feel sorry for us.

Tubby's been around, he'll figure something out, come up with some kind of plan to counter the Spartans. The Gophers have a very tall task (Sparty going for only its second 7-0 Big Ten start in school history), but I'm looking forward to see how the Gophers respond.

Will be interesting to see the starting lineup. I'd be inclined to throw Cobbs into the fire, let him learn. Would prefer having a true PG start the game, even if he's a freshman. Go small with him, Westbrook, Joseph, Johnson and Sampson. I'd tighten the rotation significantly, with Blake and Carter (providing offense/energy/moxie) getting major minutes off the bench. Those 7 should get the major minutes, use them as the matchups and their play dictates. Use Iverson (only big off the bench), Williams and Bostick as needed.
 

SS, I love your attitude and as always, your posts. "Stuff" happens, you know, now lets see how the team responds. It certainly has been a different season than we were dreaming of before practice began, but it is what it is. Tubby "is" integrity and we go from there. Hopefully, more than just the team members have learned something this year.

I think Justin has done very well for a freshman. He has attacked as instructed and never seemed "deer-in-the-headlights" . The players are fun to watch as they develop both individually and as a team. I'm a fan of all of them.
 

It is really those 7 that are going to need to step up. Iverson and Williams seem not to be capable of performing at a high enough level yet to compete with the MSUs and the Purdues yet. Meanwhile, Tubby just doesn't give Bostick that much playing time for some reason, but I am sure that whatever Tubby's logic behind this decision is, it is sound.

Cobbs, Westbrook, Joseph, Johnson, Carter, Blake and Sampson... This is still essentially the team (minus Al now) that made the tournament and swept Wisconsin last year.

Honestly, while Devoe's shooting from distance is not quite what it was last year, I think the rest of his game has improved. Sampson is the same case: when he goes into beast-mode he has shown that he can be good. That turn around jumper from 5-10 feet out looks just like his dad. Then there is Blake who has shot lights out at times, especially compared to last year.

Westbrook, Johnson and Carter are playing just as well as they did last year, if you don't count Westbrook's meltdowns that seem to be occurring more and more frequently.

So, it really comes down to whether Cobbs replace Al. He doesn't even have to replace him, because they appear to me to be two drastically different players. I hope Cobbs surprises us with what he does on Saturday.
 

Good points by the first 3 posters. Sometimes a teams comes together when they lose a player. Wisconsin for an example. Though I must say it's starting to remind me(being an older poster) of the 'iron five'. Should be an interesting Saturday.

BTW I'm starting to get the feeling that Royce might play at some point this season.
 

CollegeBBallFan said:
I think Justin has done very well for a freshman. He has attacked as instructed and never seemed "deer-in-the-headlights" . The players are fun to watch as they develop both individually and as a team. I'm a fan of all of them.
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I'd agree with this. From what I've seen of Cobbs I think he could develop into a very nice player. He has some good moves to the basket and most importantly, plays with his head up. It's obviously disappointing that they're not going to have Al, but I'm interested to see what Cobbs can do with extended minutes.
 


I feel like I am less concerned about losing Nolen than most. He provides exceptional defense and good ball handling but he is below average in all other facets of the game. Yes I know recruiting rankings aren't everything, but Cobbs, Joseph, and even Allen were more highly rated than Nolen entering the U. I'm guessing that these guys will be extra motivated by the chance to earn Al's PT. I feel sorry for Al that this happened to him, but I think our on the court product will be fine.
 

This is bad, obviously. All we can hope is that the change may spark the offense the same way a back-up quarterback sometimes does. This is also where the great coaches earn thier money. If Tubby can pull out a win vs MSU and ultimately an NCAA birth out of this troubled season, he will prove again how good he is.
 

So what would you tell Cobbs and Joseph if you were Tubby.
My guess.
Cobbs. Take care of the ball first and foremost and keep the ball moving on offense. Play within yourself. Play your to your mans strong hand.
Joseph: Focus on the team concept on offense. Take good shots and do not force it. Keep up the pressure D and go for the steal when there. Stay out of foul trouble. Push the ball when its there.

Now it makes sense why Cobbs was first off the bench against IU. Westbrook will have to step up as a Sr. and put in solid minutes in an expanded role as well.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Go small with him, Westbrook, Joseph, Johnson and Sampson. I'd tighten the rotation significantly, with Blake and Carter (providing offense/energy) getting major minutes off the bench.
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You really think Tubby is going to bring Blake off the bench and start Devoe in his place? That's funny.
 



I would tell Cobbs, play with no fear, you can play in this league. Let him know he's not going to be yanked every time he makes a mistake.

I would demand a lot more out of Joseph, and he's capable of handling it. He needs to score more, but he needs to do it by taking good shots. He certainly has a chance to offer more scoring than Al.

