NU 74 - Minn 65 - What happened?

First, if you were to tell me before the week started that we'd be 1-1 on our road trip, I'd say good! Second, this was an obvious trap game, with the Gophers coming off their biggest road win in a long time and Northwestern playing a very different style of basketball than most teams. Here is what I think went wrong:

1. Northwestern played awesome. No doubt about it, they shot amazingly well, they PASSED extremely well, played with poise, and always ended up with the loose balls; which leads to #2...

2. The loose ball always seemed to end up in Northwestern's hands. If there were 3 Gophers around and 1 NU player, the ball still magically found a way to get to the NU player. It was one of those days. I think this wore on the Gophers mentally, because we're usually the ones getting those loose balls. When that didn't happen, I think they started to get nervous and lose poise.

3. The Gophers were absolutely awful passing the ball today. Northwestern was playing an extended 1-3-1 zone for about half of the game...this is the defense that really gave the Gophers fits. That's ironic, because it's the 1-3-1 full court zone that the Gophers typically play when they press. So you'd think that the Gophers would be ready for it. The Gophers did way too much dribbling into the middle of the zone (Nolen and Westbrook) and did not spread the Wildcats' D, nor did they tire out the Wildcats with fast passes (that said, where did the NU speed come from today?!). The standard way to beat a 1-3-1 zone is an even 2-1-2 offense, with 2 guards up top, 2 wings in the corners and on the baseline, and a center controlling the middle. Why the Gophers didn't make quick passes around the zone and use some inside-out game is beyond me. I don't think they were ready for it; that's all I can think of. That said, I think a lot of their problems against this zone were due to #4...

4. They panicked when Northwestern went on the run that gave them the lead. The Gophers were struggling, but still very much in control of the game 38-32 until they went ice cold from the field, missing 3-pointers, layups and free throws. Meanwhile, NU and Moore in particular caught fire, especially from 3-land, and the Gophers started panicking and they lost their lead. As NU took the lead, that is particularly when our offensive problems accelerated, as we got out of our game plan, lost our poise and forgot to play fundamental basketball. Note that at the same time, we were going too hard for blocks and steals and loose balls, which resulted in a lot of easy layups for the purple team.

5. Free throws: Did we shoot over 50% from the line? NU sure did. They made the most of their chances (coming in as the WORST FT shooting team in the league), and we made the least.

6. We were outplayed and today we were possibly outcoached, too. Give credit to Northwestern, they played about as well as they possibly could (this had to have been their best performance of the year, maybe by far their best), while the Gophers played one of their worst games. Chalk it up to circumstance. The Gophers would beat NU @ NU probably 8 of 10 times. This was one of those other times. They still come home with a satisfactory road trip; and you'd always take the road win over Wisconsin over the game today, right? Time to come back and get ready for Purdue; Tubby better get a better scheme for beating a 1-3-1; that was awful.

7. One thing I don't understand about Tubby's D is why we don't put our best exterior defender in the face of the opposing team's best or hottest outside shooter. It just baffles me to no end; it was the exact same way last year. It was like watching Glen Mason football. You all know the Wolverines are going to throw a screen pass to Perry, GUARD HIM! Same thing here, after Moore's first swoosh we all knew he was going to make any shot he took, so GUARD HIM! Put DJ on him, or maybe Nolen. Who else did Northwestern have that was going to score with any consistency? Coble? That's what Sampson and Iverson are for. Deny their best scorer the ball FTW. Other teams seem to do just fine taking Hoffarber's shot away, but I'm disturbed that we rarely do the same to their shooters. When Moore makes 4 more 3's than Hoff, you know it's going to be awfully tough to win.

8. Last comment, I still don't understand why we start the game pressing with both Iverson and Sampson on the floor for the first 6 minutes. What advantage does this give us? We always start out slow, and maybe a bit of fatigue could explain why both of these guys have disappeared in the second half of most of our games lately.

16-2 is very good and the Gophers have proven worthy of a top-25 ranking. We better smash Northwestern at home on 2/22. If I were a player/coach on that team, I'd make sure to pound them and pound them with serious basketball, never giving them a chance to breathe; a win by less than 30 would be a disappointment.

As for our upcoming schedule, it's ugly. First a home game against Purdue, who should be higher ranked than us coming in after their two victories this week. Then comes yet another trap game at Indiana, but they are no Northwestern; we'd have to play much worse than badly to lose that game...or maybe Indiana will be on fire like Northwestern was, who knows. Then comes vs. Illinois, @ MSU, and @ OSU. Ouch! We could easily come out of this stretch on a big losing streak; or we could take 3 or 4 of 5. It'll be interesting! One thing I know, Tubby has to make sure that Al knows to PASS around a zone, not dribble into it. That will be the first correction step after today.

