Comments from Izzo, Tubby, Ralph Sampson and Austin Hollins on the Gophers loss..

Here are my unedited post-game press conference notes. Izzo gave Tubby all the credit....but the Gophers gave Izzo and MSU the win.

Ralph Sampson:
• We were up on the game all game, we just couldn't close it out. Things got a little out of control for us.
• We really wanted to get a good shot, draw a foul, or just get in position to score.
• In that situation, yes, you want to draw as much time off the clock as possible. You want to get the game over.
• As a senior you need to look at things differently, you have to look at the team you're leaving behind. The team that we have is young, still molding, still learning. The day you stop learning it marks your decline. This team is strong. This team is capable of doing good things.
• We've been on top the last few minutes of some games, and the teams have come back. We need to come up with a win.
• When asked - why weren't you able to close it out? "I don't have an answer right now. "

Austin Hollins:
• No team is just going to give up on you, every team is going to fight back.
• Fatigue just goes out the window when you're out there in the zone of the game. It was just a matter of playing D and executing on offense

Tom Izzo:
• We got outplayed most of the game. I look at our team, and the effort related things were there, they out drove us, out rebounded this. The only thing I will give my team credit for, is stealing this game. We sure did play undisciplined and sloppy. Those fouls on those 3's they were all fouls. I feel fortunate to win it, we won a game we didn't deserve to.
• We went away from Draymond, who was playing so well, and I blame myself for that.
• I hate to use energy as an excuse, because we practiced really well, but we didn't have it.
• We have Draymond, in the huddles, he's unbelievable. When you don't have that, I'm not saying the Gophers didn't have that - but they played their tail off. Their a little up and down because of youth. I feel like Sampson played better tonight. Anytime you come here, it's dangerous, and when you have more on the line. Tubby did a better job than I did getting them ready. The one thing we did well was not turning the ball over, that probably won us the game in the 2nd half. 5 is a season low for us.
• I will bet my life and job, that the Big 10 is better than it's been in a long time, top to bottom. I think we're good, but I don't think we're great. There are a lot of good teams in this league.

Tubby Smith:
• I thought our kids played hard, they always play hard, they don't always play as smart as they should . It's disappointing that we played so well for 30+ minutes. We go through droughts, lose our composure, and the turnovers. MSU has a lot of pride, they play with a lot of toughness, a lot of confidence. Draymond Green can get it done on the offensive and defensive end. When you have 11 turnovers in the half, I'm really disappointed we didn't take care of the ball better. Coming off the NU loss, where we had 21 turnovers, that's something we worked out. It takes the wind out of your sail. Our guys came out pumped up and ready to take it to MSU. We can't seem to find the person to get it done at the end of the game.
• Our guys just looked nervous, they looked panicked, MSU got more physical, aggressive. We folded under the pressure.
• On the call to tie the game - tough call to make. It's tough. You need to come out and be smarter, I have to look at it and see if it was a foul or not. Those are the type of plays the disappoint you.

Tubby did a good job preparing for this game, I thought he out coached Izzo tonight. They deserved to win.

@ jovs: Until the last 5 minutes when he stalled the offense. We haven't the versatility or a true go-to guy for this, and fell apart.
@ Nadine: Nice job. I really can't talk about this game. Hope you behaved yourself around Izzo.

I don't know whether he out-coached Izzo or not. I think the Gophers played equal to or better than MSU for much of the game, but didn't have a strategy to finish .

In that situation, yes, you want to draw as much time off the clock as possible. You want to get the game over.

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This quote by Ralph says a lot about Tubby Smith. Ralph is a guy that has been coached by Tubby his entire career. And what he said above is a perfect representation of how Tubby's Minnesota teams have played on offense at the end of games. Strategy: Hold on to the ball and hope the game ends before you lose the lead.

I don't think it is time for Tubby to go. I think it is time for Tubby to admit that his current staff can't properly coach on the offensive side of the ball, especially in the late game. How many time's have we seen what happened tonight? The team holds on to the ball for 25 seconds without trying to get shot. The final 10 seconds are spent trying to find a shot and the possession ends in a really poor shot attempt or a turnover. It has happened time and time again.