In response to Viqueens, no, I think Tubby will start Blake. I'm just offering up a different starting lineup now that Al's done, one that could offer instant offense (Blake) off the bench. No problem here if Blake continues to be a starter.
 

Anyone not think that MSU might pressure our guards in the back court?
 

"Anyone not think that MSU might pressure our guards in the back court?"

That's certainly possible, but if I'm MSU my thought would be, why press 'em full court when we can simply lock them down in the half court? The Gophers have proven they're not very efficient in the half court. Maybe, if the Spartans try to press us full court, we handle it OK and it allows us to get some good looks in transition, looks we rarely get when we have to go up vs. a set defense.

I do see your point. It would make sense to get after a team defensively that just lost its only experienced PG.
 

SelectionSunday said:
I'm just offering up a different starting lineup now that Al's done, one that could offer instant offense (Blake) off the bench. No problem here if Blake continues to be a starter.
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I'm not against Devoe starting either, I just think there is no chance it's in place of Blake. Blake takes car of the ball under pressure, doesn't turn it over, passes before trapped.

Westbrook is a guy who can get himself in trouble trying to dribble through the full-court pressure and I fear Joseph throwing the ball away, giving Mich St easy points. We will see how they handle the pressure, we're going lean a lot about Cobbs Saturday.
 



ChemEGopher said:
I feel like I am less concerned about losing Nolen than most. He provides exceptional defense and good ball handling but he is below average in all other facets of the game. Yes I know recruiting rankings aren't everything, but Cobbs, Joseph, and even Allen were more highly rated than Nolen entering the U. I'm guessing that these guys will be extra motivated by the chance to earn Al's PT. I feel sorry for Al that this happened to him, but I think our on the court product will be fine.
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And Cobbs isn't a defensive slouch by any means. I could see a drop off in defense almost made up for by better offense. Cobbs just needs to avoid the momentary lapses in judgement, and if they do happen, shrug his shoulders and get back to playing.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
Now it makes sense why Cobbs was first off the bench against IU. Westbrook will have to step up as a Sr. and put in solid minutes in an expanded role as well.
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Yeah, someone alluded to this after the Indiana game. At the time I didn't put much stock into it. Whoever it was, very insightful.
 

I think this will be interesting. I'm of the opinion that the offense could actually get a little better in the absence of Al. I never like to pile on a guy and definitely not a guy who works his butt off the way Nolen does. So, over the course of his career I've never jumped on Nolen too much. I think he is a fine defender.

However, offensively he has some weaknesses that really hinder our half court O. First, he isn't a good shooter, which allows teams to sag away from him and help elsewhere all the time. Teams will not sag away from Joseph. Al also doesn't do a very good job of identifying an open man on the post and entering the ball. When the opposition doubles him on the high pick/roll, then he should find the guy who rolls/flashes. Al rarely, if ever, does this. Damian and Ralph could get oodles of points on that high screen play if Al could ID the situation properly. Even if he can't figure that out, a quick reversal would lead to a weakside lob and that would get points, too. Instead, Al likes to dribble, dribble, dribble, and we just simply slosh along on offense with no apparent purpose. Al struggles to finish at the rim, which is disappointing because he can seemingly get to the rim at will. And, unfortunately, Al has not been all that great in end-of-game situations in close games we have lost.

Now, having said all of that, who knows how Devoe and Justin respond. It may well be that I've misjudged the situation entirely and we'll really be bad with those two running the point. But, I don't think we're as bad off as many think. Justin and Devoe know the deal. It is their job (assuming Al doesn't win the appeal). Time will tell if they can handle it, but I think our offense has a chance to be a smoother running outfit with those two. Again, time will tell and I could be very wrong on that.

Defensively, we'll be weaker, no doubt.
 

soldier on

Agree with everyone else... Nothing left to do but soldier on.. I can say that this team is equipped to handle this type of development better than any recent gopher team. We have the deepest team in recent memory and that is being stretched now.

I actually think this could help Bostick. Cobbs is going to get his feet thrown in the fire but he is not plaing 40 minutes of point for us. Jospeh and Westbrook will also share the burden meaning we could use Bostick as well (minutes).

I do disagree with ChemEGopher as I think Nolen is one of the last guys I'd want to lose. His ball handling and defense are crucial against the upper half of the BT. You cannot replace that...also he is one tough dude. This is a big loss...but we move on.
 

98VQueens said:
I'm not against Devoe starting either, I just think there is no chance it's in place of Blake. Blake takes car of the ball under pressure, doesn't turn it over, passes before trapped.
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All of those things about Blake are true, but as we have seen the last two games he can really be a non-factor if a team prioritizes him. They would not be able to shut down Joseph to nearly the same extent. He has some ability to create with the ball in his hands.
 

Let's see here...Wiskey loses Leuer, still wins. Northwestern loses Coble, guts it out to become a better over all team. Gophers lose AN? We shall find out, my friends!!!