I'm with ya.

I don't think the return trip to the Barn is going to be very pretty for NU, which I will very much look forward too.

We just played a horrible game today...not much intensity, not much will and our execution on the offensive and defensive ends was lacking.

But hey, it happens sometimes...just have to move forward from here.

The Game From 3rd Row Behind The Bench

Gophers had control, 32-23, late in 1st half. Then they got sloppy and made a few TO to let NWU back in it at half.

NWU made a great defensive adjustment at halftime. Gophers never did make the changes they needed to overcome it. Settled for 22 foot jumpers instead of dribble penetration, drive & dunk or layup.

All credit to NWU coaches & players for a strong 2nd half effort.

Friend Of Tubby said:

Gophers had control, 32-23, late in 1st half. Then they got sloppy and made a few TO to let NWU back in it at half.

NWU made a great defensive adjustment at halftime. Gophers never did make the changes they needed to overcome it. Settled for 22 foot jumpers instead of dribble penetration, drive & dunk or layup.

All credit to NWU coaches & players for a strong 2nd half effort.

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Hey FOT, I've been waiting for your post where you tell us all how many times Tubby lost to a winless SEC team at Kentucky when he was ranked in the top 25?!?!

I think the Wisconsin win took a lot out of the boys. Plus, its tough to win on the road...especially two games in a row. Its the Big 10...road wins are tough and HUGE if you can get em.

1-3-1 zone really confused the team, they didn't hit the FTs they were given, and I think the refs really let the teams play. I think rough play actually hurt our team more than it helped because I think we coulda had a few more FT attempts. I am not complaining about the reffing because it seemed to be fair both ways.

I am kinda wondering when Hoff gets benched. I understand trying to get a guy to play through a slump, but we have better alternatives than him right now. Unbelievable watching his slump. I just don't think you can have him on the floor if he no longer can nail 50% of his threes. Bring in Bostick or Carter.

Biggest reason we lost is we cannot settle for jump shots. Everytime we came back in previous games, it was because we started to go to the hoop. Wide open or not, they are not high percentage shots.

This was not a hard prediction at all. Minnesota obviously had a letdown after the Wisconsin game. Northwestern plays a system that if you are not fully committed to defending, they will give you problems. I am sure that Tubby tried to warn his players in the couple of days leading to that game, but it is hard to get through sometimes in this situation.

I am sure that many of you expected a split this week. Just not this way. If Wisconsin fouls your guy with under 5 seconds and does not allow the three at the end of regulation, then you lose that game (no way your guy should have been allowed to shoot a three with that much time left. Foul him. Send him to the line for two shots. Odds of making the first, missing the second on purpose, getting the rebound and scoring on a follow are minimal. It is an ongoing debate among coaches. Some do it and some don't. I certainly would with under five seconds on the clock).

However, you would most certainly have bounced back with a win against Northwestern, so it ends up the same. imo

Art Vandelay said:

Hey FOT, I've been waiting for your post where you tell us all how many times Tubby lost to a winless SEC team at Kentucky when he was ranked in the top 25?!?!

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U R a dumbazz.

anticallihan said:

1-3-1 zone really confused the team, they didn't hit the FTs they were given, and I think the refs really let the teams play. I think rough play actually hurt our team more than it helped because I think we coulda had a few more FT attempts. I am not complaining about the reffing because it seemed to be fair both ways.

I am kinda wondering when Hoff gets benched. I understand trying to get a guy to play through a slump, but we have better alternatives than him right now. Unbelievable watching his slump. I just don't think you can have him on the floor if he no longer can nail 50% of his threes. Bring in Bostick or Carter.

Biggest reason we lost is we cannot settle for jump shots. Everytime we came back in previous games, it was because we started to go to the hoop. Wide open or not, they are not high percentage shots.

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Excellent points about missed FT opportunities and setting for 22 foot jump shots.

The refs called it fair both ways. Rarely did I see either coach complaining.

anticallihan said:

1-3-1 zone really confused the team, they didn't hit the FTs they were given, and I think the refs really let the teams play. I think rough play actually hurt our team more than it helped because I think we coulda had a few more FT attempts. I am not complaining about the reffing because it seemed to be fair both ways.

I am kinda wondering when Hoff gets benched. I understand trying to get a guy to play through a slump, but we have better alternatives than him right now. Unbelievable watching his slump. I just don't think you can have him on the floor if he no longer can nail 50% of his threes. Bring in Bostick or Carter.

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Why would you bench Hoff? Even if he's not hitting his 3's he's a good passer and smart player. He does need to play better in-your-face D when he's on the other team's shooters, that's the only part of his game that I can fault him on right now.

