Not to kill the mood but Blake...

[GortonsFisherman011]

was 0-5 from behind the arc tonight with 0 points, 2 rebs, an assist, 2 steals and a turnover. Hopefully he can step up soon, hopefully against Northwestern on Sunday.

[BleedGopher]

Blake did a very nice job handling the PG duties when Nolen fouled out. I'll let Tubby break down the film and find a few items to work on...as a fan, this is nothing but happy thoughts tonight!!!!!

GO GOPHERS!!!

[TheHofferette]

he's having a classic Sophomore slump...he's such a pure shooter he'll work out of it. all great shooters go through periods of darkness....he'll be fine. and I think its good for our team to be forced to find other ways to score, instead of relying on The Hoff to do it all.
plus he has stepped up the rest of his game since his shooting has struggled.

[BigTenaciousD]

After the freshman year he had, all opposing D's are making sure to stop him. He'll come out of the mini-slump he's in and be just fine.

[minnyrules11]

you are wrong about this post Blake played just about every minute when Al was out. He made several key passes including the one where Westbrook tied it to send it into ot, had a key steal and some rebounds. Blakes shot will come but tonight we did not need it.

[94Gopher]

You can't kill this mood!!! I agree that he is off, but as Bleed pointed out, he did a great job after Al fouled out. Al didn't have a very good game and it almost seemed like things went better after he fouled out. I'm certainly not suggesting removing Al from the starting lineup, just saying he had on off night.

[The Truth]

I remember watching Keith Bogans go through a horrid, Junior year slump after testing the NBA waters. It's all mental. With Bogans it was trying to "prove" he was a good shooter instead of letting the game come naturally to him and let his shots flow in the offense. I wouldn't be shocked if Hoffarber was going through something similiar. He seems to be a great kid and have a real talent for the perimeter jumpshot. He'll work his way through. Maybe extra shots in practice, finding an off the court release or maybe trying a different apporach.

[FarmGopher]

was 0-5 from behind the arc tonight with 0 points, 2 rebs, an assist, 2 steals and a turnover. He needs to step up soon, hopefully against Northwestern on Sunday.

BUZZ KILLS can't sit in the first 3 rows of the student section anymore, plan accordingly, Gort.

[GortonsFisherman011]

BUZZ KILLS can't sit in the first 3 rows of the student section anymore, plan accordingly, Gort.

I'm just trying to not get ahead of myself here. Conquer your weaknesses before you praise your strengths.

[calminnfan]

Notice he did not take the last three shot when time was running out, but passed to Westbrook instead. That showed me that he not only understands he is not shooting well right now, but is a team player who is more concerned with winning then being the guy. He showed maturity as a player!

[figi]

It's head game for Blake. He just needs to get immersed in the game so he is not thinking about missing when he shots. He's a shooter. He just needs to block out everything but the basket.

[GortonsFisherman011]

Agreed. By the way, everytime I watch the replay of the game on BTN it makes me smile even more :D

[Keokolo Gopher]

Typical minnesota loser mentality Gort...This win reminds me of the '97 win at Indiana. Huge!!!

[GortonsFisherman011]

So I have a loser mentality if I try not to get ahead of myself? While I'm at it, I'll go ahead and say that we should have lost the game if the guy who got blocked by PC would have just pulled up and waited a couple seconds to go by instead of going for the lay in. Just keep things in perspective. I'm not getting down, quite the opposite in fact! I had to try to hold back my jubilation while my buddy from high school was here with me (he goes to wisconsin (I know, I invited him into my home)). I'm all for enjoying the win, but what would tubby do? He would work on correcting mistakes and prepare for the next game (and not take Northwestern for granted!). So act like winners and always pursue perfection. That's all.

[cheeseheadgophfan]

Tubby was quick to point out in the postgame interview what a good all-around game Blake played. The stats may not show it, but he was crucial to this win.

[GoldenGuts]

DONT HASSEL THE HOFF!!!!

http://backstage.blogs.com/blogstage/images/2007/09/27/dont_hassel_the_hoff.jpg

[The Big L]

Last year I was writing off Blake as a just a shooter. This year he has impressed me with the all around game though. He handled the ball well, made some nice passes, even had a couple good rebounds. His threes were off but he did almost hit that DEEP three when the shot clock was almost out....it's a slump and he will break out of it eventually. Better now than in March.

[ShowinGoldyLove]

DONT HASSEL THE HOFF!!!!

http://backstage.blogs.com/blogstage/images/2007/09/27/dont_hassel_the_hoff.jpg
That's single-handedly the most glorious post I've ever seen...the speedo is what really does it...the chest hair...the leather jacket just adds to the flair.

[ChemEGopher]

Hoff was one the top 5 Gopher performers tonight(probably fifth behind Westbrook, PC, Damian, and Bostick). The only thing he did wrong was miss shots, had he gone 2/5 no one would be saying anything. I remember one huge rebound some how got while among 3 Badger bigs. He had a big steal late as well. He'll come out of his shooting slump. Fortunately he's worked hard enough at other parts of his game so that he is still valuable to have on the floor even when he isn't hitting shots.

[Maroon Shower]

Part of why he's struggling is that teams don't give him any space anymore. The fact that one out of five defenders isn't allowed to leave his lap makes him valuable without ever taking a shot. His overall floor game during his shooting slump has remained solid.

[WadeHokenson]

Hoffarber stepped up big time in a game where Nolen didn't look like the player we are used to seeing and Joseph didn't step up to the plate. Blake ran a smooth PG and was obviously in in the crunch time and delivered. Not everything is shooting--though I must admit that I have become spoiled from watching him and nearly expect every shot he takes to go in, including his LONG range three attempt as the shot clock was winding down in OT.