Tubby Ball Year In Review: The Final Chapter

PJS Note: This is the final chapter in a five-part series looking back at the first season of Tubby Ball at the University of Minnesota. Previously, we looked at the play of the three seniors, offense and defense under Tubby and player progression. Today, we give out grades to each of the non-seniors for their 2007-08 campaigns.

Part V: Grading the Players and Projecting to 2008-09

If I were a teacher, my fictional students probably wouldn't like me much. I'm probably overly critical and have never been good at giving compliments just so someone feels good. So, keep that in mind as you go through my year-end grades for the Gophers men's basketball team. Yes, I know it is about nine months since the season ended, but my procrastination on this can be summed up by stating that there is no sports season I enjoy more than college hoops. Ending this series, for me, ends my coverage of the 2007-08 Gophers. ***Tears***

Now, on to each non-senior, their grades, and a projection for the year(s) to come.

Jonathan Williams: Like almost all of the Minnesota big men, Williams, a St. Cloud native, struggled with Tubby Smith's demands to play more aggressive basketball. Reports came out that Williams played a dominating brand of basketball in practice. But once the ball was tipped in meaningful games, Williams oftentimes played a soft brand of basketball Dan Coleman would endorse. Statistically, you could argue he regressed. He started eight games as a sophomore, and only three as a senior. His minutes declined by about two minutes on average. His scoring dropped a point and he corralled one fewer rebound per game. Defensively, however, Williams was usually up to the task. He did well manning up DJ White in the Big Ten Tournament when Spencer Tollackson was out with an injury. And he showed flashes of being able to produce offensively, but he also showed many more signs of being slightly overwhelmed by the competition. At 6'9, 285, Williams should be a bruiser on the interior. He seldom was, and has never been able to establish a low post offensive game.

Grade: C-

2008-09: Look for Williams' minutes to increase slightly as a senior and he might even see a starting role while the incoming players progress. Don't expect him to turn into anything resembling an offensive threat. However, if all he is asked to do is play solid defense, the Gophers could do worse.

Jamal Abu-Shamala: Speaking of statistical regression, this junior from Shakopee went from 23.7 minutes per game to just over 13. He shot 43 percent (44-102) from three under Monson/Molinari in 2006-07 but that production fell dramatically to 34 percent (21-61) in 07-08. Abu-Shamala's game didn't change. He was a three point specialist who couldn't create his shot under Monson and he was the same thing under Tubby Smith. A couple things changed, however. The Gophers didn't want to settle for the perimeter shot as often under Tubby Smith. And Tubby Smith seemed to covet multi-dimensional players who could take the ball to the basket. Abu-Shamala couldn't do that. But his minutes also declined because of the arrival of Blake Hoffarber, a similar player with slightly greater athletic ability. Abu-Shamala seemed to be the biggest Gophers cheerleader even when he rode the pine. Because of that we have tremendous respect for the senior-to-be, even if we cringe when he touches the ball in the open floor.
Grade: D

2008-09: Expect his minutes to decline even more, though he'll surely come in against Northwestern and light up the Wildcats.

Travis Busch: Some will disagree, but I will continue to argue that the Cal Poly transfer and Mounds View native doesn't have the talent to compete in the Big Ten. If intensity and toughness were quantifiable, however, Busch would certainly have what it takes. Tubby Smith often turned to Busch when he needed just that. It's kind of starting that at 6'4, 220, Busch was Minnesota's most physical player when he was on the floor. He manned up Indiana's mammoth center. He sacrificed his body for loose balls and battled for rebounds. Early in the season I cringed when Busch came on the floor, but he soon earned his playing time. Simply put, Busch did what he was asked to do, and that wasn't to score, block shots, make great passes or dominate the boards. He was asked to provide occasional energy and toughness. On that score he delivered.

Grade: B

2008-09: Expect his minutes to be exceedingly minimal but for him to do everything he can do get the job done once he is on the floor.

