Purdue @ Minnesota Game Thread

[gophersfan]

let get a win tonight boys.

[What Up Guy]

This is a game where we must defend our home floor. I am really rooting for Blake to get on track tonight.

Who draws the assignment of Hummel tonight, you have to think Damien as he is our best defender (along with Al).

[freshtrout]

That's the most likely matchup..Damien should be able to control Hummel tonight. But, and it's a big 'but' .. will we be able to slow down their running game? They tend to play uptempo like Mich St....Fingers crossed.

[Ski U Master]

Never mind, might not be on that stream.

[gophersfan]

Game about to start. woohoo.

[gophersfan]

We Underway at Williams Arena.

[gophersfan]

Horrible play by Sampson lead to a Purdue bucket.

[TheDinkytowner]

I hate espn360! They always start 5 minutes late!

[gophersfan]

Nolen nail a 3.

[gophersfan]

Purdue can't hit a free throw right now. miss all 4 of them so far.

[gophersfan]

Sloppy play by Minnesota so far.

[gophersfan]

13-8 Purdue so far.

[6Gophers]

I'm nervous. VERY nervous.

[Ski U Master]

Stream now running at http://www.justin.tv/jtvsportscast

[ncgo4]

When did Tubby bring Monson back to secretly coach the offense? Too many times down the court they run around passing from guard to guard and not going anywhere.

[fluffhead]

JAS has no business being on the floor.

[XMan]

The Purdue D is tough tonight. Tubby needs to counter with something different.

[thebarnsback]

Blake Hoffarber is getting his ass blazed. He should get off the court now.

[gophersfan]

How was that not a foul you ******* Refs.

[maliksealy]

this is not good at all...down 12 already

[maliksealy]

brian westbrook...not michael wesbrook brent!!!

[fluffhead]

We need a three or a big dunk. Who can step up?

[XMan]

Knight sure tells it like it is.

Musberger said something about the new football stadium and how it will make a big difference for the Gophers. Knight's response: What they need is a good offense and a good defense....that is what will make a big difference.

[maliksealy]

ohhhh...if only blake could've hit that....in and out...so frustrating

[GopherBob]

it'll get ugly. The Gophs look pretty out classed.....unless something dramatic happens, I see a 20pt loss. :(

[maliksealy]

if JAS can't find an open shot, he's a huge liability out there

[MRJ]

We just can't get any open shots and now we're trying to force everything on offense.

Knight is right on. The guys need to take their time, get a good shot and then take advantage.

[akgopher]

1. Michigan State
2. Purdue
3. The real Big Ten race

[MRJ]

And by the way, Purdue missing a few shots might help out a little bit too!!:p

[fluffhead]

I like the lineup right now. Now, can Tubby stay with this?

[MRJ]

That last sequence was really nice offense by the Boilermakers

[gophersfan]

Purdue got away with traveling.

[MRJ]

We're still playing pretty dumb basketball on the offensive end too. Need to be more confident with the ball, work off screens and set something up rather than being in such a hurry all the time!!!

[MRJ]

Purdue is also making what seems like every big play so far!!!:mad:

Do these guys ever miss a big three???

[akgopher]

Knight is a fabulous color guy. No Spence or that Northwestern guy, but nonetheless a superstar color commentator. Musberger has lost a step or two. He peaked in 1986.

[Slim Tubby]

I can't see how we possibly can win this game. Their guards are driving at will and we continue to have no "go to" guy. I fear this could get ugly....

[akgopher]

Was that Brian Cardinal behind the Purdue bench?

[XMan]

They are sure getting better shots than we are. We need to tighten up the D. It would be nice to get it under 6 prior to the half.

[maliksealy]

good way to finish off the half...terrible first 15 minutes

[fluffhead]

Down by 7 at half is not bad.

[MRJ]

The second half better be A LOT more composed than the first half was....Purdue's got some players, but they are beatable.

We just have to make sure that we buckle and play tighter on defense and more measured on offense.

[akgopher]

Tubby's pretty calm. We could easily be down 15. Down only 7 is huge. Purdue might be sorry it didn't put us away.

[XMan]

12 turnovers

[MRJ]

The fact that we are only down seven with 12 turnovers says a lot. One thing I did like was that we drew a lot of fouls in the first half, that was god to see.:)

But the guys are playing like the young team they are. Need to mature a little bit during the halftime intermission..

[kindofgreen]

That's for sure. When you fight through a terrible half like that at home, good things happen...

[fluffhead]

Purdue is just as young from what I remember.

[MRJ]

The advantage Purdue's guys seem to have is that while they are young, the core group has played together longer, that being Moore, Johnson, Hummel and Kramer as opposed to some of our core guys like Joseph, Sampson, Carter, Bostick and Iverson.

