Hey, At Least We're Not IU Fans

Being a University of Minnesota men's basketball fan has been a trying experience over the past decade. Scandals. Sanctions. Overwhelmed coach. Thankfully, Tubby Smith has brought some calm back to the Land O' 10k Lakes.

Times are slightly more turbulent in Bloomington, Indiana. After Kelvin Sampson was dispatched, the Hoosiers all but quit on Dan Dakich. The Blake Hoffarber Miracle was demoralizing. Sanctions could be coming. DJ White's eligibility has expired. Eric Gordon is expected to be a one-and-done type. Then, yesterday, Dakich dismissed Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis. Other than the Oliver Miller look-a-like, I'm not sure who that leaves on IU's roster.

Coming out of all of that turmoil is reporting from ESPN today that Marquette's Tom Crean will be announced soon as the next Hoosiers coach. My question is this: What in God's name is Tom Crean thinking? Crean has rebuilt Marquette into a regional power of sorts. He's taken the Golden Eagles to the new heights thanks to Dwayne Wade. In doing this, Crean has built a reputation as an excellent coach, a solid recruiter, and an all around decent guy.

Crean has Big Ten ties, having worked under Tom Izzo's thumb at Michigan State. Under normal circumstances, the move to IU would be an easy one. But why would Crean leave arguably college basketball's best conference, leave a clean program for a storied program that is peering around the corner at NCAA sanctions? And IU's current roster--assuming Gordon leaves and Bassett and Ellis are in fact gone--leaves much to be desired. And that's being nice about it. To me, this is akin to Tubby Smith--and many others--leaving great gigs for some mythical historical significance. At IU, Crean will face unrealistic expectations even as he rebuilds from Kelvin Sampson's disaster.

If you were Crean, would you leave?

UPDATE: The 4-letter is now reporting that Crean has signed a letter of intent. I trust the 4-letter as much as I trust Shooter Walters, but it at least looks like this is a done deal. It will be itnerseting to see how long the contract is for. Is it a long deal--like 8 years? If so, Crean is smart. If it's a 4ish year deal, Crean made a big mistake. It'll take him that long to get out from under the sanctions.

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 .....

Keys For Gophers Against Indiana

When the Gophers tip off at 9pm eastern time tonight (or thereabouts), the Indiana Hoosiers will be looking to beat the Gophers for the third time this season. A common cliche tells us that is no easy task, but given the talent differential, the Hoosiers would have a decided advantage no matter how many times in a row they had beaten Minnesota.

Eric Gordon is the best player in the Big Ten. While the Gophers have actually done better than most in slowing him on offense, he found numerous ways to beat the Gophers in the teams meeting most recently at Assembly Hall. While Gordon's shot wasn't falling, he'd penetrate and get himself to the foul line. Or, he'd penetrate and quickly adjust to the collapsing defense and kick to a wide open three point shooter.

Key #1 for the Gophers tonight is to keep Gordon in front of them. This is no easy task. He's shifty, deceptively quick and the Gophers don't have the type of shut-down defender needed to stop all parts of Gordon's game. Lawrence Westbrook drew the defensive match up in the last meeting most of the time and he did well to force Gordon to use the dribble. That's all well and good, but the Gophers either need to rotate much more efficiently when Gordon penetrates and kicks or Westbrook needs to both force Gordon to dribble and keep him in front. Limiting Gordon might be the biggest key tonight. We won't be able to stop him completely, but if we can limit his outside shooting and rebounding some, the Gophers have a chance.

Key #2 for the Gophers is finding a way to keep up with DJ White and company on the glass. With Spencer Tollackson iffy at best, the Gophers will have to rely on two forwards not known for banging in Dan Coleman and Damian Johnson. Jon Williams will be the biggest body we can throw out there, but he is prone to so many mistakes in other aspects of the game. That means all five players need to crash the boards defensively the way Westbrook, Blake Hoffarber, Al Nolen and others did in the second half against Northwestern. In Indiana, the Hoosiers killed the Gophers on second chance points. If that happens again, the Gophers have no chance.

Key #3 for the Gophers is offensive consistency. Playing 10 to 20 minutes of miserable basketball might not kill you against a team like Northwestern. It will against Indiana. And this is most important on the offensive end. The Gophers need to create offense early, be aggressive, draw contact and get to the line. Dan Coleman, Lawrence Westbrook and Lawrence McKenzie need to get going quickly. If those three are all in double digits, the Gophers have a decent shot at making the upset. The Gophers also need to have in inside presence. That means giving the ball to Coleman or Johnson in the post. We can't be completely perimeter oriented against the Hoosiers.