Go Gophers!
 

MSU is so good at switches on defense, I see Blake having a difficult time getting open looks this game.
 


I'm surprised you want Devoe starting. Would you want him starting if he didn't have such a good game on Sunday? It's kind of surprising to me that so many people already want Joseph starting over either Westbrook or Blake all of a sudden because of one good game. Hoffarber has struggled more recently and against the better teams, but he's proven that he's a much better play when he starts, he plays much better at home, he's a smarter player than Devoe, and even if he doesn't score much he's going to open up lanes and not hurt you by forcing shots or turning the ball over. Devoe is going to get his minutes either way because he's going to be playing some point guard. I just don't think that starting him would be a good idea. I agree with almost everything you say on here so I'm just curious as to why you would want him to start. I saw that you don't expect him to and that you think the team should demand more out of him because of his potential, but I'm curious to hear a little more.

SelectionSunday said:
It didn't for Trevor, it didn't for Royce and it won't for Al.

Press on. ... that's all the Gophers can do. We're going to find out a lot more about Cobbs now that Al's likely done for the season. Losing Al hurts, no doubt about it, but that doesn't change the fact 6-0 Michigan State is staring us right in the face. Izzo and his guys aren't going to feel sorry for us.

Tubby's been around, he'll figure something out, come up with some kind of plan to counter the Spartans. The Gophers have a very tall task (Sparty going for only its second 7-0 Big Ten start in school history), but I'm looking forward to see how the Gophers respond.

Will be interesting to see the starting lineup. I'd be inclined to throw Cobbs into the fire, let him learn. Would prefer having a true PG start the game, even if he's a freshman. Go small with him, Westbrook, Joseph, Johnson and Sampson. I'd tighten the rotation significantly, with Blake and Carter (providing offense/energy/moxie) getting major minutes off the bench. Those 7 should get the major minutes, use them as the matchups and their play dictates. Use Iverson (only big off the bench), Williams and Bostick as needed.
Click to expand...
 

No earth-shattering reason, really. I like Blake, I like Devoe. Try something different, mix it up a little bit to see if Devoe can provide some scoring pop (which we'll need) from the get-go. And maybe Blake can be instant offense like Q and Charles Thomas were in 1996-97. Even without Al's defensive excellence, I still think we'll find a way to be a good defensive club. I'm just trying to figure out if there's a lineup that will score.
 

SelectionSunday said:
No earth-shattering reason, really. I like Blake, I like Devoe. Try something different, mix it up a little bit to see if Devoe can provide some scoring pop (which we'll need) from the get-go. And maybe Blake can be instant offense like Q and Charles Thomas were in 1996-97. Even without Al's defensive excellence, I still think we'll find a way to be a good defensive club. I'm just trying to figure out if there's a lineup that will score.
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I thought we already mixed it up and found out what Blake is much better starting and has provided that scoring pop. Blake is still head and shoulders above Devoe in consistency and taking care of the ball. I wouldn't just assume Devoe will gain half Al's 26mpg, Cobbs will see the bulk and others will grab a few as well.

Can Cobbs handle Michigan States defense? Why not, he has been matching up with Big Ten steals leader and facing DJ, LW and Al's pressure defense every day in practice.
 

Is there a limit on the number of times a coach can tinker with his lineup? With Al gone, now might be the time to tinker some more. Who Tubby puts in the starting lineup (and/or takes out), that's why we're paying him the big $$$. I'm just curious what his starting lineup will be Saturday.
 

I also like the idea of a true PG, regardless of age/year, starting the game against MSU. much better than shifting everyone out of their comfort zones and positions. let's hope Cobbs can be as cool under pressure as he has been so far (is he seriously 18??)
 

underground629 said:
Hoffarber has struggled more recently and against the better teams, but he's proven that he's a much better play when he starts, he plays much better at home, he's a smarter player than Devoe, and even if he doesn't score much he's going to open up lanes and not hurt you by forcing shots or turning the ball over.
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Clem's Gophers said:
Blake is still head and shoulders above Devoe in consistency and taking care of the ball. I wouldn't just assume Devoe will gain half Al's 26mpg, Cobbs will see the bulk and others will grab a few as well.

Can Cobbs handle Michigan States defense? Why not, he has been matching up with Big Ten steals leader and facing DJ, LW and Al's pressure defense every day in practice.
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I think Cobbs is ready, if not he will get some priceless OJT (on-the-job training).

I don't agree when people says Josephs game has been hurt because he has been forced to play some point. Hes not a slasher and doesn't shoot well enough FG & FT percentage for me to believe hes a pure SG-scorer. Devoe wants to play/learn point guard for his long-shot NBA aspirations and in order to help the team he needs to continue to grow into a better combo guard, with a more emphasis at the two spot. Devoe Joe will have a good opportunity to round out his game if Nolan is indeed done for the year.
 

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