Tubby Ball Year In Review Part 2

PJS Note: This is the second installment in a series looking back at the first season of Tubby ball. The first installment was a post looking at the contributions of Minnesota's three seniors.

Player Development

Perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects of the Dan Monson era was at least the perception that players didn't progress as their tenures in maroon and gold wound down. Skills didn't develop. Team chemistry didn't improve. And that was perhaps the biggest reason I was excited about the hiring of Tubby Smith.

Smith came to Minnesota with a reputation as a great game-day coach, but a lousy recruiter. He had the reputation of a coach who recruited players who would excel in his defensive oriented system. This would lead to some ugly moments, but as UK bloggers have discussed previously, eventually Tubby's system would click in the minds of young players and they would begin to play like a cohesive bunch.

The question we asked at the beginning of Tubby's first year was whether young players would progress. There are examples that I will cite below that indicate in fact Tubby had a positive impact on player development. There will also be examples I cite that will argue the opposite position.

Damian Johnson: No player took as large a step forward this season than the soon-to-be junior from Louisiana. This is what I wrote of Johnson before the season began.

Damian Johnson, a sophomore forward, struggled in limited playing time a season ago. He's 6'7 and has that lanky small forward type frame that would seem to be conducive to playing a slasher role. But, and this is in limited viewing of him, I don't see the quickness necessary to pull that off. He should get some minutes, especially with this team's lack of size, but he'll need to show much more consistency on both ends of the floor to be more than a bit player.

In his sophomore campaign, Johnson was much more consistent on both ends of the floor. He caused havoc with his length, causing deflections and blocking shots. I was completely wrong about his quickness. He's never going to be a dominant perimeter oriented offensive player, but his lateral quickness on defense was so apparent to Tubby and everyone else that Johnson was routinely asked to guard the opposition's best offensive player--from Geary Claxton to Raymar Morgan.

Offensively, Johnson improved as the season went on. He showed signs of developing an outside shot. More than any other forward, Johnson developed moves on the block, something Dan Coleman could never accomplish.

Johnson was a Dan Monson recruit who benefited tremendously from Tubby Smith's tutelage and his pressure defense. In the next two years I expect Johnson to take more steps forward.

Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber: Both freshman, Hoffarber and Nolen came into their first year with the Gophers with minimal expectations. There were suggestions that Nolen wasn't capable of being a point guard in the Big Ten. And there was evidence that Hoffarber was nothing more than a spot-shooter.

Nolen's playing time grew as the season progressed, but that had more to do with the team's dire need for someone to play the point than as a byproduct of excellent play. From the beginning of the season, it was clear that Nolen had the wherewithal to be an above average defensive point guard. But Nolen never took a step forward offensively many of us would have liked to see. His outside shot is scary. And he never showed an ability or willingness to penetrate and take the ball to the basket.

Hoffarber was as advertised. He set a Minnesota record for three pointers as a freshman. But like Nolen, Hoffarber was unable to add other elements to his game. His hustle on defense was always present and he seemed to grow some defensively as the season progressed, but he remained a liability against more athletic guards.

Overall, I'd argue Hoffarber and Nolen lived up to expectations, but did not progress into all-around players as the season wore on. And I'm not sure Hoffarber has the natural talent to be more than a spot-shooter. Nolen, on the other hand, needs to progress if the Gophers are to take another step next season. That means he needs to be more than a ball-hawking guard.

Dan Coleman and Lawrence McKenzie: Probably the two most talented players on the Minnesota roster, Coleman and McKenzie, seniors both, were asked to alter their games during Tubby Smith's first season. McKenzie was asked to play some point guard, a different marching order than he was given under Dan Monson, who wanted McKenzie to score, score, score. Coleman was asked to diversify his game offensively. That meant Tubby Smith didn't want Coleman to settle for outside jumpers. Tubby wanted Coleman to develop an inside game, moves in the post and play with a certain tenacity.

Neither McKenzie nor Coleman were able to make the transition Tubby asked of them. McKenzie was at his best this season when he reverted to the 2-guard role and when he was on the floor at the same time as Nolen, a true point guard. Meanwhile, Coleman found himself in Tubby's doghouse (replete with a considerable number of patented Tubby stares) early on in the season. Coleman either refused, or was incapable of, taking Tubby's orders to diversify his offense. And because of Coleman's focus on trying to do what he was asked, his outside game went by the wayside much of the season. Coleman's inability to progress as a player was most evident in the Big Ten Tournament in the waning minutes against Indiana. While we all will remember the Hoffarber Heave, what was overshadowed was Coleman reverting to his soft offensive ways in a key moment.

After a scrambled offensive set in the final minute, where the Gophers nearly turned the ball over, Nolen recovered by the mid court line. The shot clock was dwindling and Nolen pushed past two defenders and had what amounted to a 2-on-1. Coleman was on Nolen's right. DJ White was ready to make one last stand. Nolen made a jump stop about the free throw line, drew White out a little and snapped a pass to Coleman. The senior had an opportunity to end the game with authority, dunking on White who was out of position. Instead, Coleman jumped, tried to duck under White and put in an off balance lay-up. Result: White rejected Coleman and the Hoosiers went on to blow a chance to win the game at the free throw line.

Both Coleman and McKenzie were put in a tough position to change their games in their senior season. Tubby had no choice but to tap McKenzie to play some point guard. That failed. Tubby was also correct in trying to get Coleman to be more aggressive. Tubby made two good judgments here, but neither Coleman or McKenzie were able to take the steps Tubby knew needed to be made to progress.

Travis Busch: Make no mistake, Busch has no business being on a Big Ten roster. But the minutes that Tubby coaxed out of Busch--I'll never forget his defense on a 300 pound big man in the Big Ten Tournament--was remarkable.

Did Busch progress? I'm not sure the talent was there to turn Busch into a regular contributor, but for Tubby to tap what Busch was able to do speaks highly of Tubby's ability to get the most out of his players.

Conclusion: Tubby Smith made the right decisions in trying to get his two talented seniors to take steps forward. I'm loathe to blame Tubby for their failures to take another step forward. I'm also hesitant to suggest Johnson would have taken such obvious leaps in performance under the previous regime. Overall, I think Tubby put his players in the best positions to succeed. In some cases it didn't work. But I think we should look at what McKenzie and Coleman had learned to do in previous years as a reason why their growth was stunted in 2007-08.

We'll know more about Tubby's impact in years to come, as we will hopefully watch Ralph Sampson III, Devoe Joseph and others have the benefit of four years of Tubby's tutelage. It will also be telling to see how or if Nolen has progressed come next season.

Tubby Ball Year In Review Part 1

PJS Note: This is the first installment in a series looking back at the first season of Tubby ball.

The Departed Seniors

As we began the season, optimistic Minnesota fans looked to three seniors--Spencer Tollackson, Dan Coleman and Lawrence McKenzie--as cause to justify arguing the Gophers could vastly improve on their 9-22 record from one season ago.

Winning 11 more games should be considered a vast improvement, but it's this scribe's belief that the departing seniors didn't have as much to do with the turnaround as we would have hoped. Sure, McKenzie, Coleman and Tollackson produced the lion share of Minnesota's offensive output on most nights. And there were stretches when McKenzie took over games. But, it is my belief that the turnaround had more to do with Tubby Smith's brand of defense then it did with this trio of seniors.

Here's a look at each of our dearly departed seniors.

Spencer Tollackson: Every one's favorite theater major did what he could. When on the court, he busted his ass, but his athletic limitations rendered him obsolete against most big men from decent teams. Tollackson finished the season averaging about 9 points and 3 rebounds per contest, as his numbers dwindled down the stretch with the Gophers playing mediocre to good Big Ten teams.

