Gopher basketball is hanging by a thread for their NCAA tourney hopes only because of their Puerto Rico performance (North Carolina and West Virginia) back in November. And to make matters worse...Big Ten Network is showing the 1997-98 Gopher team...our roster was sick. Clem played ten guys and at least three guys (for sure) could create their own shot (Jacobsen, Jackson and Lewis) all on their own. Who can do that on this years squad...maybe Chip Armelin...a guy that Tubby plays maybe a whole ten minutes per game.
* You know what separates the elite Big Ten basketball programs from the rest of the pack? The elite teams year in and year out play man to man defense and play it extremely well. Purdue, Michigan State and Wisconsin refuse to play zone. Ohio State throws an occasional zone because they only play 6-7 players in their rotation and try to stay away from foul trouble with their own guys. Most of them recruit pretty well...but, how does Wisconsin manage year in and year out when they have their infamous black point guard and four white guys playing every year. I absolutely HATE zone. There is no accountability since they are guarding space...and the rebounding and/or art of blocking out an opponent is thrown out the window. I know Tubby is playing with a short deck...but, I don't think primarily sitting in a zone all game, every game is going to do these guys any good against perimeter oriented teams they'll face the remainder of the year.
* I'm watching The Greatest Games on BTN between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Clem's offense isn't much different than Tubby's. Every time down if Bobby Jackson doesn't try to go one on three in transition, they work the the high/low game with the posts. Which gets me thinking...our guards suck. I mean they were running high/low sets with Winter and Tarver...let me repeat...Trevor Winter and Miles Tarver...and get this...they were getting good shots.
Who had the longer college basketball playing career: Sam Okey or Jess Settles?
Another nugget...Paul Grant is playing...yes, the Timberwolves 1st round draft pick. I wouldn't have drafted him based on his free throw routine. He dribbles (more like slapping at the ball like a grade school kid) 8-9 times before he shoots it. Thanks, Kevin McHale.
* How has Tubby not addressed upgrading his guard (specifically, point guard) positions through recruiting in four years? Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber were Monson recruits. Justin Cobb and Maverick Ahanmisi were pretty much late editions/leftovers (not exactly rated high) to their respective classes. Devoe Joseph was a shooting guard that was forced to run the point while he was here. It's great that we have a plethora of big men...but, good guard play is what wins you games.
* If everyone comes back...how do rotate bigs next year. You'll have: Iverson, Sampson, Mbakwe, Walker and Eliason...plus, Oto. I only bring this up because through three years...Tubby has babied Ralph Sampson III. Ralph has not progressed thus far...what happens next year when we have legitimate bigs that should be playing over him...or at least comparable minutes to him.
* How sad is it that I just wrote about "next year"...that's how depressing it is watching the Gophers lately.
SBG
Friday, February 18, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
The Barn: Buckeyes @ Gophers
My buddy Big Head Mike scored some sweet seats for this game. He had two on press row, plus two more seats that were 17 rows up right on the half court line. I was on quasi-babysitting duties for the day, so I took my son Cullen and we took the latter of the set of two. We also had "Club Passes" that came in handy for the pre-game and halftime festivities. Here's some of the highs and lows:
* I can't confirm this, but we were walking into the Barn at about 11:45 am (tip is at 1 pm) and Big Head Mike says he saw Ralph Sampson III pulling up in his ride to park. Isn't that a little late for a player (that plays a lot by the way) to be rolling in. He probably didn't want to expend much energy since he hardly has any to begin with.
* The Barn was ready for an upset...I thought the place was electric, and although Ohio State controlled the game from start to finish there were about 4-5 moments (when the lead was only around 5-6 points) throughout the game that the Gophers could have broken through had they converted some points on the offensive side.
* Where was our so-called NBA prospects (Rodney Williams and Trevor Mbakwe) today? By the way...I think all that talk for those two are crazy...neither even have a mid-range jumper (or can even consistently knock down free throws) in their arsenal. They are the elite athletes on our team and they were pretty much non-existent the whole day. I think that speaks volumes on where their basketball skill level sits at today.
* Gopher basketball alums in attendance: Quincy Lewis, Jamal Abu-Shamala, Kevin McHale and Trent Tucker.