Key #4 for the Gophers is coaching. Tubby Smith has so much more experience than Dan Dakich that he really ought to be able to coach circles around the interim Indiana head man. Maybe we'll see this play out with the Gophers switching up defenses regularly, doubling Gordon or White when necessary and simply managing the game. Pay close attention to the first five minutes of each half and the last five minutes of the first half. Who is controlling the tempo here? Who wastes momentum building possessions and which coach best manages the game? It better be Tubby!

Finally, key #5 is passion. The first half against Northwestern was beyond distressing. It was one thing, inexcusable though it was, for Dan Coleman to get beat on multiple back doors. It was quite another for the entire team to be flat for 20 minutes. This is the Big Ten Tournament fellas, it's time to lay it all out there. On Every Possession. Indiana is sort of down on its luck, and could be prone for an upset. It won't happen if the Gophers don't play every possession as if it were there last.

Prediction: I've twice picked the Gophers to upset Indiana this season and twice I've been so wrong. Hopefully I'll be wrong again here because I'm picking the Hoosiers. The Gophers have still not but together 40 full minutes of strong play and have yet to do what it takes to upset anyone. It's hard to predict that will start tonight. Pick: Indiana 65, Minnesota 58.

Gophers Have Second Chance To Topple Hoosiers

It's never a good time to face DJ White and Eric Gordon in Assembly Hall. The combo has demonstrated they can lead Indiana to a run deep into March. But, when the Gophers visit the Hoosiers Wednesday night, the matchup might actually be coming at the right time.

The Gophers should be riding high after putting together 20 really strong minutes in the second half against Ohio State. Lawrence McKenzie, albeit it late in the season, has finally started to play on the offensive end with a dogged determination. Meanwhile, the Indiana Hoosiers are coming off an embarrassing destruction at the hands of Michigan State. A loss like that for the Hoosiers was to be expected, given that the team has been through on hell of a gauntlet having lost their head man during the stretch run of what could have been, and still could be, a special season.

While Indiana's loss to Michigan State was shocking, what could be worse for the Hoosiers is a subsequent letdown. A regular season Big Ten title will likely wind up in Purdue or Wisconsin, a fact that must leave the Hoosiers wondering what they are playing for (never mind who they are playing for).

So, I'm saying there's a chance ... for the Gophers to win.

When Indiana came to Williams Arena earlier this season, the Gophers did everything they had to do to beat the Hoosiers. They shut down Eric Gordon. They caused turnovers and scored in transition. The only ingredient that was missing was free throw shooting, where the Gophers, namely Spencer Tollackson, shot horrifically from the stripe. Had the free throw line actually been charitable, the Gophers would have beaten the Hoosiers and that would have given them a legitmate leg to stand on as Selection Sunday approaches.

To win at Indiana, the Gophers need to do many of the same thigns that were effective during the first meeting. Frustrating Gordon is essential, and the best way to do that is have a longer, taller defender effect his outside jump shot--a good task for Damian Johnson. Additionally, the Gophers need to hold down the glass the way they did against Othello Hunter, Kosta Koufos and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The task is tougher agaisnt an Indiana team that has the best big man in the country.

Most importantly, in my opinion, the Gophers need to play consistent basketball. They need to move the ball consistently on offense and get good shots. When the Gophers have had ugly stretches this year, that has been caused in part by a lack of offensive continuity. Early on, the Gophers need to get Dan Coleman and easy look or two. Same goes for Lawrence McKenzie. If the Gophers can get both of those seniors going, that will open up lanes for Lawrence Westbrook and pull perimeter defenders off of Blake Hoffarber.

It will be an up hill battle, and while the Hoosiers could be down on themselves, I expect a raucous IU crowd to do their best to lift their team. But I think the Gophers pull a shocker and send the Dan Dakich led Hoosiers tumbling heading into tourney time. Pick: Minnesota 71, IU 69.

To Storm The Floor, Gophers Must Slow Gordon, White

With the Gophers men's basketball team firmly on the NCAA bubble, Thursday's nationally televised contest with the highly ranked Indiana Hoosiers is the biggest game at Williams Arena in some time.

A win gives the Gophers a much-needed resume-boosting win and an outside chance to contend for a conference title. The locals clearly know the importance of this game. The game is a virtual sell out, though some obstructed view seats remain. Rabid fans at the GopherHole have discussed waving cell phones at IU coach Kelvin Sampson to raise his ire. That should be fun, and the masses seem ready to lend the maroon and gold rodents a home court edge.