Expecting more from Tollackson was perhaps unfair. A 3-star recruit out of Chaska, Minn., Tollackson's athletic limitations never allowed him to be anything other than a decent Big Ten center. He wasn't athletic enough to be a force on the glass, and he perhaps wasn't willing to be physical enough to wear down slimmer, quicker big men. And finally, he wasn't deft enough around the basket--Jeff Hagen style--to be anything but an average big man in a BCS conference.

I'm not trying to knock Spencer, but instead look at him the way he should be seen: As a big man with a load of heart who perhaps exceeded his talent level by playing significant minutes for a Big Ten team.

Dan Coleman: No player infuriated Minnesota fans more this season than senior Dan Coleman. Blessed with a solid outside shot for a big man, a quick first step and the length scouts love, Coleman was unable to take the leadership role many Minnesota fans wanted. He would disappear for long stretches against top notch opponents. He would make freshman like mistakes--even as late as the conference tournament.

Maybe it was because Coleman had already graduated or the fact that he had a little guy to take care of. Part of it could also be our perception. While Tollackson wears his emotions on his face, Coleman appears without emotion.

Whatever the case was, Coleman could never take his game to another level. All season--from Florida State to Indiana and Illinois, when the games were on the line and the Gophers needed something from their most talented big man, more times, than not Coleman was absent. Of all of the three seniors, it's Coleman's final year that is highly disappointing.

Coleman also failed miserably to change his game from being outside-oriented to a more hybrid player. Tubby clearly wanted Coleman to use his quickness to take the ball to the basket and draw contact. Coleman's softness prevented any hope of diversifying his game. And because Coleman was so focused on being an interior player, it wasn't until very late in the year that he started shooting from the outside.

Lawrence McKenzie: I have to admit that I felt pretty bad for McKenzie as he watched his career end in the NIT against the Terps. Beset by an injury, McKenzie went out playing just one minute against the Terps. And I felt bad for McKenzie all season. Here's a guy who went to play for Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma, decided to transfer back home to play for Dan Monson, then played for Jim Molinari before Tubby Smith finally took over. That's quite the whirlwind college career.

With his offensive talent, it would have been something to see McKenzie play four years under someone like Smith, where he could get comfortable in an offense and know what is expected of him.

But thanks to circumstances beyond his control, McKenzie's role shifted often as a Gopher. Under Monson, McKenzie was asked to score. And score he did. To begin the 2007-08 season, McKenzie was asked to take on a different role. McKenzie was asked to play some point guard and distribute the ball. The strategy was clear early this season: Get the ball inside to Coleman and Tollackson. Once Tubby Smith learned he didn't have big men who could be difference makers on the interior, McKenzie was freed up to look for his shot more often.

The decision to play McKenzie at the point might not have been Tubby's first choice. But there weren't really any other options. Al Nolen wasn't ready to play point guard to start the season, and I'd suggest he's not ready to start at the point now. So, McKenzie, ever the soldier, accepted Tubby's orders. He didn't complain. He went on the court and played the role expected of him.

As the season progressed we saw the outbursts from McKenzie we expected every evening. He's probably not well suited to either playing point guard or being the number one perimeter option on a team. If McKenzie were surrounded by a play-making point guard, I'd expect his numbers to soar. Unfortunately McKenzie never had any back court help at Minnesota.

Conclusion: Overall, Minnesota's three seniors provided a scoring lift and some stability from last season. McKenzie and Tollackson played with a certain passion that surely rubbed off on players like Damian Johnson. But neither Coleman, Tollackson or McKenzie could put together consistently excellent play, or take their games to another level. And that's what was needed for the departing seniors to have led this team to an NCAA Tournament run.

Hoffarber's Heroics, Johnson's Tenacity Lead To Upset

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."

Michael Corleone, Godfather III.

I wrote this team off earlier this week. I said something like "They are what they are," suggesting they can beat cupcakes and can't pull off an upset.

I wrote this team off tonight. After building a huge lead and causing havoc on my emotions in an up and down second half, the Gophers all but handed the game to DJ White and the Indiana Hoosiers.

And then Blake Hoffarber, he of ESPY fame, hit a shot that no Minnesota fan will ever forget. The Gophers shouldn't have been down 58-57 with 1.5 seconds left, but they were. So, Tubby Smith diagrammed a play to get down the court and get a desperation shot off. He diagrammed a play for Dan Coleman. Travis Busch lofted a pass. Hoffarber rose adjacent to the foul line, caught the lob pass, pivoted to his left, and put up a high arcing prayer.

It was answered and the Gophers did what they couldn't do all season, and something they hadn't done in years: Upset a favored, ranked opponent. Final: Minnesota 59, Indiana 58. It took a Laettner-esque play, but we'll take it!

Hoffarber's heroics caused the Minnesota bench to explode. Lawrence McKenzie, Lawrence Westbrook, and everyone else, swarmed Hoffarber in the far corner of the gymnasium. Tubby Smith, ohhhhh, Tubby Smith, the man can jump. He leaped with joy, probably shocked, and was quickly surrounded by Vince Taylor and a jubiliantly round Joe Esposito. All because a freshman sharpshooter had given his team a ticket to play another meaningful game.

And while Hoffarber will steal the highlights on the various networks and the headlines in the papers tomorrow, what might get overlooked is the Gophers played, undermanned mind you, their best game of the season. They jumped out to a 16 point lead in the first half. How?

Amazingly, with Spencer Tollackson sitting out with a bum ankle, the Gophers beat up on Indiana on the glass in the first half. And what makes this even more miraculous is Dan Coleman found himself on the bench just two minutes into the game. That left Damian Johnson and Jon Williams to play big minutes against Indiana's tough front line. They couldn't stop DJ White, but along with a group of guards that battled and won the war on the boards in the first half.

The Gophers had twice the energy of the Hoosiers in the early going. Lawrence McKenzie was flying around and hitting in transition. Johnson scored seven of the first nine points and played the role Lawrence Westbrook did against Northwestern a day earlier. Johnson finished with 17 points, a career-high, and he created multiple second chance opportunities that were very needed down the stretch.

Indiana eventually calmed down. Interim head coach Dan Dakich went to a big lineup, as both Coleman and Johnson found themselves on the bench with foul trouble. Deandre Thomas--who reminds me a lot of a slimmer Oliver Miller--played huge minutes alongside DJ White. It was during the second 10 minutes of the first half that Thomas and White carried the Hoosiers back into the game. It was hard for them to do anything but exploit Minnesota's size disadvantage.

Consider the lineup we were playing at this point: Westbrook, McKenzie, Nolen, Travis Busch and Williams. Yes, Travis Busch. Don't laugh. His minutes were huge. Tubby first tried Jamal Abu-Shamala in this role. JAS quickly showed he didn't have the mettle to battle with the IU big men. Busch did.

Despite all of that hard work in the first half, Indiana crept back in the game. Down seven at halftime, the Hoosiers scored the first seven of the second half--the Gophers went scoreless for about the first five minutes. But then the Gophers settled down--despite Dan Coleman picking up two more quick fouls.

Again it was Johnson creating hustle scores. McKenzie rose for a clutch three. And all of a sudden we were in crunch time, and despite our best efforts to give the Hoosiers the game, the Gophers walked out victorious.