Damian Johnson: No Minnesota player as large a step forward as did Monson recruit Damian Johnson. An afterthought in 2006-07, Johnson became Minnesota's best shot-blocker, defensive player and arguably its best rebounder. A tweener type, Johnson took minutes at both small forward and power forward. He showed a surprising ability to play on the inside against the Big Ten's big men and on the perimeter against slashing forwards. In my mind, Johnson was this team's MVP. He ran the floor, showed signs of developing an outside shot and a back-to-the-basket game. He needs to firm up his outside shot and his free throw shooting--55 percent won't get it done--but if he can take a similar step forward this upcoming season as he did under the first year of Tubby Smith, the sky is the limit.

Grade: A

2008-09: I expect Johnson to be a leader on the new Gophers team and to have solidified either his perimeter shot or his interior game. If he can add both, he will be the closest thing the Gophers have had in awhile to an all-around player. He will likely start, and he's earned it.

Kevin Payton: The would-be junior from Camden, NJ regressed more than any player in Tubby Smith's first year on the sidelines. And maybe it's not that he regressed, but that he was identified as a liability on the court. After playing in all 31 games, and starting 14, as a freshman, Payton received the dreaded DNP-Coaches Decision in seven Big Ten games. Payton was tentative all season. He had no confidence in his shot and shot a disastrous 15 percent from three point land. He couldn't seem to handle high-intensity pressure in the back court, failed to get the Gophers into the offense and really, provided nothing, other than an occasional spurt of solid defensive play. To his credit, Payton kept a smile on his face at least publicly. That said, he was highly over matched and Tubby Smith knew it.

Grade: F

2008-09: If Payton wants more minutes he'll need to dramatically improve his ball-handling, decision making, outside shot and just about every other facet of his game.

Lawrence Westbrook: For a player who was stung with the reputation as a prep player as being selfish and a ball-hog, Westbrook certainly hasn't lived up to that hype. Good, right? Kinda, I suppose. It's never good to have a me-first player on your team, but the Gophers could benefit from Westbrook taking the team on his shoulders an providing the scoring lift he's capable of more often. Westbrook started all 34 games as a sophomore. He shot 42 percent from the floor, 39 percent from three and averaged 8.5 points per game. He also proved to be a very solid defender, a trait that probably earned him the playing time that Tubby Smith gave him. Perhaps it is because he was a sophomore, or because Coleman and McKenzie were the first two scoring options, but Westbrook was a tad streaky. However, the Hoffarber Miracle doesn't happen if Westbrook doesn't put the Gophers on his back after for a career-high 17 points in the Big Ten tourney opener against Northwestern.

Grade: B+

2008-09: If Westbrook can look for his own shot more often, and take the ball to the basket more often and have success at it, he could be the Gophers' leading scorer this upcoming season.

Al Nolen: Defensively, Al Nolen played like a savvy fifth-year senior. Offensively, Nolen played like a raw high school kid. He led the Gophers with 64 steals. He also missed the rim quite a bit and shot 29 percent from three. Coupled with the poor perimeter shooting, Nolen also never displayed a knack for penetrating defenses either to score or to draw defenders and dish. Thrust into a role as Minnesota's only true point guard, Nolen did as well as anyone could have predicted. He kept his composure and ran Minnesota's offense, if he didn't propel it with his own scoring. And he sparked Minnesota's full-court defense. Overall, Nolen was a pleasant surprise in 2007-08, even if it is clear he has plenty to work on.

Grade: B

2008-09: Because Tubby Smith was unable to land a point guard in the incoming class, look for Nolen to start and perhaps split time at the position with incoming combo-guard Devoe Joseph. If Nolen can improve his outside shot, look for his game to explode. A decent outside shot should open up lanes to penetrate, drive and kick. If he's not shooting 1,000 shots per day, he should be.

Blake Hoffarber: The Hopkins grad is what he is: A spot up shooter with a deadly outside touch and a flare for the dramatic. We will never forget the Hoffarber Miracle against Indiana. And his 42.7 percent (70-164) set a freshman record at the U. On many nights, Hoffarber was the first player off the bench, giving the Gophers some much-needed instant offense. When he was able to get free off of screens and in transition he provided that punch. When defenders didn't give him an inch, Hoffarber was typically unable to create his own shot by running off of screens, penetrating or creating space any other way. Defensively, Hoffarber wasn't exactly a liability, but he wasn't a game changer either. When applying full-court pressure, Hoffarber was more often than not on the bench.

