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.

Skid Hits Three In Loss At OSU

All you needed to watch was the first five to 10 minutes of the men's basketball game to know the Gophers didn't deserve a Big Ten road win Saturday at Value City Arena in Columbus. The Ohio State Buckeyes jumped out to an 11-0 lead and eventually led 19-3, a margin that would dwindle at times but never be overcome by a sloppy Gophers team that eventually lost 75-60.

While the Buckeyes shot well and played hard for 40 minutes, the Gophers have only themselves to blame for falling behind by such a wide margin at the beginning of the game. The Buckeyes started the game in a 2-2-1 three-quarter court press that the Gophers' starters didn't seem prepared for. No Gopher seemed ready to flash into the middle of the zone press. Minnesota guards seemed willing to dribble right into traps in the corner right across the half-court line. The Gophers either weren't ready for the press or they didn't execute their press break well.

So it was during the first ten or so minutes that the Gophers would give the Buckeyes easy baskets. As their confidence grew, OSU's outside shots from Evan Turner and Jamar Butler began to fall. Pretty soon, the Gophers were on the verge of being run out of the gym.

But give the Gophers credit for not quitting. They surely learned at Penn State that no lead is insurmountable. The Gophers did fight back, trimming the lead to 10 at halftime. Much of that can be credited to Lawrence Westbrook, who stepped up and hit three three pointers to loosen Ohio State's zone—which by the way did a tremendous job pressuring our front court.

In the second half the Gophers came roaring back. All of a sudden Minnesota was getting easy baskets off of turnovers. The Gophers pulled within 44-41 with this lineup: Spencer Tollackson, Dan Coleman, Damian Johnson, Westbrook and Lawrence McKenzie. But then all hell broke loose. Johnson picked up a ticky-tack foul—he eventually fouled out—and went to the bench. Minutes later Tubby sat Westbrook and McKenzie, likely for a breather, and substituted Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber.

It was at this point when the Gophers' comeback hopes were thwarted once and for all. Nolen and Hoffarber couldn't handle the perimeter defensive pressure. Inexplicably, Nolen repeatedly picked up his dribble way too far beyond the arc. With less than 10 minutes left in the half, and the margin within striking distance, it was the group led by our much-heralded freshman that gave the game right back.

Turnovers have been a boon to Minnesota's success this season, but on this night the Buckeyes at least evened the playing field—both teams committed 17 turnovers. Likewise, the Gophers battled well on the glass, losing the war on the boards 38-34. But most impressively here is the fact Minnesota was able to secure 16 offensive rebounds. Most of the time they didn't convert on second chance opportunities, but getting those chances is an obvious improvement.

And while the Gophers can surely blame themselves for a poorly played road game, that shouldn't take anything away from the Buckeyes. Jamar Butler hurt the Gophers all evening, finishing the night with 27 points and nine assists. Turner added 17, including 3-6 from three.

Dan Coleman led the way offensively for Minnesota with 14 points. Coleman was slightly better on this night of being aggressive in the paint. But in other instances he seemed to revert to his tentative self. Lawrence McKenzie added 10 points and Hoffarber and Johnson added eight. Westbrook didn't score after his three first half triples.

The loss is Minnesota's third straight after starting conference play 2-1. Now at 2-4 in the conference, the Gophers have one large mountain to climb if they want to be considered an NCAA-worthy team.

Other Notable Happenings:

** Jamal Abu-Shamala played the first three minutes of the game, picked up two quick fouls, and never returned. (I missed the first minute of the second half, so it's plausible he played the first two minutes of the first half and one in the second).

** Kevin Payton played just two minutes, and they came in the second half when Tubby Smith needed to find a defensive replacement when Damian Johnson went to the bench.

** Stealing Payton's and AS' minutes was Travis Busch, who played an energy-filled, if athletically-challenged, 13 minutes. Busch managed to grab three rebounds, an impressive feat considering Jon Williams played 15 minutes with his almost 300 pound frame and didn't pull down one board.

** Tubby Smith received his first technical of the year after Busch was clearly pushed to the ground while grabbing a rebound on the defensive end. A blind official called Busch for traveling after he tumbled to the ground. This prompted Tubby to storm down towards Thad Matta's side of the court, ripping off his glasses while he angrily gave his two cents to the zebras.

** The Gophers blocked just one shot (it went to Johnson). Meanwhile, the Buckeyes sent eight shots back. Part of the reason for this is because when the Gophers penetrated or tried to score on the interior, they either double-clutched or faded if even just slightly.

** After missing last weekend's home game against Michigan State, Al Nolen played his worst game of the year. Nolen picked up the ball far too often when he should have kept his dribble alive and seemed somewhat rattled by an OSU crowd that didn't stop chanting "air ball" at the freshman after a bad first half miss. On the night, Nolen had zero points on an ugly 0-2 from the floor, and committed three turnovers. Let's not be so hard on Nolen. This team is asking for quite a bit from him.

** Hoffarber couldn't get his shot off and finished 1-7 from beyond the arc. He forced a couple threes and was rewarded with a couple bunnies to finish with eight points.

UP Next: Minnesota's front loaded schedule finally lightens up. The Gophers head to Ann Arbor Thursday night to face Michigan, one of the Big Ten's most beatable teams.

Mobley Picks OSU Over Minnesota

Acording to Rivals and the Star Tribune's Chip Scoggins, Eden Prairie's Willie Mobley has decided to play college ball at Ohio State instead of Minnesota.

I'm not incredibly surprised by this. How can we be surprised that a standout football player picks the tradition and legacy of Ohio State over playing football for the Golden Gophers? Tim Brewster or Jim Tressel? Right now, it's not even a comparison.

A few months ago I suggested that Tim Brewster's first big test would be to effectively put that so-called fence up around the state of Minnesota and keep the best Minnesota football prospects home. At the time, I suggested that it'd be a victory if Brewster were able to sign two of the top three Minnesota recruits available at the time: Cretin wideout Michael Floyd, Eden Prairie defensive end Willie Mobley and Cretin offensive lineman Joe Schafer.

Floyd is now committed to Notre Dame. Schafer is now commtted to Wisconsin. And Mobley rounds things out with a decision to play in Columbus. To be fair, I should note that the Gophers did sign linebacker Sam Maresh (as pointed out in the comments) who was ranked by some recruiting services higher than Schafer.

All is certinaly not lost with Brewster's first full recruiting class. Tom at Gopher Nation does a nice job here of going through the kids Brewster has been able to get on board.

I've said repeatedly here that I will be judging Brewster by his success or failures in the recruiting department. And the loss of Mobley doesn't make Brewster's first class a failure. But it certainly isn't a positive when out of the top four or five high school football players in the state you have only been able to land one. That tells me the fence Brewster wants to build still has many, many holes.