In reality, the Gophers should have won by five or so. Up two with 10 seconds left, Al Nolen found a wide open Coleman under the basket. Instead of going up strong, Coleman reverted to his tendency to play soft and tried to sneak a layup passed DJ White. It wasn't happening. White blocked the shot. After a timeout, Eric Gordon drove the length of the floor and drew a foul with 3.5 left on the clock. He missed both free throws, but White pushed Williams out of his way and tipped in the rebound and drew a foul. All of a sudden it's 57-57 with 3.1 left and White with a chance to give the Hoosiers the lead. But .... he missed. Whew.

Not really. White goes over the back of McKenzie and gets his own rebound and the zebras decided that McKenzie had fouled White. Two more tries to ice it. First shot? Miss. Second? Make.

And just when I had written this team off yet again, Hoffarber delivers unexpected heroics I'll never forget.

Some Likely Repetitive Superlatives:

Damian Johnson: He hit from the outside. He made his free throws. He threw his body on the floor for loose balls. He did this playing almost every minute out sized at the power forward position. If Lawrence Westbrook was the surprise player who carried Minnesota versus Northwestern, it was Johnson who picked up the slack against Indiana. Johnson scored a career-high 17 points before fouling out late in the second half. Ya'll understand why I loved him all season?

Travis Busch: I know, I know, I'm part of the peanut gallery who questions why he ever plays. But with Tollackson out, with Coleman in quick foul trouble in each half, with Williams, Coleman and Johnson each with four fouls, it was Busch who came in and battle with Deandre Thomas and DJ White. Jabal Abu-Shamala had his chance, but he refused to play physical. Not Busch. This guy was game. He made at least one brain dead pass, but his hustle and his willingness to throw his body into much bigger men was quite impressive.

Hustle: All around. 40 minutes. For the first time all season. Great to see.

Some criticisms

Dan Coleman: He picked up two quick--like in two minutes--first half fouls and sat the remainder of the half. Second half, different story, right? Wrong. Two minutes. This time two absolutely silly fouls. He hammered DJ White on a clear breakaway on one of them. Young man gotsta play smarter than that. Worse, perhaps, is with the game on the line, at the end of a scrambled possessions with 10 seconds left in the game with the Gophers up 57-55, Al Nolen found Coleman with a clear path to the basket. Coleman ducked, went up weak, and found a waiting DJ White to send his shot back. Coleman takes this ball up strong. Takes it up to throw it down and the game would have been over.

One Man Back: Multiple times tonight the Gophers gave the Hoosiers easy hoops on breakouts. I imagine this happened in part because the Gophers were concentrating on crashing the boards because they were without big men most of the night. Nonetheless, these are mental mistakes and need to be corrected.

Up Next: The Gophers face those pesky 10th seeded Illinois Illini for the right to play in the Big Ten title game. Minnesota #6 vs. Illinois #10. Minnesota favored, right? Wrong. Illinois has beaten Minnesota an astonishing 19 straight times. Nevermind the cliche about beating teams three straight times. Try 20? I'll try and recoup for a preview in the morning, and the Gophers ought to be doing the same. They are back on the floor Saturday afternoon for a chance to play for the Big Ten championship.



Just when I thought they were done .....

Gophers Disappear Down The Stretch Against Indiana

The script seemed oddly familiar to those that have played out for the Gophers all season. They played stretches of great basketball, and stretches of mistake-filled basketball. And the Gophers had a chance during the last 5-10 minutes to earn a statement victory, but fell short. Unlike some other close losses, at Indiana Wednesday night the Gophers vanished for the stretch run of the game.

Barring an amazing run in the Big Ten tournament, the loss to Indiana effectively ends any longshot dreams of earning an NCAA Tournament bid.

In Assembly Hall, the Gophers were a two-man show offensively. Lawrence McKenzie continued his hot-shooting ways, scoring 22 points on 6-11 shooting. Dan Coleman, who might have played his best all around game of the season shot with confidence from the outside in scoring 14 points. But Coleman impressed most with his hustle, grabbing eight rebounds and proving to be a factor in the shot blocking department.

But aside from those two seniors, the Gophers had nothing to offer. Blake Hoffarber was ineffective in 12 minutes and went scoreless. Spencer Tollackson was also ineffective in just 11 minutes (there was no foul trouble) and went scoreless. Damian Johnson and Jon Williams were OK off the bench, but Coleman and McKenzie alone couldn't carry the Gophers.

For the Hoosiers, Eric Gordon was mighty impressive. His shot wasn't falling, but he continued to find a way to get himself to the foul line and he did well to penetrate Minnesota's zone and kick to open shooters once the defense collapsed. Gordon scored 20 points, including 12-14 from the line. Impressive.

Gordon's ability to create is the exact piece the Gophers' offense lacks. McKenzie is a streaky shooter who can get red hot. But if McKenzie's shot isn't falling, he can't create for others the way Gordon does.

The Hoosiers won 69-55, but for three-quarters of the game the Gophers were trading blows with the Indiana. But the Gophers lacked the consistency to keep up. Same story, different game.

Other observations:

JAS: The junior walk on turned scholarship player started and played 10 completely awful minutes. He didn't score. He grabbed one rebound. He turned the ball over twice. JAS is a defensive liability and against teams with even a semblance of perimeter athleticism he is completely ineffective on offense. Can anyone make an argument for why he's playing (and starting!!).

Free Throws: Three Gophers ventured to the free throw line Wednesday night. McKenzie was 6-11, Lawrence Westbrook was 4-4 and Jon Williams was 0-2 with an air ball mixed in. I point this out only because it still amazes me at how little our big men get to the foul line. Coleman had a nice game, but he's never been able to be a physical, foul-drawing force on the interior.

Up and Under: I absolutely loved to see Jon Williams execute an old school up and under early in the first half. DJ White (I think it was) joined the IU faithful in calling for travelling. It wasn't. It was Kevin McHale-esque. Beautiful.

Up Next: The Gophers wrap up the regular season with a trip to face the Illini this weekend. A win would bring the Gophers back to .500 for the conference season, and that would be one hell of an improvement over last season. A win would also give the Gophers a chance to claim that 5th seed in the conference tournament.

On Senior Night, McKenzie Lifts Gophers Over OSU

Lawrence McKenzie scored 20 second half points and for the first time in the Tubby Smith era, the Golden Gophers won a game they might not have been favored to win.

The Gophers beat Ohio State 71-57 Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena in a game that wasn't as close as even the 14 point win indicates. The win does a number of things. Seniors McKenzie, Spencer Tollackson and Dan Coleman finish their regular season careers at home on a high note. The win also moves Minnesota's record to 8-8 in the conference, giving them a chance to earn the coveted 5th seed in the conference tournament (which would result in a bye and a third meeting with Michigan State). Finally, the win allows the Gophers to keep their longshot dreams of an NCAA bid alive.

The Gophers went on a 20-8 run, largely fueled my McKenzie, to jump out to a 14 point lead midway through the second half. McKenzie was hitting from the outside, from NBA range, off the dribble and the pass and even off balance. It was the type of offensive output the Gophers have needed from McKenize all season long to beat teams in the upper half of the Big Ten.

Turnovers and free throw shooting played a large role. The Gophers struggled to gain momentum in the first in part because they turned the ball over 11 times. That number shrunk to three in the second half. And the typically poor free throw shooting Gophers put the game away in the second half at the free throw line.

The second half effort was perhaps the best 20 minutes the Gophers have put together this season against decent opposition. The half-court man defense was intimidating. Ohio State wasn't getting any easy looks. The Gophers were able to score a few transition buckets and moved the ball well enough on offense to get open shots. They also attacked the basket when necessary, finding holes in Ohio State's zone.