* I hate Thad Matta. He's basically a clean version of John Calipari. He has mastered his way around the "one and done" rule in college basketball by simply out recruiting everyone else in EVERY class. Plus, he plays only 6-7 players in his rotation so he's living on the edge with any major injury to one of those players could hamper their preference of style of play for the rest of year. So add in that he has the BEST recruiting class every year plus he plays the least amount of people in his rotation...he is either the luckiest bastard on the face of the earth or he has some ridiculous sixth sense on the state of his program from year to year.
* Jared Sullinger is basically the Shaquille O'Neal of the college basketball world. Not based on skill, but based on the referees having no idea on how to call anything regarding to him down in the post. At the beginning they didn't blow the whistle at all concerning any plays down on the block...on either end of the floor. Then all of sudden it was full blow on every touch foul...I mean some of the "and one plays" he had were flat out ridiculous in comparison to the precedent that THE REFS themselves started at the beginning of the game.
* Lone highlights for us: Chip Armelin's dunk over Lauderdale. Student section chanting "You're a pussy" towards Sullinger after he flops and draws a foul. My son not having to go to the bathroom during the game or worse...at halftime.
* You know what's worse than our half court offensive sets...?? The under the basket out of bounds plays where we usually have to lob to Ralph or Colton out on the corner of the court (ball side). I'm not looking for an easy two on an out of bounds play every time, but how lame and lazy is that play. Plus, what is the benefit of Ralph or Colton catching it in the corner? First off, they are in a corner...a trap may come to non ball-handler forcing a turnover. Secondly, they have their back to the basket and have no intention of looking down low, much less passing it down there. Plus, they usually make that dangerous pass backwards to a guard near the top of the key just so we can start our pathetic offense...sounds GREAT to me.
SBG
* I can't confirm this, but we were walking into the Barn at about 11:45 am (tip is at 1 pm) and Big Head Mike says he saw Ralph Sampson III pulling up in his ride to park. Isn't that a little late for a player (that plays a lot by the way) to be rolling in. He probably didn't want to expend much energy since he hardly has any to begin with.
* The Barn was ready for an upset...I thought the place was electric, and although Ohio State controlled the game from start to finish there were about 4-5 moments (when the lead was only around 5-6 points) throughout the game that the Gophers could have broken through had they converted some points on the offensive side.
* Where was our so-called NBA prospects (Rodney Williams and Trevor Mbakwe) today? By the way...I think all that talk for those two are crazy...neither even have a mid-range jumper (or can even consistently knock down free throws) in their arsenal. They are the elite athletes on our team and they were pretty much non-existent the whole day. I think that speaks volumes on where their basketball skill level sits at today.
* Gopher basketball alums in attendance: Quincy Lewis, Jamal Abu-Shamala, Kevin McHale and Trent Tucker.
* I hate Thad Matta. He's basically a clean version of John Calipari. He has mastered his way around the "one and done" rule in college basketball by simply out recruiting everyone else in EVERY class. Plus, he plays only 6-7 players in his rotation so he's living on the edge with any major injury to one of those players could hamper their preference of style of play for the rest of year. So add in that he has the BEST recruiting class every year plus he plays the least amount of people in his rotation...he is either the luckiest bastard on the face of the earth or he has some ridiculous sixth sense on the state of his program from year to year.
* Jared Sullinger is basically the Shaquille O'Neal of the college basketball world. Not based on skill, but based on the referees having no idea on how to call anything regarding to him down in the post. At the beginning they didn't blow the whistle at all concerning any plays down on the block...on either end of the floor. Then all of sudden it was full blow on every touch foul...I mean some of the "and one plays" he had were flat out ridiculous in comparison to the precedent that THE REFS themselves started at the beginning of the game.
* Lone highlights for us: Chip Armelin's dunk over Lauderdale. Student section chanting "You're a pussy" towards Sullinger after he flops and draws a foul. My son not having to go to the bathroom during the game or worse...at halftime.
* You know what's worse than our half court offensive sets...?? The under the basket out of bounds plays where we usually have to lob to Ralph or Colton out on the corner of the court (ball side). I'm not looking for an easy two on an out of bounds play every time, but how lame and lazy is that play. Plus, what is the benefit of Ralph or Colton catching it in the corner? First off, they are in a corner...a trap may come to non ball-handler forcing a turnover. Secondly, they have their back to the basket and have no intention of looking down low, much less passing it down there. Plus, they usually make that dangerous pass backwards to a guard near the top of the key just so we can start our pathetic offense...sounds GREAT to me.
SBG
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