Tubby needs to go out and hire an assistant coach with a mind for offense. And it needs to happen soon. Tonight was an embarrassment both in execution and in coaching on the offensive side of the ball.

Heber said:

This quote by Ralph says a lot about Tubby Smith. Ralph is a guy that has been coached by Tubby his entire career. And what he said above is a perfect representation of how the Tubby's Minnesota teams have played on offense at the end of games. Strategy: Hold on to the ball and hope the game ends before you lose the lead.

I don't think it is time for Tubby to go. I think it is time for Tubby to admit that his current staff can't properly coach on the offensive side of the ball, especially in the late game. How many time's have we seen what happened tonight? The team holds on to the ball for 25 seconds without trying to get shot. The final 10 seconds are spent trying to find a shot and the possession ends in a really poor shot attempt or a turnover. It has happened time and time again.

Tubby needs to go out and hire an assistant coach with a mind for offense. And it needs to happen soon. Tonight was an embarrassment both in execution and in coaching on the offensive side of the ball.

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Nice analysis and conclusion.

Moonlight said:

@ jovs: Until the last 5 minutes when he stalled the offense. We haven't the versatility or a true go-to guy for this, and fell apart.
@ Nadine: Nice job. I really can't talk about this game. Hope you behaved yourself around Izzo.

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Honestly, I was so bummed I could hardly obsess over my favorite basketball coach.

Heber said:

This quote by Ralph says a lot about Tubby Smith. Ralph is a guy that has been coached by Tubby his entire career. And what he said above is a perfect representation of how Tubby's Minnesota teams have played on offense at the end of games. Strategy: Hold on to the ball and hope the game ends before you lose the lead.

This, was my biggest issue. I want to say from the 6 minute marker on, it was to just run the clock out, not to make plays and shoot the ball when there was a good shot. I believe there was a play where Welch was going to drive to the lane, and Tubby yelled at him...and that aggressive play was what was working for us all night. Let's be honest, when we have Tubby draw up a play, or try to run the 35 seconds out, we typically don't convert. Play to your strengths. I said that I put this one on Tubby, because the restraint he either coached, or couldn't coach them out of.

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I don't see it in your notes but I just heard a blurb on the radio where it sounded like Tubby was as close to accepting responsibility as I have ever heard him. Something along the lines of we haven't done a very good job of teaching them how to finish a game or something like that. Did I not hear that right? I was doing something else and the radio was just on in the background, that is why I came here for confirmation. Izzo puts the blame on himself for them going away from Draymond Green.
"We went away from Draymond, who was playing so well, and I blame myself for that. " and also says Tubby out-prepared him "Tubby did a better job than I did getting them ready. "

Where is Tubby putting the responsibility? "We go through droughts, lose our composure" & "Our guys just looked nervous, they looked panicked, MSU got more physical, aggressive. We folded under the pressure" & "You need to come out and be smarter,"

Minnesconsin fan said:

I don't see it in your notes but I just heard a blurb on the radio where it sounded like Tubby was as close to accepting responsibility as I have ever heard him. Something along the lines of we haven't done a very good job of teaching them how to finish a game or something like that. Did I not hear that right? I was doing something else and the radio was just on in the background, that is why I came here for confirmation. Izzo puts the blame on himself for them going away from Draymond Green.
"We went away from Draymond, who was playing so well, and I blame myself for that. " and also says Tubby out-prepared him "Tubby did a better job than I did getting them ready. "

Where is Tubby putting the responsibility? "We go through droughts, lose our composure" & "Our guys just looked nervous, they looked panicked, MSU got more physical, aggressive. We folded under the pressure" & "You need to come out and be smarter,"

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First he was a bad teacher- then they were bad students. He did both.

Moonlight said:

@ jovs: Until the last 5 minutes when he stalled the offense. We haven't the versatility or a true go-to guy for this, and fell apart.
@ Nadine: Nice job. I really can't talk about this game. Hope you behaved yourself around Izzo.

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I percieve that to mean only take good shots, if its early in the shot clock work the ball to get a better one, don't throw one up at the start of a posession. I can't argue with that, it is how it is implemented that becomes important.