Lawrence Westbrook and Blake Hoffarber added to McKenzie's onslaught from the perimeter. Hoffarber's offense largely came in the first half, when it was greatly needed. Westbrook played a composed game, dishing on the inside when necessary, fighting for rebounds and loose balls and rising for his own shot within the offense. The outside-oriented offense meant that Coleman and Tollackson weren't huge contributors, though Coleman took the ball up strong when he had the chance and made a couple timely medium range jump shots.

The game Saturday was an amazing difference from when the Gophers travelled to Columbus earlier this season. Then, the Gophers were run out of the Value City Arena (what a horrible name for a stadium!). The Gophers fell behind 19-3 in that game, largely beacuse they couldn't handle OSU's 2-2-1 zone press. The Gophers didn't struggled with the press again Saturday, but with less devastating results (more on that below.)

The Gophers now have a good chance, in my opinion, of finishing fifth in the conference. The Gophers finish the season with trips to Illinois and Indiana. The Gophers lost home games to both teams (in embarrassing fashion to lowly Illinois) but have a chance to beat the Illini. Meanwhile, Ohio State, which has now inexplicably dropped four straight (Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota) has two tough-to-win home games remaning. The Buckeyes will host Purdue on Tuesday an Michigan State next weekend.

If the Gophrs can get that 5-seed in the conference tourament, and upset MSU, wouldn't bubble talk be realistic?

Other Observations

Press Break: It's sort of amazing that in the 27th game of the season the Gophers are struggling to beat a rather ordinary 2-2-1 press. On one occasion Lawrence McKenzie slowly dribbled the ball across halfcourt on the sideline directly into a trap. In most instances, the Gophers didn't attack the press, instead simply being happy to get the ball across halfcourt in 10 seconds. Ohio State pressed most of the game. It wasn't until 3 minutes remained in the first half that the Gophers exploited the press to try and score. And for whatever reason, the Gophers seemed to be unaware of the fact that the best way to attack this type of zone press is by getting the ball in the middle.

Senior Night: After the season ends, we'll take a look back at our three seniors. With a likely NIT bid looming, the Ohio State game might not be the last game for Coleman, Tollackson and McKenzie at Williams Arena. For now, I'll say this. This trio has been through quite a bit during their tenures, both at Minnesota and at previous stops. LMac and Coleman have played for four coaches during their careers. And everyone's favorite theater major has lived his childhood dream of playing for the Gophers. We would have loved for each of them to be better in various areas, but we can applaud them for representing the U well.

Starting Lineup: Another game, another starting lineup. Today it was LMac, Westbrook, Jamal Abu-Shamala, Coleman and Tollackson. A-S played just a few minutes in the first half and went out after the first whistle in the second half. My question: Is this A-S' senior day? Will A-S be on scholarship next season?

Al Nolen: The freshman point guard came off the bench in the first half and promptly looked rattled. He turned the ball over and picked up two fouls. Nolen didn't enter the game in the second half until about nine minutes remained. The frustrating first half didn't change the way Nolen played in the second half. That's encouraging.

Friendly Rim: I haven't laughed during a Minnesota basketball game as hard as I did today when Kosta Koufos, wide open, went up for a one-handed stuff and had the front of the rim send his shot back. It wasn't one of those dunks that understandably rim out or slam off the back of the rim. Nope, this was an embarrassing front rim denial.

New Look Gophers Go Into Hiding Against Wisky

The Gophers played their worst 40 minutes of the season Sunday afternoon at Williams Arena. There didn't seem to be any fire, desire or intensity. There was no fight in a Gophers team that gave away its last best chance to grab the proverbial "big win" they needed to solidfy an otherwise shaky resume.

Bo Ryan's Wisconsin Badgers did all of the little things right--and when I say little, I mean like making entry passes to the right hand, etc--and embarrassed Tubby Smith's Gophers in front of a crowd that would have went nuts had the local lads just given them an opportunity. But no such opportunity emerged for the Barnyard to erupt. The Badgers jumped out to a quick 10 point cushion and really never looked back.

It was almost as if the Gophers didn't have any fight left. OTS said as much after the game. From Jim Souhan:

The latest failure prompted Smith to wonder how college seniors winding down their careers can fail to reach an emotional peak on such a day.

"I don't know how that can be," he said. "I don't know how your mind can not be there. You're playing Wisconsin, your archrival."

At home. "This one was probably worse than the last one," Smith said. "The last one [against Michigan State], we at least gave ourselves a chance. This one we didn't have a chance."

I appreciate the honesty from Smith. All season, he hasn't shied away from saying what is obvious to those of us who follow this team. You can't mince it: Senior 'leaders' Spencer Tollackson, Dan Coleman and Lawrence McKenzie have all been highly disappointing. We all want them to be so much more. We want them to fight to win something during their senior year, but whether it's a lack of skill (Tollackson), consistency (McKenzie) or passion (Coleman), this group doesn't have it.

What's more unfortunate is that it appears this team is regressing. Tubby Smith is known as a bench coach and a teacher. Even those who wanted him out at UK give our coach that much. But other than Damian Johnson, not one Minnesota player seems to have improved either from last season or from the first tip of the year against Army. And during Big Ten season, as the team should perhaps be completely in sync, they are anything but. After fighting to the last whistle with Michigan State and Indiana, the Gophers have folded early in their last two big games: at Ohio State and Sunday against Wisconsin.

Those are troubling observations.

Some of this can be attributed to Tubby's decision to change directions. As the season began, Tubby went 10 or 11 players deep every night. Many of us cringed as Kevin Payton struggled, Jamal Abu-Shamala tried to play defense or Travis Busch tried to guard Raymar Morgan. So, Tubby shortened his bench, started effectively playing 6 or 7 guys. New roles. New expectations. Worse results.

Because of this we can, for the first time here at PJS, criticize Tubby Smith's leadership.

If Tubby didn't know that Payton, JAS and Busch were incapable of performing at the Big Ten level, then Tubby didn't do a very good job evaluating the talent on his team. Every Internet pontificator knew as much. Tubby either didn't see it or didn't care and instead worked to develop the aforementioned players.

But when things got tough, Tubby panicked. After an excusable, albeit disappointing, three game skid--against Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan State--the Gophers came out against Michigan on Thursday a different team. Instead of playing full-court pressure defense and forcing turnovers, the Gophers played half-court pressure defense. With a much shorter rotation, Tubby couldn't apply full-court pressure. So, in a reactionary move to stabilize the talent level on the floor, Tubby effectively changed the DNA of this team.

In hindsight, it probably would have been best for the coaching staff to notice the lack of bench talent early on and get Coleman, McKenzie, Tollackson, Al Nolen, Damian Johnson and Lawrence Westbrook used to playing 30-40 minutes.

Either way, the Gophers probably don't have the talent to be much more than an NIT team this year. But if Tubby had handled this team a little differently over the last few months, perhaps the home crowd would have had at least one chance to rise to their feet in support of our lovely rodents.

Gophers Loss To MSU Came With Built-In Excuse

Most Minnesota fans were positive when the Gophers went into East Lansing and fought hard before eventually losing. After the loss at home to Indiana, I was upbeat about the Gophers' chances moving forward. But the most recent loss at Williams Arena--if you listened to post-game remarks--came in part because a freshman point guard wasn't able to suit up and play.

Make no mistake, not having Al Nolen in the lineup Sunday afternoon during the 78-73 loss to the Spartans hurt Minnesota. But, in my mind, the Gophers played like a team all afternoon that was ready to level that as an excuse after the final buzzer sounded. Woe was the Gophers.