Grade: B-

2008-09: Unless Hoffarber can dramatically increase his quickness, he will continue to be a lights-out three point shooter when the Gophers can get him space. He'll need to learn how to more efficiently run himself off screens and set up his defenders. However, if all he is is a guy who makes 70 threes a year and can't do much else offensively, I think we'll take that.

Final Analysis: Tubby Smith did more with the talent he had on the roster then even I thought was possible. The Gophers won 20 games, finished in the upper-half of the Big Ten and played more defense in 2007-08 then in the entire Monson/Molinari era. Tubby Smith brought a new attitude to the Gophers, and while the roster still has some dead weight on it, Tubby was able to maximize what he did have. Who would have thought Damian Johnson would mature into a game changer? Certainly not me.

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.

Hoffarber Hangover, And A Look At Illinois

So, what a night! I was so riled up I had a hard time getting to sleep. I wonder what it must have been like for Minnesota's buzzer-beater extraordinaire and his jubilant teammates.

This post will both take a look at what is being said about last night's stunner and also preview the Illinois semi-final today. Yes, semi-final. The Gophers are in the semi-finals.

First, a look at what what is being said across the country. Links below are a snippet of the coverage after last night's thriller. (I tried to limit this because there is loads of commentary. But if you see anything else good, please add it in the comments).

Gopher Nation: Breaking Down the Box
Inside the Hall: Did that just happen? Yes it did.
Larry Brown Sports: Blake Hoffarber the new Laettner.
Yet Another Basketball Blog: Jaw Dropping Ending.
CBSSports: Standing Up, Sitting Down, Hoffarber's Best Around.
Indianapolis Star (Bob Kravitz): More than loss, IU is lost.
ESPN (Pat Forde): Minnesota's miracle worker makes his second shot for the ages.
Indianapolis Star (Terry Hutchens): Final play negates IU comeback.
Down with Goldy: March to a title, Game 2 (Praises Blake for comments to Erin Andrews!)

Ilinois vs. Minnesota
Gametime: Approximately 4 p.m. eastern time.
Television: CBS
Announcers: Jim Nantz and Billy Packer

OK, now that the morning coffee has went down, let's start talking about Illinois. Yes, that Illinois. The 10-seed that has somehow beaten the Gophers 19 straight times. That is, obviously, the longest of any such streak in the Big Ten.

To be fair, Illinois has had some very good teams in recent years. Bill Self built a mini-juggernaut and Bruce Weber inherited a very solid group. But this year's version of Illini, in part because of lackluster recruiting on Weber's part, took multiple steps backward. That's not to say the Illini don't have some talent, but only that Weber wasn't able to reload with blue chippers.

Illinois, like Minnesota, has senior leaders. Shaun Pruitt, a thick, banging center leads the team with 12.8 points and 7 rebounds per game. He's a tough match up for Minnesota because he's too quick for Tollackson and too bruising for Coleman. (I got an idea, how bout we throw Travis Busch at him!)

Brian Randle is another senior forward, who is sort of like Illinois version of Dan Coleman, except not as skilled offensively. But Randle plays incredibly hard, and along with Pruitt forms an experienced front line that like DJ White and Deandre Thomas, will be tough for Minnesota's depleted front line.

And then there is junior Trent Meachem, Gopher Killer. In two games against Minnesota this season, Meachem has scored 19 and 21 points respectively. In the most recent match-up, Meachem killed Minnesota from three point land, as the Gophers tried to exploit Illinois' tendency to shoot a low percentage from outside.

That has been twenty-win Tubby's strategy against Illinois in two games this season. Because the Illini shot a league-worst percentage from three point land in the conference on the season, Tubby has put the Gophers in a 2-3 zone for much of the time against Illinois. In both games, it backfired. In the regular season finale at Illinois, the Illini shot 53 percent from three. And earlier in the season, when Illinois came into Wiliams Arena and blew the Gophers out 84-60, the Illini shot, again, 53 percent. Meachem was 5-5.

So, here's hoping the Gophers employ a different strategy today. All season the Gophers have been at their best when they were playing a ferocious man to man defense. At times, the effort wasn't always there. But against Indiana it was, and the guards were able to stymie Eric Gordon and the Indiana guards. I think a similar strategy, including some full court pressure, would be wise today.