Age wise, yeah, we're probably about the same. But Purdue's guys are playing like they're a bit more seasoned and know each other a little better.

[TheDinkytowner]

First, I always think it's awesome when they say "welcome to historic williams arena" What do they say for Becky? "Welcome to historically boring and generic Kohl Center!"

Best part of the half was when they had to bleep out Knight's swearing 3 or 4 times when he was showing how he used to jump onto the elevated court as a coach.

[fluffhead]

I hear you. Maybe it's because they don't go 12-deep.

[fluffhead]

I was thinking it would have been tough for Bobby to throw a chair with our benches.

[akgopher]

ralph

[fluffhead]

Sampson is the only guy playing right now. He has come a far way.

[MRJ]

If their post players keep hitting 18-footers, it isn't going to matter how well we play I'm afraid :mad:

[akgopher]

when did a better athlete than DJ play here?

[akgopher]

we might not see any Nolen=Best PG in Big 10 threads for a while

[TheDinkytowner]

I was thinking it would have been tough for Bobby to throw a chair with our benches.

He would have had the tiny chair the coaches get. Did Knight always sit down with his players at the Barn instead of sitting on the court?? I guess I don't really remember, but that's what he made it sound like.

[MRJ]

Moore and is having a field day with us out there!!!:mad:

[fluffhead]

All right. All right. 5 point game.

[MRJ]

I'm starting to think this is going to be pretty tight the rest of the way....

[MRJ]

Boy, Blake is really struggling in every facet right now. Can't handle, can't play defense, can't hit a shot...that's an awful lot of "can'ts"

[fluffhead]

Purdue is at Wisco next. We need this one bad.

[MRJ]

we can't make a big play on offense to save our life!!!!!!:mad::mad:

[MRJ]

That was awful on both ends of the floor!!!! These guys panic everytime Purdue scores, go down and jack up a stupid jumpshot and allow them to run the clock.

And now Purdue can't miss a shot again....STOP FREAKING OUT AND PLAY SOME DISCIPLINED OFFENSE!!!!!

[fluffhead]

How about some full court press?

[6Gophers]

Could it be that all of these namesayers who spout off about the Gophers win/loss record being overflated, be correct?

[MRJ]

We can't shoot the ball at all....We can't even hit open looks right now....this is starting to look like the Michigan State game all over again.....

[gopherncostarica]

not one play can go our way. this sucks

[GopherBob]

Good lord. Purdue is eating us up inside and nobody on our end is even attempting to drive... sad.

[MRJ]

have they missed a three all night long??? It sure doesn't seem like it....

[GopherBob]

it appears that the naysayers were right...... this is a borderline tourney team right now, and looks like will be jockeying for fourth in the Big Ten behind MSU, Purdue, and Illinois.

[gopherncostarica]

well we are going to most likely lose this game, but this is still a young team with talented players but what i think is that all were missing is a playmaker hopefuly rodney williams.

[MRJ]

What happens tonight, doesn't really matter in the grand scheme anyway. Purdue, at least according to some of their fans, thinks they can win out and win the Big Ten.

This season has never been about this season alone for us (and unfortunately, we're playing like it right now :p) But its disheartening that when faced with any kind of deficit against a quality team, these guys have shown the tendency to panic.

[gophersfan]

huh that not a foul Bob Knight.

I am talking about Knight saying a foul should have been call on Minnesota, before Purdue foul.

[MRJ]

I must admit, I laughed when Knight took off his headset and got on the officials for a traveling call. That was hilarious lol!!!:D

[cncmin]

huh that not a foul Bob Knight.

I am talking about Knight saying a foul should have been call on Minnesota, before Purdue foul.

Correct, that was nothing but incidental contact on DJ, not sure how Grant got hurt but it seemed he jammed his shoulder when he put up his elbow to block out DJ. That said, it seems that the refs have been slightly in our favor tonight, while not being all that great all around...yet we're still down by 10 anyway. Ugh.

[MRJ]

Wow, Carter almost broke the backboard by bricking a layup!!!

[MRJ]

Are the Gophers trying to tease us by keeping this thing at least mildly respectable with just under five minutes to go??? hmmmm............

[akgopher]

Carter should stick to dunks. Where is Bostick, has he played?

[akgopher]

why is hoffarber still logging 20 mins while he's ice cold?

[MRJ]

are you kidding me!!!! 29 percent!! 29!!!!! Downright awful offensive effort for the second consecutive game.....

[UofM Fan]

Is it me or has Nolen turned into a Black Hole this game? I love his penetration but he has forced far to many shots and it causes the rest of team to stand and watch.

[MRJ]

I'm with Ak,

Hoff has been absolutely dreadful tonight in every capacity. Sorry, but Blake needs a mental adjustment....