Without a relatively unheralded freshman to manage the game, the Gophers put up less of a fight then they had in previous games at Michigan State and Penn State and against the Hoosiers in the Barn. The Star Tribune's Jim Souhan picked up on this theme in his column Monday morning.

Nolen is a fine young player, but by the end of the news conferences Sunday, you would have sworn he was the next Michael Jordan.

That's hardly the case. Even without Nolen, the Gophers had plenty of opportunities to make point-blank baskets. Too often, though, when they needed a basket they came down the court and saw only underclassmen such as Lawrence Westbrook and Blake Hoffarber moving without the ball as if they actually wanted it.

For those of you not able to watch Sunday's game, it was as if the Gophers forgot the importance of taking care of the basketball. Lawrence Westbrook turned the ball over five times alone, and while the Gophers squeaked out an edge in the turnover department, as they have all season, it wasn't enough to overcome MSU's advantage in virtually every other area. The Spartans took higher percentage shots, out rebounded the Gophers and went to the free throw line 13 more times than our maroon and gold.

Goran Suton had 13 rebounds to lead the Spartans. The Gophers were led by Damian Johnson and Spencer Tollackson with six apiece. In 32 minutes, Dan Coleman, a two-guard disguised as a post player, grabbed just three rebounds. In many cases rebounding is about position, hustle and desire. When Suton was able to bring in his own rebound off of a free throw miss, we knew something was wrong Sunday afternoon.

While the Gophers pointed to the absence of a freshman, the team's seniors went into hiding in some cavernous corner of The Barn.

*** Spencer Tollackson chucked up two three pointers and was routinely tossed around in the post by Suton, Drew Naymick and Raymar Morgan.

*** Coleman shot 4-13, and his misses were of the ugly variety. For whatever reason, Coleman has found a middle ground between settling for jumpers and taking it to the basket. Now, Coleman is driving to the basket. But when a defensive player bothers to play some defense, Coleman stops, pivots and fades. Or, in other cases, he launches strange-looking runners from the middle of the lane. In Tubby Smith's post game presser he said, "We have to learn to create offense. We have guys who can score but we have to attack the rim and get a foul instead of avoiding contact." That had to be a reference to Coleman.

Even on a layup (dunk!?!?) Coleman shies away from the rim Sunday

*** It would be easy to praise McKenzie for scoring a team-high 20 points, all in the second half. But the transfer from Oklahoma did nothing in the first half when the Gophers had a chance to put a real scare into the Spartans. We need 40 strong minutes from McKenzie, not 29 minutes of up-and-down play. I have tended to look beyond McKenzie's streaky play this year because Tubby Smith has him playing point guard for lengthy stretches, a position LMac is not accustomed to. But he proved Sunday he can score in bunches, and that has to make one wonder where his scoring has been prior to the second half Sunday. Is it his injured hand? Is he trying to find a balance between being a scoring guard and a distributor? Whatever the case may be, McKenzie needs to be consistent for this group to win big games. And he hasn't been.

Each of the three seniors are likeable ball players and individuals, but at times Sunday the team played in a way that made one wonder if they had the perfect scapegoat in mind: Al Nolen's thigh. It's at times like these when Coleman, Tollackson and McKenzie need to carry this basketball team. They weren't up to the task Sunday.

Injury Update: Marcus Fuller of the Pioneer Press wins Gophers Beat Reporter of the Day Award from PJS for providing a smidgen of information on Nolen's injury. At least three days after the injury occurred, Fuller tells us that Nolen "is day to day with a thigh bruise injury. He was injured in practice last Saturday after getting a knee in the thigh." Nolen will be reevaluated on Thursday, according to Fuller, to determine his availability for the game next weekend at Ohio State. Judging by the track record of our beat reporters, that means we'll likely find out sometime during the telecast from Columbus whether or not Nolen will be ready to play again.

Fantastic Reporting Update: For those following Myron Medcalf, well, the STrib's fearless beat reporter decided to make an excuse for not reporting the Nolen injury prior to yesterday's game instead of actually telling us how bad the injury might be. "Nolen's absence, caused when he was kneed in his right leg at practice Saturday -- unbeknownst to most outside of the team. ..." Yes, Myron, that's why it's called reporting. It sounds crazy, but sometimes sources don't go and call reporters every time news breaks. Sometimes, I know it's insane, sources want to keep information from reporters. Unbeknownst? Were you hoping for a press release, Myron?

Yeah, So, That Was Close

In a post earlier today I suggested that Gopher fans take a deep breath. The 6-1 start was nice, I wrote, but I cautioned that it didn't mean a lot in the larger scheme of things. We destroyed some cupcakes that Eden Prairie, or maybe even Mahtomedi could beat.

And Wednesday night, in the Barn no less, the Gophers proved why we need to be careful with our expectations for this team.

Something called the South Dakota State Jackrabbits fought the Gophers for 40 minutes, and for most of the game controlled the game. The Jackrabbits handled the Gophers on the offensive end of the floor. When the Gophers played zone, the Jackrabbits attacked the zone and found the open shooter when the zone collapsed. When Tubby Smith had the Gophers in a man-to-man defense--which should have benefitted us considering we are far more athletic--the Jackrabbits made the Gophers overcommit, and when the help-side defense wasn't there, the Jackrabbits pounced.

The blue bunnies from South Dakota had about a 10 rebound advantage. A lot of this came when the Gophers were palying a flat-footed 2-3 zone. Not only did we fail to box out, but as the bunnies ran out to a 9 point first half lead, we failed to challenge a slew of outside jump shots.

Basically, the Gophers are incredibly lucky to have walked out of Williams Arena with a 78=72 win against the Jackrabbits. Had this been a team with a less childish nickname, say the Spartans, the Gophers would have been run out of the gym.

What else should we take note of? Here's a list.

** This near-disaster was mostly about team defense. Shots weren't challenged. The help-side defense was slow.

** On numerous occasions, the Gophers struggled to get going offensively. A 35-second violation against the blue bunnies is somewhat embarrassing. Part of the reason for tihs is the Gophers don't have a guard that can effectively, and consistently create his own shot. Only two Minnesota players on this night could create their own shots: Damian Johnson and Dan Coleman. Lawrence McKenzie? No. Al Nolen? He'll get there, but not yet. Kevin Payton? LOL

** Where art thou Lawrence McKenzie? He finished the game with 7 points on 2-for-6 shooting. Gophers bloggers took Dan Coleman to task earlier this year for lackadasical play. Coleman has since put up his first back-to-back 20+ scoring games in his career. Perhaps we should turn our attention to McKenzie.

** Speaking of Coleman, he led the Gophers tonight, and they needed every bit of it. Twenty-four points on 10-for-14 shooting is nothing to scoff at. He scored with his back to the basket, and showed off a baby-hook, among other inside moves. It's good to see him play down low.

** In the last two minutes, with the Gophers holding on to a two to five point lead, this is the lineup we saw: Damian Johnson, Dan Coleman, Spencer Tollackson, Al Nolen and Lawrence McKenzie. All the talk about starting lineups is pointless. The lineup at the end is what matters. Here is your go-to Gophers lineup. I'd assume that if Tubby wanted offense instead of defense, he'd have Blake Hoffarber on the floor instead of Johnson--but that might not be the case. Johnson has been the Gophers MVP so far, and he's not a liability on offense.

** Spencer Tollackson came through in the clutch. With 1:30 left, and the Gophers nursing a 3 point lead, Tollackson had the ball on the block with the shot clock at 10. He did his best Kevin McHale up-and-under, jumped, and somehow underhanded a pass to a wide-open Coleman under the basket.