Keys:

1. Will Spencer Tollackson play? I've had so many bum ankles and when its tender (as I imagine Spencer's is) you can play if you can withstand the pain. He won't be able to elevate (but he never really could anyway). The question is, are the Gophers better off without him? Nah, he can give good minutes. Perhaps he helps us more in a limited role when he doesn't force shots on the interior.

2. Foul trouble. Even if Tollackson plays, the Gophers will have three healthy and one gimpy big men. Dan Coleman picked up two fouls in two minutes of each half against Indiana. That's inexcusable. The Gophers need him on the floor for 30+ minutes, not almost 10. Same goes for Damian Johnson and Jon Williams. The bangers need to bang but use their fouls wisely.

3. Another scoring option: In two Big Ten Tournament games, the Gophers have had someone step up. Against Northwestern, it was Lawrence Westbrook who put the team on his back during a second half comeback. Against Indiana, it was Damian Johnson who took some of the scoring load off of seniors McKenzie and Coleman. Someone needs to step up again.

4. Consistent play from Al Nolen: The freshman point guard continues to have moments of brilliance and moments of shear ineptitude. He needs to play even, and realize he's not an outside shooter. He needs to get the Gophers into their offense quickly and not turn the ball over.

5. Finally, scoring out of the press break. In two games this year the Illlini have thrown the Gophers a relatively mundane 2-2-1, three-quarter court press. The Gophers have been happy to methodically bring the ball up against the Illini, only on occasion looking to exploit the trapping zone for easy baskets. If the Gophers don't beat the press, beat it easily and score off of it, the Illini will dictate tempo as they have in the two previous games.

Prediction: Both teams are likely exhausted. As emotional as the Minnesota win was, Illinois went to overtime to beat Purdue. The Gophers can beat Illinois and there is no better time to get the monkey off of their back than in the conference semi-finals. I look for McKenzie to come up big, and Westbrook to play with the chip on his shoulder he did against Northwestern and against Indiana in spurts Friday night. Minnesota 62, Illinois 58.

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 .....

Well Worth The Trip: Tollackson Impresses Throughout In Comeback Win

The Golden Gophers of one year ago would have hung their collective heads. They would have sulked back to the bench during timeouts. And they certainly wouldn't have shown the backbone and intensity needed to comeback from 16 down, with 13 minutes to play, in a hostile environment no less.

That's exactly what the Gophers accomplished Saturday afternoon, as I watched from 7 rows back slightly adjacent to the basket nearest the Penn State bench. Sure, the Penn State Nittany Lions performed like a team that didn't know how to win. They were miserable at the free-throw line and seemed to relax after building a double-digit lead. They gave away the game as the Gophers took it, leaving State College with a 76-73 win.

Spencer Tollackson played like a man all afternoon. He was the interior presence the Gophers needed to beat an athletic, but short in stature team like Penn State. He finished with 19 points, including 5-5 from the free throw line, and five rebounds. Tollackson gets my game ball for playing a hard-fought 34 minutes--many of which he played while in foul trouble--of aggressive, hard-nosed basketball.

There are other superlatives to lend out. Tubby Smith out coached Ed DeChellis. Tubby ramped up the tempo when the Gophers fell behind big in the second half. The faster pace allowed the Gophers to extend the game by ensuring they had more possessions to make the comeback. Tubby also had to mix and match his lineup all afternoon because the Gophers committed an astonishing 28 fouls (more on this later). Tubby also did well to mix up his defenses down the stretch. And the fact that he started Damian Johnson over Jamal Abu-Shamala was a great sign. Johnson was one of two Gophers who were capable playing Geary Claxton one-on-one.

Perhaps most impressively was the play of freshmen Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber. Hoffarber made a handful of clutch threes in succession to bring the Gophers back at the Bryce Jordan Center. He finished with 19 points in 25 minutes--more time than two starters. We needed his offense Saturday and Tubby knew it and gave him a chance to bring the team back.