But before there can be any storming of the raised floor in The Barn, the Gophers will have to dispatch of, perhaps, the Big Ten's best team. Leading the Hoosiers is freshman Eric Gordon, arguably the best freshman in the nation and clearly the best offensive player in the conference. Gordon leads the conference in scoring by a wide margin with 23 points per game. And he's shooting nearly 43 percent (not quite Blake Hoffarber-esque) from three point range. Gordon is the real deal, and the Gophers will need to find ways to slow him down.

But Gordon is certainly no one-man show. Senior D.J. White (pictured) is the interior presence to open things up for Gordon. White is fifth in the conference in scoring at 16.6 per game and leads all Big Ten big men in rebounding with more than 10 boards per contest. And White is strikingly efficient, shooting 63 percent from the floor, a number that dwarfs Michigan State's Raymar Morgan who is shooting an equally impressive 56 percent. After seeing what Morgan did to the Gophers, putting up a career high 31 points, White's domination so far this season certainly gives Minnesota fans reason to fret.

But IU's talent goes beyond the two household names. Junior forward Jamarcus Ellis helps out White on the boards. When he has played, sophomore guard Armon Bassett has been able to fill the basket from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Jordan Crawford has also performed well, even if he gets lost in all of the attention showered upon Gordon. And while the list could go on, Minnesota's hopes of beating the Hoosiers will be realized if the Gophers can concoct a game plan that neutralizes White an/or Gordon.

The Gophers' big men have been up and down this season. Dan Coleman has a habit of disappearing against top-notch competition. And Spencer Tollackson, while great thus far in Big Ten play, isn't the kind of big man that can dominate against athletically superior inside talent. The challenge for the Gophers Tuesday night on ESPN is to slow White down in the paint, limit the second-chance opportunities he generates, and most importantly, find a way to establish an offensive presence in the paint. That large task falls on the shoulders of Tollackson and Coleman.

As far as slowing Gordon goes, Illinois' Bruce Weber might have given Tubby Smith a blueprint. The diaper dandy shot just 1-6 from three on Sunday against the Illini and 4-10 from the field altogether. Gordon finished with just 17 points, but even that number could have been much lower had the Illini not sent Gordon to the line 10 times. Weber accomplished this by putting taller, athletic players on Gordon on the perimeter. For the Gophers, this task could fall to Damian Johnson. I'm somewhat hesitant to suggest that because I'm not sure if Johnson's foot speed is up to the task. But if anyone fits the bill for the Gophers, it's Johnson. At 6'4", Gordon would provide a tough match up for Al Nolen, and that would leave Lawrence McKenzie, Kevin Payton or Lawrence Westbrook to defend the IU freshman.

The Gophers have gotten away with playing a significant amount of 2-3 zone, especially in the game at Michigan State. But the Spartans don't shoot extremely well from outside. Indiana does, coming into Thursday as second in the conference from long-range, just behind our Gophers. So, playing Tubby Smith's tenacious ball-line defense seems the way to go against the Hoosiers. And it will be very interesting to see who Tubby charges with the task of slowing Gordon.

And here are a few other keys I see to the IU game.

** Traditionally, IU has struggled at Williams Arena. Kelvin Sampson has never coached at The Barn. Eric Gordon has obviously never played in our gym. The fans need to be in the game from the beginning and make sure the Big Ten takes notice that the days of coming into a quiet Williams Arena are over.

** Blake Hoffarber needs to continue his hot-shooting ways. He's been our version of Chris Kingsbury, and we'll need his offense to open up the inside game.

** Lawrence McKenzie needs to handle the ball well when he's playing point and also look for his shot. It's not an easy combination for McKenzie, but we need both.

** Dan Coleman needs to show why he can play in the NBA. He needs to lead. That means an impressive double-double without getting into foul trouble and an aggressive night offensively. He needs to attack the basket and draw contact, not shy away from it.

** Damian Johnson and Jon Williams need to help hold down the defensive glass.

** Finally, the Gophers need to create turnovers. Since our full-court pressure might not work against the Hoosiers, the Gophers need to get those deflections and interceptions while playing tenacious half-court defense.

Prediction: The Hoosiers were unimpressive in their victory on Sunday at home against Illinois. And I think they are ripe for an upset. This will be the Hoosiers' toughest road test since they lost on a neutral court against Xavier in November. While they are the more talented team, home court means an awful lot in college basketball and compared to the Gophers, the Hoosiers are young. Experience and a raucous home court advantage win the day for Tubby Smith and the Gophers. Gophers by two, 77-75, after which the Williams Arena floor will be filled with students wearing Tubby Time shirts.