** South Dakota State sophmore Garrett Callahan should transfer to the Gophers. He destroyed us. He has a quick a release as Blake Hoffarber, can penetrate effectively and was the best player on the floor Wednesday night.

** The Barn can still get loud!

** Al Nolen hit 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch for his only three points of the game. But he was feisty on the defensive end, and on this night the Gophers needed his energy

** Sometimes I think I sound like I'd like to knob off Damian Johnson. But I can't stop with the superlatives for him. He led the Gophers in rebounds. He altered shots down the stretch. He was the most effective Gopher in drawing fouls and penetrating. Johnson finished with 10 points and went 4-for-5 from the free throw line. Most improved Big Ten player?

In summary, the Jackrabbits put quite the scare into the Gophers. The win wasn't pretty. But 7-1 is 7-1 and the Gophers now have 10 days off before Santa Clara comes to town. The close game should give Tubby Smith plenty to bark about in practice. It was clear at times he wasn't happy Wednesday night.

For the same reasons we shouldn't point to the 7-1 mark and start talking about Big Ten titles, we also shouldn't point to this surprisingly close game and believe that the Gophers can't be competitive. They can. But there is work to be done.

Coleman Reaches Milestone In Another Rout

Senior Dan Coleman, the recipient of some criticism from the Minnesota blogosphere in the first few weeks of the season, put up 22 points and 11 rebounds Saturday night as he led the Gophers to their first 90-point plus output for two years.

Coleman's 22 points allowed him to become the 34th Golden Gopher to surpass the 1,000 point total for his career. Congratulations, Dan.

For all the jabs we online pundits have thrown Coleman's way, he still leads the team in scoring with 12.1 per contest. Last week I suggested that Coleman was struggling to adapt to a new system. No longer was it considered OK for him to spot up outside the three point line and fire away. Now, he is being relied upon to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. As Tubby Smith said in the post game press conference, good things happen when his team aggressively attacks the basket.

In this Minnesota Daily article, Coleman talks about learning that new system. He said: "I feel like I'm starting to settle in a little bit. Learning the new system hasn't been the most natural transition for me."

While we should applaud Coleman's accomplishment, that doesn't mean he can't still take a step or two forward--especially if he has professional basketball aspirations. In the post game press conference--which I was able to watch online at GopherSports.com, as a paying member--Tubby Smith still suggested that Coleman can do a better job of taking the ball to the rim. Tubby said Coleman sometimes still feels more comfortable finding a spot on the perimiter.

It was in that answer that I realized Tubby is trying to completely change the way Coleman plays basketball. If Coleman can score inside, his outside game will only become that more dominant.

But Coleman wasn't the only bright spot in the Gophers' 91-74 win over Colorodo State. The game wasn't as close as even the final score might indicate. Blake Hoffarber came off the bench again and lit up the scoreboard. In 22 minutes, Hoffarber put up 21 points, including 6-for-11 from beyond the arc. Joining Coleman and Hoffarber with double digits were Spencer Tollackson (16), Al Nolen (11) an Damian Johnson (10).

One of the concerns we had heading into the season was scoring depth. With Hoffarber's ascension and the soli role play of Johnson and steady point guard play of Nolen, the Gophers can at least say they have four offensive players (Coleman, Tollackson, Hoffarber and Lawrence McKenzie) and myriad role players.

Quite the difference a year--and a Hall of Fame coach--makes.

NDSU Review: The Lightning Rod Known As Dan Coleman

Monday night it was proven just how much impact Tubby Smith has had on the Golden Gophers. The defensive intensity was abundant--traps were set quickly and aggressively, defenders were quick to deny passing lanes, tip passes and be a complete pest nagging at the North Dakota State Bison.

And thank the heavens that Tubby Smith has arrived, because North Dakota State isn't a bad collection of basketball players. And had the Bison come into Williams Arena and won, our friends of Fargo-fame would have bragging rights in both football and basketball.

And while Minnesota's 88-56 win can't be described as anything but dominant, there were certainly some areas where the Gophers still need to improve. I'll go through a handful of items that stuck out to me, both good and bad.

** Let's start with the lightning rod known as Dan Coleman. The burgeoning Minnesota Gophers blogosphere has been all over him. Here are a few takes.

Down With Goldy wrote: Danny Coleman scored 15 points, had 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Sounds like a pretty good line, and if you hadn't watched the game, you'd be pretty impressed. Don't be. Coleman hasn't developed at all. Against this team, he should have completely controlled the game, and he most certainly didn't. He floats around, looks lost half the time, and just seems kind of out of it.

Jon at The National Anthem Before A Cubs Game wrote: Coleman was, up until tonight, probably the lone Gopher not meeting expectations for the year. The head coach had questioned Coleman's effort and heart, and he was losing minutes to Damian Johnson. But on Monday, Coleman came out and showed again why he's one of the "big three" on this Gopher team, leading the team in points (15, tied with Nolen), rebounds (eight), and assists (four, tied with Kevn Payton). Not surprisingly, Coleman was also the only Gopher to play more than 30 minutes.

In writing that Coleman and Kevin Payton led the Gophers to victory, From The Barn noted: The Gopher forward is on his way back. Though he still needs to return to form in a few areas, he filled the stat sheet last night. ... Most importantly, he showed determined effort on both ends of the court, at one point rebounding his own miss three or four times before getting the tip in. He also stuck to what he is best at, finding openings in the zone for easy dunks and 10 foot jumpers. Of course, in what has so far been a disappointing season for Coleman, the story was not all positive. He committed four fouls in what was a very strangely officiated game, and also had four turnover including a dunk he missed by 10 feet (really). The stats were a bit inflated due to the opponent, but it was at least a game that can be build on.

Finally, we have Gopher Nation with this take: Hats off to Dan Coleman for having his first non-sucky game of the year. ... He is NOT as good as an outside shooter as he thinks he is and he is NOT a great post scorer. Last night he finally played to his strengths and had his best game of the year.

The consensus? I guess it's that Dan Coleman didn't suck, put up some numbers but is still disappointing. I don't want to be too hard on Coleman. It's no doubt difficult to transition to a new offensive scheme, with a coach that is probably demanding that you do different things. It would be good to push Coleman out of his comfort zone, and that's what I think Tubby is doing. If by mid-season Coleman can combine his outside shooting and quick first step with an ability to effectively penetrate and get to the basket and score inside without fading away, Coleman will be a much improved version of his former self. My feel is that we're living thruogh some growing pains right now. Or that could be the long lost optimist in me talking.

What do you think?

** Jonathan Williams continues to shoot mid-range jump shots and not look awful. While I previously teased Williams about his shooting prowess, I'm starting to think that Tubby wants him to shoot that open 15-footer when he has it. I'm changing my position and am now encouraging Williams to take the shot when he has it.

** People can question Spencer Tollackson's talent (my brother played against him in high school and trashes him incessantly) but no one can question his desire and intensity. The boy brings it, whether his game is going well offensively or not. It's a pleasure to watch you, Spencer.

** I'm loving the defensive intensity and the trapping in the post and the corners. The Gophers didn't play horrible defense last season, but this new version of Gophers seems to be playing with a certain tenacity on the defensive end.

** Damian Johnson was not a one or two game wonder. He's playing with confidence and continues to be a difference-maker on both ends of the floor. I'm excited about his future. I've previously suggested that one way to measure Tubby will be by watching the progression of the younger players. Johnson, at times, has been the best player on the floor for Minnesota. That's quite the endorsement for Tubby. Who thought Johnson would be this solid game in and game out?

