Gophers face Hawkeyes in first Big Ten road test
Posted on January 8th, 2009 – 5:42 PMBy Myron Medcalf
Iowa City, Iowa - What’s up, people?
I apologize for not blogging over the last two days. Between a sick child at home and a late flight to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, it’s been tough to update the blog.
Speaking of Cedar Rapids, I’ve met some of the coolest people during my brief stay. Shout out to the lady at the car rental place who showed me how to get a better deal, the hotel staff that moved me to a new room when the heater in my original one broke down last night and the waitresses that made the world’s best hot chocolate.
But here we are. About 20 minutes before Minnesota takes on Iowa in its first Big Ten road game. The crowd might not be much of a factor for a variety of reasons.
Students are still gone on winter break. And something called the BCS title game will be played in less than two hours.
Why would you schedule a basketball game during the BCS title game? Doesn’t make much sense to me.
Still, for the Gophers, this is an important game. Here are a few things you should know:
1. Yes, your fanhood will be questioned if you choose to watch Florida-Oklahoma instead. That’s what a variety of DVR products and services are for. Florida’s going to win by 2 touchdowns, in case you miss that game.
2. Few people seem to know many details about Anthony Tucker’s situation. The former Minnetonka prep who led his team to a state title last season is Iowa’s leading scorer (11.8) as a freshman, but he’s only played one minute in the last three games. That’s mainly due to his bout with mono, head coach Todd Lickliter says. But, when I talked to him, he said he feels like he’s 100 percent.
3. Damian Johnson’s right wrist is taped up. But after Saturday’s win over Ohio State, he said he won’t miss any more games this season. No matter what.
4. The Hawkeyes are undefeated at home (9-0), and they have one of the Big Ten’s top scoring defenses (55.9 points per game allowed). That said, they clearly lack Minnesota’s talent level. To get the win, Iowa will have to rely on its outside shooting ability (41 percent from the three-point line).
5. The Gophers are loose. They’re dunking in warm-ups. They’re wearing maroon jerseys for only the third time this season. That’s a good sign.
Key Stat: The Gophers are 27-0 under Tubby Smith when leading at halftime.
6 Responses to "Gophers face Hawkeyes in first Big Ten road test"
Watching the game last night, although I bleed maroon and gold, I wasn’t impressed. There was zero inside game, and they never seemed to figure out how to adjust to the zone that Iowa was defending with. What impressed me the most were the reserves (ie. Bush) who really came in at different points and brought a consistant level of intensity. Al Nolen had a decent game, although didn’t have the stats to back it up. He really made a difference in breaking down the defense and dishing to the outside. Blake Hoff hasn’t been much of a force the last 2-3 games; goes to show he really only is a spot-shooter (live or die by the jump shot kind of guy). Iverson is so many steps ahead of Sampson III it’s not a contest. WITH ALL THAT SAID - it’s great to have a coach with the experience and knowledge of how to adjust and come out with a victory without a few of what I think are offensive staples early on this year (consistant scoring from someone, motion offensive easy buckets, etc). The next step this program needs to achieve are winning the games they should (ie. Iowa, Indiana, Northwestern, Illinois, etc) and winning games against the elite-tiered or upper ranked Big Ten teams (ie. Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan). We’re on our way, and it’s fun to see. Go Gophers!
Nate you’re right to a point. Sampson was held to 6 points and Iverson didn’t score. However, this team crashed the boards really well with 18 on the offensive ends — inside play is twofold with scoring and rebounding. I don’t care if it was Iverson, Sampson, Carter or whoever. Got a little dicy but they held on. My philosophy about life on the road in conference play is: Doesn’t matter if it’s at Michigan St. or Northwestern. Any road win is a good.
Hey Myron, is it just me or is Travis Busch growing a dirty little mustache???
It did get dicy at the end. I began to wonder whether the maroon were going start defending the 3 point shot against the best perimeter shooting team in the Big Ten. It’s so nice to have a great coach like Tubby drawing the XO’s. He really did a masterful job of mixing up the lineup and I though Bostich gave us a nice spark off the bench.
A nice road win after being down 13 pts is impressive .A goal for this team is an NCAA bid ..
It’s interesting to check Minny on Sagarin, RPI, Pomeroy ranking sites ..
Winning ugly on the road is the sign of
a champion - way to go Gophers!
Travis Busch and others continue to give Tubby the best bench in the Big 10 - another sign of a champion.
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