[MRJ]

holy cow,

Georgetown just got blasted as well!!!!:eek:

[nasa35]

Watch out, don't be critical of nolen....moonlight but bust a cork in his head.

Either way, relax, we're still on the right track....we are going to be making noise every year. If we win 20-22 games and make the tournament, the season is a huge success IMO.

[MRJ]

Overall,

These guys need to learn not to play into the other team's hands when something goes wrong. Against Northwestern, they didn't play with enough urgency. Tonight, they were so hyper to get things done on offense, they looked almost as bad playing the exact opposite style.

Need to find a happy medium, otherwise, there won't be too many happy Gopher fans the rest of the year...

[akgopher]

I'm with Ak,

Hoff has been absolutely dreadful tonight in every capacity. Sorry, but Blake needs a mental adjustment....

You better be careful, you're criticizing a local kid from the west metro.

[6Gophers]

Don't get me wrong as I still love my Gophers, but the excitement is gone for me. Hopefully it'll be back.

[UofM Fan]

This is unbelievable how bad we are shooting. Purdue is a great defensive team and we are not taking the easiest shots, but this is unbelievable. 27.5% FROM THE FIELD!! and we still are not out of it!

[Maximus]

I'm with Ak,

Hoff has been absolutely dreadful tonight in every capacity. Sorry, but Blake needs a mental adjustment....

He's 2 for his last 21 from three

[akgopher]

I foresee the term bubble being mentioned frequently in the near future.

[MRJ]

I think part of the problem with Hoff is that he's not letting it go. He's dwelling on every missed shot and now, its affecting his overall game.

[gophersfan]

6 point game.

[MRJ]

bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble.....Okay, I think I've made the point!!!!:p;)

[nasa35]

Do any of you remember the last 7 years????

We'll be fine.....in fact, we'll be great.

[MRJ]

Nasa,

I don't think anyone disputes that we'll be very good in about a year or two. It's just frustrating for the short term....But, as you said, this year has always been about building for the future.

[Gopher]

..if I was a betting man, my money would be on th NIT. After a 16-1 start, that would NOT be good for the program. The next game, at Indiana, will tell the tale. A win, then there is still a chance. A loss, to go to 4-4, would send the team into a tailspin, in my opinion.

[akgopher]

Do any of you remember the last 7 years????

We'll be fine.....in fact, we'll be great.

Based on your expectations that I take it that you are a Wild fan.

[Maximus]

Don't get me wrong as I still love my Gophers, but the excitement is gone for me. Hopefully it'll be back.

Bring back Monson?

[akgopher]

The top 20, make it the top 25 was fun while it lasted.

[MRJ]

Bring back Monson?


NOOOOOOOO!!!! :D

[Gopher]

This year's team is about as good as Monson's best team, the one that went 9-7 in conference and made the NIT. We have been in a rebuilding mode for 9 seasons now. At least it's not 40 years like the football program. Thanks Clem, piece of garbage. I'm still not sold on this roster of players getting over the hump. All the credit to Tubby for getting ANYTHING out of this bunch.

[6Gophers]

Bring back Monson?

Good God NO!

[Gopher4Life]

What's the problem, homers? We had the home court advantage plus a deeper roster, but they had quicker starters and a good coach. Reminded me of the Michigan State loss.

[6Gophers]

Against NW, I placed the blame on Tubby as I didn't feel he had the players ready, but he had to have them ready for a nationally televised game against another ranked team...correct? Are we perhaps not as good as we think/thought we are? I don't know what's going on with this team.

[nasa35]

Based on your expectations that I take it that you are a Wild fan.

ouch!!!! yES, i like the wild.....but i love my gohpers!

[Gopher4Life]

>>Are we perhaps not as good as we think...<<

Are you just now figuring that out? Seriously? It's difficult to lose three senior starters and depend on so much youth and inexperience.

[akgopher]

>>Are we perhaps not as good as we think...<<

Are you just now figuring that out? Seriously? It's difficult to lose three senior starters and depend on so much youth and inexperience.

The 3 seniors, do you mean Spencer, LMAC, and Coleman? Spence gets Williams minutes on this team, DJ replaced Coleman and DC couldn't carry Johnson's jock on his best day, Tubby phased LMAC out last year. Those three seniors....

[Maximus]

Some of you are astounding. Two seasons removed from a 9 win season.....five newcomers playing a lot....two true freshmen in the post. Would you have taken 16-3 and 4-3 in the Big Ten at the start of the season?

PURDUE IS BETTER THAN MINNESOTA!!! MICHIGAN STATE IS FAR BETTER THAN MINNESOTA!!

Minnesota '09-10 will be FAR BETTER than Minnesota '08-09