The Gophers played host to one of the lowest ranked college basketball teams in the country on Tuesday night. They didn’t waste any time, jumping out to a 13-point lead on the heels of nine quick points by guard Nate Mason. Mason finished with 12 points and Jordan Murphy added 20 to lift the Gophers past Alabama A&M, 100-57.
Mason starts hot, Murphy with another double-double
Nate Mason opened the game with 12 points, including a pull-up three-pointer and a tough runner in the lane. Amir Coffey had eight quick assists and was looking Mason’s way throughout the night. Coffey continues to create opportunities for others because of his ability to attack and facilitate. Jordan Murphy opened the game with eight points and was taking defenders off the dribble via baseline drives. More importantly, he was making plays on the defensive end and is active in help side situations to create deflections. He tallied his fifth straight double-double and has been dominant during stretches of games. Murphy played efficient during 22 minutes of action and shot 9-for-10 from the floor. The Gophers shot 61 percent and ended the first half on a 6-0 run, fueled by a Davonte Fitzgerald dunk. Fitzgerald has struggled to begin the season, but looked more comfortable in his fifth official game. He finished the night with 13 points and will need to continue providing valuable minutes during the upcoming stretch of games.
Gophers defending in the paint
Entering the game, fans didn’t expect Minnesota would be the team turning the ball over. Alabama A&M had a whopping 60 turnovers entering Tuesday night’s game at Williams Arena. However, the Gophers opened the evening with four unforced turnovers, including a traveling violation and two instances where they stepped out of bounds. They settled in and forced 19 turnovers on the defensive end by performing well in help side situations and rotating.
All Alabama A&M could do in the first 13 minutes was hit three-pointers. They were 4-for-7 from the three-point line and didn’t hit a two-point basket until the 8:46 mark of the first half. The Gophers have struggled to defend the three-point line this year, but a portion of this can be attributed to teams shooting the ball really well. Entering the game, opposing teams had made 59 of their 163 two-point jumpers against the Gophers. Minnesota has been defending the paint very well and were extending their defense to contest more three-point shots in this game.
Gophers playing unselfish ball
The Gophers have continued to show how unselfish they will be this season. Their guards continue to create open looks for each other. Dupree McBrayer has been exceptional in this capacity. He is reading the floor well, while playing with fantastic spacing. He can hit the mid-range jumpers, but will also attack and create open looks for other players. McBrayer is very comfortable and confident on the floor this year. Between McBrayer and Amir Coffey, the Gophers are placing players like Jordan Murphy and Reggie Lynch in favorable situations. Minnesota’s big-men also pass very well, including Lynch via outlets to the guards in transition. Overall, the team had 28 assists and they continue to play unselfishly.
Freshman guard Isaiah Washington, has struggled to open the season. He has been taking a high volume of shots, but isn’t hitting them. He did have eight assists, but hasn’t shot the ball particularly well. He is just 12-for-39 from the floor and 2-for-17 from three-point line to begin the season. Washington plays hard, but just hasn’t been knocking down shots. The other freshman, Jamir Harris was feeling it from the three-point line. He drilled three-in-a-row and showed how much of a threat he can be from behind the arch this year. Coach Pitino said after the game that Harris will continue to get better as he gains more experience and could be a “nice weapon” for the team this season.
The Gophers will now gear up for a series of games at the Barclays Center this weekend. They’ll be tested against quality opponents like Alabama, Arkansas and Miami over the next few games. It will be excellent preparation for Minnesota before they begin Big Ten play.