By the way, Bostick came in today and had a bad game, bad decisions, bad fouls, and bad shots. So, today anyway, Tubby tried Bostick and it didn't work. Tubby was right to sit Devron today. Hopefully Devron comes back strong next game.

In the end too many Gophers had mediocre-to-poor games today, and no one had a good game: Nolen and Bostick in particular had an off day; even Busch didn't do anything when he came in. Tubby tried everyone but Payton, I think. Maybe he should have tried Kevin; nothing else worked it was probably worth a shot.

A more technical explanation.

NW had a lot of length up top in their 1-3-1 zone and used their shortest player on the baseline. The optimal way to attack that zone is through the corners - with options being the corner 3, the inside feed to the post coming down from the mid post, or the diagonal pass to the other side for a reversal and shot.

For some reason, our first response was to attack from the top which is a more tradition 2-3 or match up zone attack pattern. That was a problem - Westbrook and Nolan are relatively short to be passing over the top of that 1-3-1. We ended up with a ton of loopy passes that allowed ample time for the zone to recover. (or for a few steals when the passes were really slow)

First adjustment was to bring post up to the FT line. We got the ball in the first time, but Sampson fumbled it. Never tried to do it again. But, while the post was still at the FT, we tried to split the zone. A good idea really, but poorly executed. Even the few time we successfully split, our own post player gets in the way.

Next adjust was to bring DJ out to the perimeter when Nolan went to the bench. This worked quite well - DJ was easily able to throw over the top and the Gophers were able to revert to what I am assuming is their basic zone offense. Unfortunately, we missed some pretty open looks.

When Nolan returned, we went small again. Kept trying (unsuccessfully) to attack from the top instead of looking lower to the corners.

Was it the players or the coaches fault? No idea - I was not in the huddle. But it was certainly disappointing.

One final comment - the way NW utilized their personal in the 1-3-1, we should have had a huge, and I mean huge, offensive rebounding advantage. Yet we got 6 total vs 26 D-rebounds for NW.

UST82Gopher said:

A more technical explanation.


One final comment - the way NW utilized their personal in the 1-3-1, we should have had a huge, and I mean huge, offensive rebounding advantage. Yet we got 6 total vs 26 D-rebounds for NW.

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The Gophers had their hands on a ton of them, the ball just always seemed to squiggle over to NW.

Hoff is 8 for 29 in big ten - 27%. 4 for 18 for three - 22%. When you are shooting that poorly, it is kinda like turning it over.

I do think he is a good rebounder, but he is a shooting guard. If he is not the hot hand, he needs to play less. Once he starts hitting start playing him more.

It was a bad game for everyone all around in the second half, but I would maybe have even tried Devoe at the SG against NW.

Purdue should be an interesting game.

UST82Gopher said:

A more technical explanation.

NW had a lot of length up top in their 1-3-1 zone and used their shortest player on the baseline. The optimal way to attack that zone is through the corners - with options being the corner 3, the inside feed to the post coming down from the mid post, or the diagonal pass to the other side for a reversal and shot.

For some reason, our first response was to attack from the top which is a more tradition 2-3 or match up zone attack pattern. That was a problem - Westbrook and Nolan are relatively short to be passing over the top of that 1-3-1. We ended up with a ton of loopy passes that allowed ample time for the zone to recover. (or for a few steals when the passes were really slow)

First adjustment was to bring post up to the FT line. We got the ball in the first time, but Sampson fumbled it. Never tried to do it again. But, while the post was still at the FT, we tried to split the zone. A good idea really, but poorly executed. Even the few time we successfully split, our own post player gets in the way.

Next adjust was to bring DJ out to the perimeter when Nolan went to the bench. This worked quite well - DJ was easily able to throw over the top and the Gophers were able to revert to what I am assuming is their basic zone offense. Unfortunately, we missed some pretty open looks.

When Nolan returned, we went small again. Kept trying (unsuccessfully) to attack from the top instead of looking lower to the corners.

Was it the players or the coaches fault? No idea - I was not in the huddle. But it was certainly disappointing.

One final comment - the way NW utilized their personal in the 1-3-1, we should have had a huge, and I mean huge, offensive rebounding advantage. Yet we got 6 total vs 26 D-rebounds for NW.

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I wasn't in the huddle either but only about 20 feet from it.

The Gophers (players and coaches) didn't execute in 2nd half.

NWU (players and coaches) executed very well in 2nd half.

