Preview: Gophers vs. Indiana

What a difference a day makes. Minnesota was poised to get through the first rotation of the Big Ten schedule with a sparkling 7-3 record, but then disaster struck. Going against a Northwestern team that struggled mightily for 3/4 of the game, the Gophers somehow found a way to stoop to their level. And as we all know, the Wildcats caught fire and burned them at the end.

So now that potential 7-3 record is a not-so-sparkling 6-4, and the Gophers still have a lot of work left to do if they’re going to get a chance to break in their dancing shoes. They’re now going to need to win two of their four remaining road games (and that’s IF they can win out at home). Now is definitely not the time to procrastinate, which makes Saturday’s game at Indiana a really-could-use-a-win game (translation: one notch below a must-win).

Ironically, Minnesota’s letdown against Northwestern was pretty similar to the previous meeting with Indiana. Back on January 26th, the Gophers got a key 70-65 victory, but they backed into it. They were dominating inside when they wanted to, but they played way too passively on offense and let the Hoosiers hang around. Fortunately, the Hoosiers had a pretty poor game and shot a woeful 2 for 19 from three-point range; just like Northwestern did. The difference is, Indiana never got hot, so Minnesota was able to escape.

That provides plenty of ammunition for both optimists and pessimists alike heading into this game. The Gophers showed they can take it to the Hoosiers inside and shut them down defensively. Then again, Indiana almost won at Minnesota despite a horrible shooting night. How many times is Bracey Wright (#4) going to go 0 for 10 from three-point range, for goodness sake?

Wright did still manage to score 19 points thanks to a busy night at the free throw line, but it was a couple of freshmen who truly kept Indiana in the game. #3 D.J. White, soon to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, dominated inside down the stretch and finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds (4 offensive), and 4 blocked shots. #24 Robert Vaden also caught fire in the second half, knocking down a handful of jumpshots and finishing with 13 points and 6 boards.

Indiana has been slumping since that game, having dropped two of the next three, and with the lone win being a squeaker at home against lowly Penn State. But the Hoosiers showed a lot in their last loss, making #1 Illinois sweat a bit despite having Wright in street clothes due to an ankle injury. Confidence and momentum are strange animals indeed.

Here are my Gopher Keys of the Game:

1. The Two Ws: Frustrate and Contain. Wright and White are the two Hoosiers who can truly take over a game. I can almost guarantee Wright will play (resting him at Illinois and before a bye was a no-brainer), and I can guarantee that he won’t go 0 for 10 on 3s again. But the Gophers do have the defensive players to stay in his face and frustrate him, and Wright does have a tendency to force things when frustrated. As for White, he’s going to be a monster soon, but as a freshman, his impact has been a bit muted when teams keep him out of the paint. The Gophers need to keep him off the offensive glass, and they need to work hard in the post to make him step out, face up, and settle for jumpers.

2. It Doesn’t Bite, and It’s Not Boring. The way Minnesota handled the ball Wednesday night (and also at Michigan), it appeared that they were either afraid of it or else bored out of their minds. Guys through lazy passes and showed bad judgement, and Aaron Robinson didn’t seem to want the ball in his hands against the press. All that has to change, and it has to change now. The Gophers have now played 23 games, so inexperience is no longer an excuse. They need to step up, take care of the ball, and get the job done.

3. VG for President? Vincent Grier has been an All-American the past two games. Unfortunately, his teammates have seemed content to stand back and let him take over the game. It worked against Wisconsin, but it didn’t quite get the job done against the Wildcats. Vincent could very well carry Minnesota to another big road win, but he shouldn’t have to. His teammates need to step up and give him some help. The Gophers have a few other players who can create their own shots, and they have several guys who can feed off of them, but there needs to be some movement on offense and some aggressiveness with the ball. Giving the ball to Grier with 10 seconds left on the shot clock can be effective, but it’s risky; and it’s not fair to him.

This game would have had a very different tone had the Gophers not bombed in The Barn Wednesday night. It would have been a chance to come pretty close to securing a ticket to the Dance. Now, Minnesota either needs to win at Indiana or at Michigan State to avoid having to run the table in the final four games.

The Gophers might be favored in those final games, and they also could win one of these next two on the road (or, dare I dream, both). But, after Wednesday’s performance, they’re going to have to show a different mindset before I’ll stick my neck out and say they’ll do it. My prediction: Indiana 70 Minnesota 61.

***Four more wins…please.***

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