How good are the Gophers?
Posted on December 3rd, 2008 – 1:01 PMBy Myron Medcalf
At least five of my co-workers have told me how impressed they were with the Gophers Tuesday. Minnesota pulled off a 66-56 win over Virginia, a team that gave No. 16 Syracuse all it could handle last week. Minnesota played the kind of stingy defense that should give most teams problems, even during the Big Ten schedule. It’s clear that even a hobbling Gophers team is better defensively that last season’s squad.
It pays to have a couple of long-armed players like Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson III. And Lawrence Westbrook, Damian Johnson and Al Nolen will be three of the conference’s top defensive players. Minnesota forced 19 Virginia turnovers and recorded 7 blocks and 10 steals. The Cavaliers were harassed. No other way to put it. They were so concerned about Minnesota’s defense that they forced shots and threw the ball away.
But the question remains: how good are they? I’m not sure. I asked myself that question often before, during and after Tuesday’s game. Every team the Gophers have played so far would probably finish at the bottom of the Big Ten.
This team’s defense, however, should be at the top of the league. The way the Gophers go after every shot will make executing a good game plan tough for any team. And it’s not like the Big Ten is so great. Even Purdue, which I believe will win the league, has its weaknesses. So the Gophers should have a chance to make a run at the top four spots in the Big Ten and likely NCAA bids with sustained defense.
I’m not sure, however, that the Gophers have enough consistency in the scoring department. Iverson continues to grow. And Westbrook and Hoffarber have been consistent. But I think they’ll need more out of Johnson and Nolen on that end in the near future to beat some of the better teams they’ll face.
-Senior center Jonathan Williams warmed up with the Gophers Tuesday but did not play. Expect to see him back in action soon.
-Ralph Sampson Jr., whose son plays for the Gophers, attended Tuesday’s game. He won three national player of the year awards at Virginia.
-What’s up with Iverson? Every game, he proves that he’s really watching film, hitting the weight room and doing all of the other little things to get better. I was impressed when he ripped a loose ball away from a Virginia defender in the second half. He’s not afraid of contact. Most post players in today’s version of college basketball are. I went to Florida State for last season’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge and the Gophers didn’t play with half the physicality they showed against the Cavaliers. The Gophers definitely have a new attitude.
39 Responses to "How good are the Gophers?"
One thing is evident, they’re well coached. Last year proved Smith could get a lot out of players.
No matter what the talent level is, it’s nice to see players operating at capacity.
Hard to believe Kentucky didn’t realize what they had…..Smith is appreciated in Minnesota!
Let me guess–Reusse wasn’t one of your “impressed” colleagues.
Iverson is a beast.
But I agree Med, it is hard to predict the upside for this team because it is so young.
Why Williams will play the 5 hole, I am not certain how many minutes he’ll get by season’s end given the flourishing Iverson and potential of III.
It’s really nice to have athletic 5s.
Spot on analysis. I would definitely add “depth” to the list of Gopher assets. It’s a long season and that will help. I’d expect many close games in the Big Ten–who knows if they’ll win or lose. Just have to savor victories like this I guess because you know they’ll be some big disappointments this season.
Just wait until they the Big Ten teams and see how they fair. Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State will all put the Golden rodents to the test. On the plus side the rodents are young and will only get better under TeleTubby.
Badgers will win it all however…coaching, talent and home court advantage goes to the Badgers without question.
Half court offense still has its issues. Like to see Sampson and Iverson more on the block to see how defenses react and what their post game looks like. Ball movemement can get a little stagnant and force Nolen & Westbrook to jack up shots. All of these issues can be fixed though. Overall, this team is a joy to watch.