3. The Gophers were absolutely awful passing the ball today. Northwestern was playing an extended 1-3-1 zone for about half of the game...this is the defense that really gave the Gophers fits. That's ironic, because it's the 1-3-1 full court zone that the Gophers typically play when they press. So you'd think that the Gophers would be ready for it. The Gophers did way too much dribbling into the middle of the zone (Nolen and Westbrook) and did not spread the Wildcats' D, nor did they tire out the Wildcats with fast passes (that said, where did the NU speed come from today?!). The standard way to beat a 1-3-1 zone is an even 2-1-2 offense, with 2 guards up top, 2 wings in the corners and on the baseline, and a center controlling the middle. Why the Gophers didn't make quick passes around the zone and use some inside-out game is beyond me. I don't think they were ready for it; that's all I can think of. That said, I think a lot of their problems against this zone were due to #4...

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Terrific analysis...the best I have read all year!!!!!

Just one question: Where is our inside game?

Thanks!! Go Gophers!!

Art Vandelay said:

Hey FOT, I've been waiting for your post where you tell us all how many times Tubby lost to a winless SEC team at Kentucky when he was ranked in the top 25?!?!

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Hey look everybody, Art's back! I can't believe it!

Shockingly, it's after the Gophers' first bad loss of the season. I did see your cameo in defense of Bo Ryan, but I'm assuming your presence will be greater now after the NU loss.

But after the next win...*poof* he's gone.

cncmin has alot of great points. Starting the twin towers is dumb. Sampson in the high post usually ends in a turnover, a shot that misses the rim, and I have never even seen him hit iverson from there. While johnson thrives there. A box and one on their 3pt shooter would've been a no brainer. Northwestern hasnt had an inside presence since Eschmeyer. Why we didnt go there after early easy inside baskets is a mystery. Not only would we get easy baskets, we would dominate the boards. When a zone makes the other team stay on the perimeter its almost always a victory! Let's hope this game fires us up for Purdue. Will we see a 1-3-1 on Thursday?

march madness said:

cncmin has alot of great points. Starting the twin towers is dumb. Sampson in the high post usually ends in a turnover, a shot that misses the rim, and I have never even seen him hit iverson from there. While johnson thrives there. A box and one on their 3pt shooter would've been a no brainer. Northwestern hasnt had an inside presence since Eschmeyer. Why we didnt go there after early easy inside baskets is a mystery. Not only would we get easy baskets, we would dominate the boards. When a zone makes the other team stay on the perimeter its almost always a victory! Let's hope this game fires us up for Purdue. Will we see a 1-3-1 on Thursday?

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Kyle Rowley is a 7-footer and NWU's best C since Eschmeyer.

he really tore it up with his 2 points in 10 minutes

Friend Of Tubby said:

Kyle Rowley is a 7-footer and NWU's best C since Eschmeyer.

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You probably know more about Rowley than I do, but he was no threat on Sunday; unfortunately one of their guys was and he wasn't guarded very closely.

cncmin said:

You probably know more about Rowley than I do, but he was no threat on Sunday; unfortunately one of their guys was and he wasn't guarded very closely.

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Both teams went with smaller lineups most of the game. I just said Rowley was NWU's best since EE, not that he was good. Heck EE wasn't very good, either.

Michael Thompson, the transfer center from Duke, was a better player than Rowley. imo However, he was soft. Rowley could end up better in the long run if he has a mean streak. Eschmeyer was a pretty good player. He was there 6 years. Seemed like forever. Danny Earl of PSU and Jess Settles of Iowa also went on the 6 year plan.

combes1 said:

Michael Thompson, the transfer center from Duke, was a better player than Rowley. imo However, he was soft. Rowley could end up better in the long run if he has a mean streak. Eschmeyer was a pretty good player. He was there 6 years. Seemed like forever. Danny Earl of PSU and Jess Settles of Iowa also went on the 6 year plan.

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Not at NWU (was Thompson better). He did little or nothing there.

He was higher rated, not the same thing as better.

"So it ends up the same, IMO."

I disagree. Yes, after beating the Badgers I was hoping the week would end with a 5-1 Big 10 record. But if you would have told me before the week the Gophers were going to end up 4-2 after last week, I would have taken the exact scenario that occurred. In terms of a potential NCAA bid, the win over Wisconsin will help us a lot more than the loss to Northwestern will hurt us.

I also disagree using the "Gophers were flat" or "they had a letdown" excuse as a reason for the loss. I was at the game. They were not flat. Their energy level was just fine. If they were going to be flat, it would have shown in the first half. In fact, they played very well, jumped on Northwestern to the tune of a 9-point lead. Northwestern didn't beat the Gophers because the Gophers were still celebrating their win over Wisconsin. NW beat the Gophers because they outplayed us. There was no Wisconsin hangover whatsoever, not from what I saw. Northwestern deserves credit.

Evan Eschmeyer

was a heck of a Big Ten center when he got healthy. Saying he "wasn't very good" sells him way short.