** I predict that when things get tough in the conference season, Tubby will shorten his bench to at least nine, and maybe eight. I think Blake Hoffarber has earned time with his shooting and all-around play. That means that when the bench shortens, I beleive Kevin Payton and Jamal Abu-Shamala will see their playing time limited. Though Abu-Shamala will continue to get minutes when we need his outside shooting.

** Finally, a personal note. I had intended to offer this synopsis yesterday, but my life, professional and personal, got in the way. It was a great pleasure to know--as I made a long drive home tonight--to know that I had begun this blog post yesterday. I knew I was going to escape into the process of finishing it. I'm flattered by how many of you show up here everyday, but I'm pretty sure I'd continue this blog if it were still just me and my brother reading it. It's been an escape for me, while I've tried to forget about the highly insane world of my daily life. For me, that's a job in politics, which these days--I guess always, actually--is much more about personal destruction and spin than an actual desire to do good things. So, thanks for reading. It's a pleasure having you along for the ride.

Is Coleman In Tubby's Doghouse?

Updated 12/1 6:30 p.m.

The Gophers handled UC Riverside 75-38 Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena, but it seemed during the first half that one of the three seniors who was expected to be a leader for this team was not only receiving the infamous Tubby "glare," but at least for the first half appeared to be neck deep in the coach's doghouse.

Here is discussion of that, and other findings from Saturday's win, including the continued ascension of Damian Johnson.

** For the second straight game, the Tubby Smith led Golden Gophers looked better offensively and defensively with backups Jonathan Williams and Damian Johnson manning the frountcourt. Meanwhile, Dan Coleman found himself in Tubby's doghouse most of the first half, playing only the first five minutes before finding a spot at the end of the bench. Coleman finished the game 1-for-6 from the field with five rebounds in 20 minutes. It was pointed out in the comments that Coleman picked up two fouls early in the first half, giving perhaps another reason for Coleman to ride the bench for the remainder of the half. But in trying to take the ball to the basket early--at the request of Tubby--it seemed like Coleman was out of his comfort zone and began to force.

Meanwhile, Johnson continues to be all over the place, using his long frame to grab rebounds and influence and block shots. He finished with 13 points, including a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor and a team-leading six rebounds and three blocks and three steals. Doghouse or not, Johnson is filling up the boxscore and Coleman isn't. Coleman better turn things around, because sooner or later Tubby is going to have to give Johnson more minutes. Where are those going to come from? Likely Coleman. After the loss to Florida State, Tubby questioned the effort and energy of his senior trio. Tubby didn't specify which player, if there was an individual, who he was upset with. If there is some other explanation for Coleman sitting all but the first five minutes of the first half, please someone let me know. Until then, I'm blogging under the impression that Coleman has some work to do to regain the confidence of his new coach.

** Neither Al Nolen or Kevin Payton graced us with their perscense in the starting lineup. Instead, Tubby started Lawrence McKenzie, Lawrence Westbrook, Jamal Abu-Shamala, Coleman and Tollackson. We continue to see Tubby flirting with different lineup combinations. We saw a three-guard lineup against Florida State. And we've seen Tubby start true freshman Nolen. I'm not sure I like starting McKenzie at point guard. He's the team's most prolific scorer. While I understand what Tubby is doing here--McKenzie is the most consistent, and trusted ball handler on the team--it would benefit the Gophers greatly if Nolen can mature rapidly to take some ball handling duties away from McKenzie.

** Spencer Tollackson continued to struggle with his back to the basket. Against the Seminoles, Tollackson was the inferior athlete in the post. Against UC Riverside, I was baffled to see Tollackson fail to establish himself as a force underneath. This isn't to say that Tollackson's platy was all bad, but he clearly hasn't been the force underneath many Gophers fans would like to see. His final numbers look OK, 10 points on 4-for-10 from the field and five rebounds. But some of that came in complete garbage time. I have not once this year questioned Tollackson's effort. He seems to be busting his ass. But he can be a bigger force than he has been.

** In the post below this, I questioned the idea of starting Jonathan Williams. I might have been wrong. Out of our four big men, Williams looks the most comfortable in the post, and seems to have the best vision and passing ability. On multiple occasions Williams had the wherwithal to find a cutting teammate with a nice pass in the paint. Tollackson hasn't been comfortable enough in the post to make these types of passes. As long as Tubby is experimenting with lineups, how about starting Johnson and Williams for a game instead of Tollackson and Coleman?

** The Gophers still need to get to the free-throw line more often. This was an area that Tubby reportedly emphasized in practices, even tweaking the offense to provide more opportunites to get to the rim and draw contact. The Gophers got to the line 21 times against UC Riverside, an improvement to be sure. But the Gophers were still perimiter oriented and didn't have enough success in the paint to play inside-out. Also, the Gophers hit just 12 of those 21 free throws. My guess is Tubby will make the boys run a big for that 57 percent shooting from the line.

** Lawrence McKenzie put up 18, shooting 6-for-10 (5-for-7 from 3) from the floor. The Gophers need this from him every night in the Big Ten if we're going to pull an upset or two.

** Blake Hoffarber continues to impress with his quick stroke from beyond the arc. He finished in double digits for the second straight game, this time putting up 13 points while going 4-for-7 from three-point land. Hoffarber also isn't proving to be a large liability on the defensive end. That might change against more athletic Big Ten teams, but for now I'd like to see more of Hoffarber.

** Tubby continues to use a 10-man rotation. If there was a player in jeopardy of being the odd man out when Tubby shortens his rotation, I'd like it would have to be Kevin Payton. The Gophers need the scoring ability of Hoffarber and Abu-Shamala, and they need all the minutes from the four big men. Once again Saturday, Payton proved to me that he's the weakest link in the current 10-man rotation.

UP Next: The Gophers have a quick turnaround with a game Monday night at Williams Arena against North Dakota State. The Bison have started 2007 with a 4-3 mark, but that's somewhat misleading as their losses have come at Florida, at Rutgers and at Wisconsin-Green Bay. I'd expect this to be a much closer game (the Bison only lost by 10 at Florida) and it will be interesting to see if Tubby tweaks his lineup yet again.

Saturday Links: Obsessing Over Tubby

If you haven't noticed on the right sidebar I've created a couple shirts. The one that is displayed says Tubby Ball, Est. 2007 on the front. On the back side, it says "Thank You Kentucky." I think I can speak for all Minnesota fans when I say this: We couldn't be happier you ran such a respected man and coach out of Lexington. It's your loss and our gain.

That's why it's so entertaining for me to watch some blame-Tubby-first Kentucky fans struggle to find reasons for their loss to Gardner-Webb and close call this week with Stony Brook. What are the radical portions of the UK fanbase going to say if/when North Carolina comes into Rupp Arena today and demolishes the Wildcats. Right, I already know the answer: They'll blame Tubby.

Well, at least most of the time. It seems that some UK fans have already gone to criticizing new head coach Billy Gillespie, per this Scout interview with prize freshman Patrick Patterson. Patterson, you might remember, is the 5-star diaper dandy that UK fans salivated over--literally frothing at the mouth I think--during last year's recruiting wars. They had to have Patterson. And even though it was clear Patterson was going to go to UK when Tubby was there, UK fans pointed to the hiring of Gillespie as a reason why Patterson picked UK. We'll get to recruiting in a second, but here's a telling quote from Patterson:

“People are out there saying this is the worst Kentucky basketball team in the history of Kentucky.”

Who is saying that to you?