And then there was Nolen. The freshman point guard, again, was up-and-down Saturday. He made an insanely stupid behind-the-back pass while in the middle of a slew of traffic in the lane during the first half. While he racked up seven assists, his five turnovers were of the sloppy variety. But .... Nolen was the hero against the Nittany Lions. With under 10 seconds to play, after the Gophers had previously handed Penn State numerous chances to win the game, Nolen jumped a bad pass from Claxton on the perimeter and dribbled the length of the floor before he was fouled. An intentional was called and Nolen nailed 3-4 free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

Earlier in the game, after the ill-advised behind the back pass, I was cursing Nolen from the stands. And at other times this year he has frustrated me. But like those other games, Nolen has tended to find a way to redeem himself. He's still playing up and down basketball, but the Gophers were at their best when he was on the floor.

With about 13 minutes left in the game, I looked at Miss PJS and said something like "Well, I'm glad we drove 2.5 hours for this." At the time, of course, the Gophers were on the verge of being run out of the BJC. Miss PJS said "They just have to give the ball all the time to Hoffarber." The Gophers did that, and with the help of Tubby, Tollackson, Nolen and others, the Gophers completed a great comeback.

Other notes from the Saturday win:

** Dan Coleman had another double-double Saturday with 10 points and 11 rebounds. But of the three Minnesota seniors, Coleman was the one who wilted down the stretch and reverted to some old Dan Monson ingrained habits. With under one minute to play, Penn State was at the line. As was the case all afternoon, the Nittany Lions missed. But this time, Coleman didn't box out. He didn't put his ass into Jamelle Cornley (I think, don't remember, it could have been Claxton) and the Nittany Lions came away with an offensive rebound. Coleman complained that he was pushed from behind, and he might have had a case, but as I stood just rows from the play, my reaction was Coleman didn't do all he could to secure the rebound. He didn't box out with energy.

While he was perfect from the free-throw line, Coleman again struggled offensively. But as has been his norm against more athletic competition, Coleman has faded away on his jumpers. And he didn't take the ball to the basket. The double-double was needed. And Coleman wasn't bad on Saturday, but he certainly wasn't leading either.

** All of the superlatives aside, the Gophers really should have lost this game. Penn State out rebounded the Gophers 38-25. And they went to the free throw line 36 times. Thankfully they shot just 47 percent from the charity stripe.

** The officiating crew of Sid Rodeheffer, Dan Chrisman and Dwayne Gladden should be ashamed. I realize that this crew's desire to call every single contact as a personal foul likely led to the Gophers winning, but fans of both teams had right to be upset with this crew all day. Big Ten basketball is known for relatively physical play. You couldn't so much as cough on your opponent Saturday without getting a whistle.

** Kevin Payton recorded some solid minutes during the second half comeback. He frustrated as usual in the first half with his inability to make crisp decisions on offense. But it's worth noting he totaled eight minutes Saturday. Lawrence Westbrook and Abu-Shamala had 12 and 1o minutes respectively.

** While A-S played sparingly down the stretch, he seemed to me to be the biggest cheerleader on the sidelines. He just wants to win and contribute where he can. That's laudable.

** Lawrence McKenzie was obviously frustrated with the officiating and he only recorded 21 minutes as a result. But, McKenzie came through down the stretch with a big-time three, even with his finger wrapped due to injury. And he was 5-8 from the floor for 12 points despite being hurt.

** Finally, on the Bryce Jordan Center. My reaction is blah. The atmosphere was very good. The Penn State crowd was into the game and that thoroughly impressed me. But the arena itself was a mini Target Center that lacked any semblence of originality. Beaver Stadium, Joe Paterno's home which sits adjacent to the BJC, is another story entirely.

UP Next: The tough stretch of Minnesota's schedule continues. This week Indiana and Michigan State come to The Barn--which better be rocking. After facing two ranked teams, the Gophers will travel to Ohio State to end a four game murders row. I completely concur with Gopher Nation, who wrote yesterday that his mantra during this next stretch is "steal one game." I'm thinking right now the Gophers could do better than that. Michigan State looked abysmal last night in a loss at Iowa.

The complete box score from Saturday's game is here.

Gophers Take Care Of Lowly Northwestern

The Gophers did what they were supposed to do Wednesday night. In fact, they did what they had to do. The Gophers' upcoming slog of a schedule has been well chronicled, making it all that much more important that they dispatched the lowly Northwestern Wildcats in relatively convincing fashion during Tubby Smith's debut at Williams Arena.