They pressure the ball, learn from their mistakes, and have multiple players who can lead them in scoring every night. Nolen, Westbrook, & Iverson have each led the team in scoring twice while Abu-Shamala had a game high of 20 against NDSU. Love it…
There’s anew dog in the dog house and this one bites. I love to see th Gopher players banging in the paint and knocking guys to the ground. It’s a physical game and we should be doing the banging. BEAT wi that’s all that matters.
it seemed that every time Tubby went away from Iverson-Johnson-Hoffarber-Westbrook-Nolen, VA made a run. Hopefully getting Payton and/or Williams back healthy will help deepen the rotation.
I remember the posters two and three years that thought Al Nolen would never be good enough to play in the Big Ten.
We are lucky to have Smith and it will be interesting to see how long the love affair lasts. I wish we had a football coach of his ability.
They take way too many threes. Other than that, things are looking good. It is going to be a lot of fun watching this team grow up together.
Offense and defense definitely suffered when Nolan left the game against VA. Joseph needs to slow down and play under control. Iverson is better than I thought.
Is Payton hurt? I wonder why he never seems to play. Was supposed to be a very athletic player and it seems he is at the end of the bench. I saw him play in at least one of the games so he not totally out.
Did you mean getting Carter back who has the Sprained ankle.
What else do you guys have in the Twin Cities now?
Vikings? Pups?
Go Gophers!
I don’t think Payton is hurt, he’s just no good. His game features lots of turnovers, bad defense and no offensive skills.
Harry is right, way too many 3-pointers. There’s no way this team will be able to go into other arenas and rely on the 3’s.
You really can’t say that the team is deep, as Geoff said, when Tubby subbed in players for iverson-nolen-hoffarber-johnson-westbrook, the lead went from 12 to 4.
The team looks good, but there are still plenty of areas that worry me. Go Gophers.
How does everyone see the rotation working out once Big Ten play starts? Nolen-Hoff-Westbrook-Johnson-Sampson-Iverson-Williams-Joseph-Carter? That’s nine and that is not including Abu-Shamala, Busch, or Bostick. I would think Tubby would play Jamal and Travis….but who knows. Loved that the Barn was rocking last night
Its not that they take too many three’s….its that they are too quick to take bad three attempts, and often at inappropriate times in the game (ie with a 9 point lead and 8 minutes to go in the game, you toss up an airball from deep in the corner 3 seconds into your offensive possession). Also, can any of these guys make a lay-up with their off hand? If they can’t, they better learn to finish with the dunk because the Big 10 competition will turn a lot of those lay in attempts into blocks.
Overall, I was impressed. I am curious to see how Iverson holds up as a freshman center. He could be fun to watch develop.
geoff- depth will be a limiting factor for this squad all year. Upon the return of Williams and Peyton, they will be only marginally “deeper” than they would be taking volunteers from the crowd to fill in.
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Would be very interested in responses to the following question: Could Iverson eventually be the best big man at Minnesota since Mychal Thompson? Compared to the likes of Hagen, Shikenjanksi, Breuer, Coleman, and Winter, Colton seems to be far more athletic, and his aggressiveness as a freshman recalls a young Kevin McHale (the power forward, not the GM). This is also a team that could legitimately go with a ten-deep rotation during conference play. Thanks!
MikeO: Today, I’d say Iverson looks more like Bob Martin than Mychal Thompson. We could do a lot worse. And he could get a lot better. Maybe he’s a version of Chad Kolander with some element of physicality to his game (??).
Last night was a pleasure to see the hustling Gophers. They will give the big ten something to think about. Go, Gophers!!!
There is still a lot we dont know about this squad because the gophers always play to the level of their competition. Take the games vs Indiana, MSU (x2), etc from last year. Its good that they are beating the crappy teams, but it will only help to start playing better quality opponents…even if that means we have to lose a few close ones to learn that lesson.
Can you smell what the rock is cookin? I can, big ten champs - tubby rules!!
Tubby takes talent, facilitates success to the enth degree, mixes in a bit of his own flavor and emerges with a competitor. His team will develop gradually and sneak up on those who are the powers.
It’s going to be scary to see all these guys next year. They will be an even more cohesive unit, with more defined roles, and a crisper offense. Not to mention the recruiting class they have coming in… I smell Big Ten title in 2 years, with a tourney birth or two a possibility before that.
