Gopher Basketball
As the Gray afternoon (literally and joyously figuratively) turned to night, I tuned into the Gophers v. Michigan State basketball contest. My goal was a modest one-that the Gophers could avoid the type of blowout we had grown accustomed to whenever the squad took to the road. Pre-conference road games versus Florida State and UNLV had produced double-digit defeats and Michigan State promised to be more talented than either of those squads. The Spartans’ talent was evident, even with off nights from Goran Suton and senior leader Drew Neitzel. The performances of Raymar Morgan and Kalin Lucas, along with the solid depth from Tom Izzo’s bunch projects to a likely Big Ten championship and potentially a deep run in the NCAA tournament. As the lead stretched to thirteen in the second half, expectations from previous years made one think that lead would soon balloon into the twenty point range. However, that did not occur. In fact, these plucky Gophers whittled that lead into single digits and came precariously close to seizing the lead from the Spartans in the Breslin Center. Missed free throws, turnovers, and a continued domination on the boards by Michigan State kept the Gophers from landing this improbable upset, eventually falling by six to the Spartans. Upon the game’s completion though, I felt something about this team I had not experienced in some time-confidence.
People may scoff that someone can feel content with one verbal commitment in football and a close loss in basketball. For fans who have followed these Minnesota programs though, the symbolism behind these events means much more than what the print on the paper reports. Tim Brewster came onto the scene speaking with a confidence and gusto which has been easy to mock, particularly coming off a 1-11 season. While his ability to lead a team to success still needs to be shown, the hype attached to his recruiting prowess is proving to be legitimate. That a talent such as Gray can buy into Brewster’s vision when more successful programs are also courting him, leads a fan to believe a little bit more in Brewster’s vision also.
As for the Gophers basketball team, in the context of such a surprising effort, some familiar aspects were apparent-Dan Coleman’s quiet evening, Spencer Tollackson’s struggles on the block, and Larry McKenzie Jr.’s questionable decision making have been on display in previous years. What was different last night was the dogged determination displayed by the Gophers. This Tollackson who battled gamely against the trio of Michigan State big men was not the same player who shrank away from Greg Oden last winter. The Damian Johnson who was tipping passes and providing energy for the Gophers was non-existent last season. Add in the unexpected contributions from Al Nolen and one can hope not just for the future, but indeed enjoy this season. I think the most evident reason for optimism from last night was that while we lost by six points on the road to a Michigan State team that had a career night from Morgan, not one Gopher had an individual game that you pointed to and said, ‘that’s the reason we stayed so close’. Nolen had a very solid floor game with his seven points and seven assists, but otherwise, the individual statistics were rather pedestrian. Each of the Gophers who played last night could look at their games and see areas where they made mistakes and where they can improve. And yet, they lost by just six to a Final Four contender on their home court.
The Gopher teams in both football and basketball are likely to experience disappointing moments in the upcoming weeks and months, moments when we wonder if the programs are really pointed in the right direction or are just teasing us as we’ve been teased so often before. But there was a time when a football team like Missouri received a verbal commitment that made the fan base take notice; a time when an emerging basketball program like Wisconsin went on the road and suffered a hard fought defeat on a night when they could have played better. The confidence inherent in being a successful program bubble up from days like the Gophers just experienced.