From my vantage point--recliner, beer, DirecTV--Spencer Tollackson led this team against the Wildcats. His interior passing was crisp, effective and even fancy. In 27 minutes, Tollackson scored 14 points on 5-for-6 from the field (a big improvement for him) and contributed in other areas (four rebounds, three steals and two assists--a number that could have been higher had the recipients of his good interior looks converted). Tollackson also completely impressed with his ability to get out on perimeter shooters while rotating on defense. The boy was hustling.

We can write his performance off if we want because the Wildcats have very little height and the Gophers had a clear inside advantage. Still, this was Tollackson's best, most active game of the season and it was good to see this senior lead the way.

Fellow senior Dan Coleman also had a nice game. But Coleman has done this to us before. He continues to excel against inferior opponents and struggle against average to very good teams. He finished with a great line (19 points, 14 rebounds). Until Coleman proves he can be a difference maker against the best teams in the conference, I'm not going to give him large ovations for dominating the Northwestern's and North Dakota State's of the world. He'll have a chance again this Saturday when the Gophers travel to meet Geary Claxton and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Against Northwestern, we saw the Gophers dominate in numerous aspects of the game. The Gophers forced the Wildcats into a season-high 19 turnovers. The Gophers won the war on the boards handily. Our pressure defense had an impact, and the Gophers' rotations on defense were very impressive.

Other thoughts on the Gophers' 82-63 win:

** Al Nolen is far and away the best defensive guard on the team. He impressed in the Michigan State game by frustrating Kalin Lucas. Against the Wildcats, Nolen worked in the second half to apply pressure at key times to cause turnovers that led to easy scores. He played 22 minutes Wednesday night (the most of any non starter) scoring 10 points with six assists to three turnovers. And according to the Gophers' PR folks, Nolen had three steals on the night and has had three or more steals in seven games this season. Nolen has 34 steals on the season, and seven in two Big Ten games. He's still slightly up-and-down, but the Gophers are at their best when he is on the floor causing havoc in the opponents' back court.

** There was some clamoring in the post below for Blake Hoffarber to replace Jamal Abu-Shamala in the starting lineup. Some also questioned the lack of second half minutes for the freshman of ESPY fame. It's easy to make the argument that he should start, or at the very least see an increase in minutes, when he shoots the lights out like he did in the first half. But I tend to like his offense coming off the bench. Last night's game is a prime example. The starters were a little flat coming out and NW jumped out to an early lead. Off the bench, Hoffarber provided the spark we needed. He's the go-to guy in the second group offensively. Put him with the starters to begin games and he'll get lost while we try to establish an inside presence or get Lawrence McKenzie going. More than anything else, I'd like to see Nolen replace Westbrook in the starting lineup.

** Kevin Payton played just four minutes, and honestly, I though they were fairly impressive four minutes. That said, it's good to see Tubby shortening his bench now that Big Ten play has begun. The BTN flashed an interesting statistic last night that indicated the 10 Gophers players had played in every game of the season. No other Big Ten team had more than eight players play in every contest. Similarly, Jon Williams only recorded seven minutes last night. Part of that was because Tollackson and Coleman were playing so well.

** Dan Coleman does deserve some recognition for becoming the 17th player in school history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Congratulations, Dan.

** Lawrence McKenzie's new role as distributor continued against Northwestern. He scored fewer points (five) than he had assists (six). I'm still not sure how I feel about this, but like I've said before I'm not sure Tubby Smith has much of a choice. Someone other than Nolen needs to put together quality minutes at the point. Interestingly, McKenzie led the team in minutes with 31.

UP Next: The Gophers head to face Penn State (10-4, 2-0), a team that has kicked off the Big Ten season with road wins at Illinois and Northwestern. The game Saturday at 1 p.m. central time will be the Nittany Lions' Big Ten home opener.

** This post was updated at 8:50 p.m. eastern time Thursday to accurately reflect the rebound total for Tollackson.

Tubby's Gophers Brought Down To Size

For the second time this season, the University of Minnesota men's basketball team faced an athletically-superior opponent. For the second time this season, the Gophers were virtually run out of that team's gym.

The first measuring-stick game came against the Seminoles of Florida State and ended with a 75-61 loss. Sunday night in the finale of the Duel in the Desert Classic, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels ran the Gophers out of the Thomas and Mack Center from the opening tip. The Rebels grabbed a quick 9-0 lead and never looked back en route to an 81-64 win.

