A75-61 lossto a mature, experienced team like Florida State would be understandable if the Gophers had played with 100 percent intensity throughout the game. But it was theireffort in the second half that cost them. They led for a little while in the first half and were down six points going into the second half.

For a team that has always played tougher in the second half this season, it was surprising to see Florida State pull away, as the Gophers appeared to turn down their energy level a notch in the second half. Tubby Smith said he noticed the change and pulled some of the starters in the second half.

I think Florida State has the experience in its backcourt, the size and talent to beat a lot of teams in the Big Ten and the ACC. But the Gophers played them tough for awhile.

Florida State, however, overwhelmed them with very aggressive defense. And Minnesota couldn’t find their shots, so they settled for threes, but they only made seven of them.

This team needs consistent play from its seniors. But they still have the potential to bea good team in the Big Ten. At times tonight, they looked like a very good squad. But they have to work out the kinks in their five-game home stretch in the coming weeks because they’ll face teams in the Big Ten that play like Florida State. But poor shooting (they made 33 percent of their shots) will hurt them against any team.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 27th, 2007 at 11:11 pm and is filed under Gophers men's basketball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.