I think Iverson is a solid guy who is going to have a great career. There isn’t a ton of flash there, so he’ll remind most of Kolander, etc … but the guy is always in the right place at the right time. With athleticism around him, he’s perfect. I see us fourth or fifth this year in the league, hopefully climbing to top contender status next year.
Hope the Wisconsin goon enjoys his stock now. There won’t be a better
conditioned team in the Big 10 than
Minnesota.
The Budgers won’t keep up.
Gary
Gophers are headed to the NCAA tounament. You can take it to the bank.
I love III (pronounced 3) as a knickname for Sampson. Let’s hope that he lives up to the hype.
Gophers tried to tear my house down.
This will be a fun team to watch. Quick, athletic, pesky defense. The 5s are long and athletic, but
the main thing I see missing is a strong, powerful 4 (Virgina was killing them with offensive rebounds). Maybe Carter and/or Williams can be that power guy.
My big question is how does Tubby shorten the bench in conference play? I know Payton won’t see much time, but who else has their PT minimized?
I see a solid 8-man rotation with Nolen, Westbrook, Johnson, Carter, Iverson, Hoffarber, Abu-Shamala and Sampson.
But Bostic, Williams, Joesph and Busch all look like good players. Do they all get game time and the Gophers have a 12-man rotation? Or do some of those guys sit the bench the entire 40 minutes in tight games?
Or does Tubby coach them like an NBA team and play Williams only against taller, more physical teams, and Joesph and Bostic in more up-tempo games, and bring Busch in for a few minutes of energy and heads-up play every game, and leave him in the game if he’s making an impact?
Geez. Who cares? It’s only basketball. A real sissy sport.
You say we are missing a strong, powerful 4 and you are right for this year. Next year however, we will have both Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe coming in. While it may take Royce a while as a freshman, Mbakwe has experience at Marquette and now in juco. He is averaging something like 15 rebounds a game this year. I know that is for next year and there is still plenty left to go this year, but I just get incredibly giddy thinking about all the talent we will have in the near future.
As far as your 8 man rotation, I think you have to include Joseph in there because he is the only other pg we have besides Nolen. JAS has had some good games this year and I like his senior leadership but I do think Virginia’s athleticism exposed him a bit. He will still get his minutes though. Bostick seems averse to playing defense so he might be more of a situational substitute.
Tubby has coached 18 years with over 400 wins-every program he has touched has done well. Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, and now Minnesota. He not only gets more talent ,but then squeezes the most out of that talent.Kentucky fans were absolutely nuts with their expectations. Tubby won 5 SEC titles while he was there, but it wasnt good enought for those fans who think it is their birthright to be in the Final Four. I hope he stays a long time in Minnesota because if he does we will be in the tourney soon and contending for Big Ten Titles as well.
Hey JEFF the football and basketball programs at the U pay for the other campus sports. So drop the hockey puck and get checked into the boards you dumb @##.
I think they are a Good team. Tubby is so smart, when Iverson and Sampson where out resting, he went to a full cort press the game changed then and there,Virginia was down 2 or 4 if i remember at one point late in the second half.
IVERSON is doing so well. I am from SD, Last year he didnt play well but besides in the state tourney….here are his 3 games…23pts 13 boards 37pts 24boards and 30 and 22. I think the coaches at the U are really helping him out What a great fit for COLT.45 and the Gophers.
The Gophers are right on track.This Virginia team may not be a great team but they do have some real talent.If the Gophers had not played very good defence Virginia had some players that had the capability of really lighting it up.This was a well played game and even better coached.Ralph the 3rd is pretty much where he is supposed to be at this stage,Iverson is a pleasant surprise and is better than I thought he would be and Joseph just needs to have some confidence I think he will come along given time.The Gophers are Deep at the guard position so Joseph has the time.
Myron, please stop starting your sentences with the word and.