The Seminoles and Rebels have one thing in common: athletic guards who can beat Minnesota's pressure defense, fill the basket from beyond the arc and take our less athletic defenders off the dribble. In both games the Gophers tried for a period to run with the opposition, only to find that the other team had better athletes to run-and-gun. When the Gophers (10-2) tried to slow things down against the Rebels and Seminoles, our guards were unable to effectively get the team into its offensive sets.

When the Gophers have dominated cupcakes this season, they've done so by forcing a large number of turnovers and scoring easy transition baskets. Against FSU, the Gophers lost the turnover battle 18-16. Those numbers weren't lopsided Sunday night, but UNLV had a 14-11 advantage. In both of these games, offense didn't come easy for the Gophers.

This is partially because the talent level on the Gophers is simply less than UNLV or Florida State. UNLV (10-3) was a Sweet 16 team last season and is led by outstanding junior guard Wink Adams. He was the aggressor Sunday night, leading the rebels with 20 points, including 8-of-9 from the charity stripe, and racked up 7 assists to zero turnovers. Adams' back court mate Curtis Terry did quite a bit of damage on his own, going 4-for-6 from three for 14 points. Make no mistake, UNLV is a good team and they came to play Sunday night.

This loss shouldn't cause anyone to be any less excited about the Big Ten season. The conference, for the most part, is weak. Illinois lost Sunday to Tennessee Tech. After Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana and maybe Ohio State, there isn't a team in the conference I don't think the Gophers can beat. The Gophers can be an upper-half Big Ten team. No one should have been having delusions of Final Four appearances before Sunday night and likewise we shouldn't take the throttling from UNLV and be any less inclined to sell out Williams Arena as the Big Ten season gets ready to begin in earnest.

Some other general thoughts from the loss at UNLV:

** As much as I preach that starting lineups aren't really that important, the Gophers would have benefited tonight had Blake Hoffarber been in the starting lineup as opposed to Jamal Abu-Shamala. Against teams like UNLV the Gophers need as many people on the floor who can A) score and B) handle the basketball. Hoffarber can do both better than Abu-Shamala. The freshman did see five more minutes on the floor against UNLV than Abu-Shamala. Additionally, the Gophers can apply pressure more effectively and handle opponents' pressure more easily when Hoffarber is on the floor instead of Abu-Shamala.

** Sticking with the lineups ... I know Tubby Smith is trying to get Lawrence McKenzie accustomed to the point guard spot. But I still feel our best lineup would be with Al Nolen at point, McKenzie at off-guard, Blake Hoffarber at the three spot and Dan Coleman and Spencer Tollackson underneath. McKenzie is one of two multi-threat scoring options on the team (the other being Coleman). Making McKenzie a distributor first would seem to be wasting what he does best: Score. I understand why Tubby is playing him at point, and it's hard to argue with it. The Gophers have one true point guard on the roster in Nolen, a freshman. McKenzie needs to take up minutes at the point, but in doing so the Gophers sacrifice his much-needed offense.

** The Gophers have two players who can handle the ball in pressure: Lawrence McKenzie and Al Nolen. This is going to hurt the Gophers all season against teams with quick guards. It'd be nice to see Lawrence Westbrook progress in this department.

** Dan Coleman led the Gophers again offensively, but he still has a bad tendency of fading away on most any interior shot. While leading the Gophers with 10 points on 5-for-10 shooting, Coleman didn't go to the line once. Instead of taking repeated fade away jumpers, it would be nice to see Coleman take a nice power dribble once in awhile and take the ball to the basket. He's taken small steps in this department, but can still be much more aggressive.

** Spencer Tollackson shot 2-for-7 from the free throw line. Yuck. Tollackson only recorded 16 minutes, scoring six points and grabbing just one rebound. In comparison, Jon Williams recorded 17 minutes and pulled down 4 rebounds.

The full boxscore for the game is here.

Up Next: The Gophers have five days to prepare for what will be one of their tougher road tests all season when they head to East Lansing for a meeting with Tom Izzo and the Spartans. If the Gophers are competitive next Saturday, that will show signs of progress against quality opponents.

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.

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.

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.