“Fans, people around campus, when you are walking in restaurants and stuff like that. I have heard people say stuff about the Kentucky basketball team losing to Gardner-Webb and saying Kentucky hasn’t lost to a mid-major school since 2001 or something like that,” Patterson said. “I have heard people saying this is worst team or that we are not doing anything. On Facebook, they have stuff about Coach (Billy Gillispie). "

It almost makes you sad. Here's this young, talented basketball player, who is apparently bombarded with negativity everywhere he turns. In class? Criticism. On Facebook? Cheap shots at his coach.

But most of the conversations still center around Tubby. In this Lexington Herald-Leader article, Jerry Tipton sits down to talk with Dick Vitale and the ESPN announcer reiterates his criticism that a portion of the UK fanbase went too far in their desire to see Smith jettisoned.

And then the blog Hugging Harold Reynolds suggesting satirically this week that all UK travails begin and end with Tubby. Here's a taste:

You see, it's all Tubby's fault that UK is a mess right now. Through his lack of recruiting and inability to win consistently over his ten years in Lexington, Tubby almost single-handedly destroyed the once-storied legacy of Kentucky basketball.

Earlier this year, it was "Tubby's Fault!" the Cats lost to Gardner Webb. Saturday, it most likely will be "Tubby's Fault!" if the UNC Tarheels crush UK, as expected. Shockingly, new UK coach Billy Gillispie has come under relatively little scrutiny for a man in his position.

Some might view this as the fans just enjoying their honeymoon with him - but that wouldn't be right, because far too many of them are still kicking and screaming about a good man and coach who they ran out of town.

Even though that blogger was writing tongue-in-cheek, it's clear that the UK fan base is forever going to be obsessed with Tubby Smith. Adding salt to their wounds right now is the 2008 recruiting wars. A quick look at Rivals' rankings--there are others that are far more favorable to Minnesota and Tubby--and it would appear that Tubby is recruiting on par with Billy Gillespie, even though Billy Clyde has the UK tradition, facilities and Ashley Judd to fall back on. The Rivals rankings linked to above list UK as 19th in the country and Minnesota right behind at number 20. Tubby also won the first head-to-head recruiting battle when Ralph Sampson III picked Minnesota over Billy Clyde's Wildcats. Once again, Thank You Kentucky! And is there any way ya'll can become livid with Ashley Judd and send her north too?

Now, on to a few other things.

** Staying on the obsessing over Tubby/basketball recruiting topics ... the Wisconsin Rivals site Badger Blitz is beginning to worry about Tubby. Could Tubby be turning the tide in the border recruiting wars? Could Bo Ryan be on defense for once to keep his players home. That'd be a nice change, wouldn't it?

** Star Tribune men's basketball beat writer Myron Medcalf asks in this blog post whether Tubby should go to a big lineup. Medcalf suggests a lineup of Al Nolen, Lawrence McKenzie, Dan Coleman, Jonathan Williams and Spencer Tollackson. That'd be a big lineup, and would help us on the boards. And I think that Coleman is more suited to play on the perimiter, though I worry about how he'd matchup against quicker small forwards. It could be worth a try from time-to-time, but does anyone really think Jon Williams should start?

** The Pioneer Press and Star Tribune report that Tubby benched seniors Spencer Tollackson, Dan Coleman and Lawrence McKenzie during the loss to Florida State Tuesday. Tubby was not happy with their leadership, energy, intensity and lack of scoring, the reports suggest. McKenzie called the development a "reality check." And Fuller also reports that Tubby has tweaked his offense some to encourage fewer jump shots and more penetration/inside play that could help the Gophers get to the foul line--an area where they struggled against FSU.

Thoughts On Tubby's First Loss

Marcus Fuller of the PiPress called it a "measuring-stick" game. The Gophers lost last night, 75-61 in a game that began as an up-and-down, fast-breaking affair. That was a style much better suited to the athletic Seminoles. That was the first lesson. We can't out run a more athletic team.

Tubby told Fuller he can use this game moving forward: "We needed a game like this so we can evaluate and measure where we are," Smith said. "We can learn from it and use this as a teaching tool." Hopefully it can teach Tubby to find a nice spot at the end of the bench for Kevin Payton. I digress.

The point here is there were both good and bad things that happened last inght. And while it would have been great to storm through the nonconference scheduled unblemished, it simply wasn't going to happen. But, the Gophers can take this game and make sure they correct some things and get ready for a 7 game stretch that they should sweep, before the nonconference season ends with a game against UNLV in Vegas.

But that's all quite a ways down the road. Here are my thoughts on last night's loss.

Positivies:

** Blake Hoffarber was active on both the offensive and defensive ends. He continues to shoot with confidence and I'm beginning to think he can help this team out in more ways then just spot-up shooting. Hoffarber led the team in scoring.


** Damian Johnson continues to impact games with his reboudning and shot blocking abilities. His critics are correct that he needs to work on his offensive game, but he's just a sophomore and if there has been one big surprise to this season so far it has been Johnson.


** While Lawrence Westbrook took a couple ill-advised shots and was made to look silly when his layup was forcefully rejected on a fast break, the Gophers need him to be a fourth scoring option like he was to at least begin the game last night. He hit the three early on while Lawrence McKenzie was struggling and allowed the Gophers to play a three guard lineup against the quick FSU backcourt.


** Al Nolen starting. This is a positive if for no other reason Kevin Payton isn't on the court. Nolen looked a little jittery last night, made a few mistakes, but he's still a better option than Payton.


** Even down the stretch, when FSU had the game in the bag with about 5 to 6 minutes left, the Gophers kept battling. Hoffarber scrapped for rebounds along with Jamal Abu Shamala. McKenzie kept pushing the basketball. Spencer Tollackson, who did not have a good night, continued to battle on the boards. Hard work and intensity counts for something.


Negatives:

** Dan Coleman and Spencer Tollackson were completely neutralized by FSU's more athletic frontcourt. Tollackson couldn't do anything with his back to the basket--and he couldn't even win position in the post to allow an entry pass in from the wing. Meanwhile, Coleman, facing the basket, wasn't quick enough to to take the ball to the basket. His perimiter jump shot wasn't falling and his game, both offensive and defensive, was ineffective all night. In my opinion, the Gophers were better last night with Damian Johnson and Jonathan Williams on the floor. Though that mostly had to do with Johnson over Coleman. Tollackson was effective on the boards for most of the evening.


** Lawrence McKenzie needs to carry this team, much like Isiah Swann did for FSU. Too often, I thought, McKenzie was handling the ball on offense (this was when Nolen was on the bench). I'd like to see McKenzie play the two-spot exclusively, freeing him up to fire away from three-point land. In games where the opposition is more athletic, the Gophers need McKenzie to lead the way. Tubby told Fuller in the articled linked above that the team absolutely needs scoring from its senior leaders. That begins and ends with McKenzie, in my opinion. Coleman and Tollackson are more easily neutralized. It's McKenzie who needs to shoulder the scoring burden on those nights.


** Kevin Payton continues to show he has no business playing point guard at this, or any, level.


** The up-tempo game certainly didn't work in Minnesota's favor. I'm not sure if Tubby wanted them to push the basketball against FSU. He's been talking about a team that's going to push the ball. But the run-and-gun game helped FSU last night. And while that's not surprising, what is worrisome moving forward is that the Gophers made some poor decisions on the fast break. At times, our guards pushed the tempo when a fast break wasn't available. At other times, they forced long, cross-court passes that were interecepted. The entire team needs to make better decisions if its going to play a fast-paced game--especially against a more athletic team.