It was obvious what our best lineup was tonight

[Sour1729]

Nolen, Westbrook, Hoffarber, Johnson, and Iverson.

That may change as Williams and Carter filter back in but against Virginia those 5 looked awfully good.

[GortonsFisherman011]

Completely agree with you there.

[anticallihan]

We were fine whenever Nolen was in.

Take him out... it kinda fell apart to some degree.

[kindofgreen]

I agree, our best lineup tonight was when Nolen was in. He handles with confidence and is just so darn quick on both ends of the court. He and Westbrook play nice defense together, too. But I think our best lineup has yet to be seen. Not to take anything away from DJ -- he is one of our favorite players but if one of the new guys at the 3-4 can play above the rim, take it to the hole, make shots on offense, now that takes the team to a whole new level.

[tjgopher]

Not to take anything away from DJ -- he is one of our favorite players but if one of the new guys at the 3-4 can play above the rim, take it to the hole, make shots on offense, now that takes the team to a whole new level.

Boy, I disagree with this. This team is better with Damian on the floor. We do not win the game tonight if he isn't on the floor. He does it all. His stats for the last two games:

17 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 7 steals, 6 block shots. That's sick.

[MNSnowman]

Nolen, Westbrook, Hoffarber, Johnson, and Iverson. I was thinking the same thing ... and taking a lot of pleasure when realizing that none of the five are seniors.

[NateDawgUM]

It seems that Iverson and Sampson are flip flopping who is more impressive game by game, so I wouldn't put Iverson in stone as our best option at the 5. I like the idea of keeping Iverson in the starting line-up, but if he's having an off night and Sampson is looking strong, the change needs to be made.

I also wish Tubby would quit playing the "B" team. He did this last year early in the season as well. Every player in the "second wave" is a valuable member of this team, but I see no point in putting them all out there at the same time.

Either Nolen, Westbrook or Johnson should be on the floor at all times, if at all possible.

[SelectionSunday]

"Either Nolen, Westbrook or Johnson should be on the floor at all times, if at all possible."

Agree with that. Joseph is coming along nicely, but it was very evident last night when Nolen was not on the floor that the offense became more stagnant. Westbrook is a gamer & Johnson simply is the Gophers' most versatile player, does a little bit of everything. He doesn't have to score to impact the game.

[freshtrout]

The "B Squad" let Virginia back into the game consistently... It may be time to run only one or two players into the game, not the 5 for 5 exchange. Also, Jamal has trouble keeping up with athletic players like Virginia has....he was exposed a bit last night. Clearly the top 5 are now known. Iverson is way above my expectations, he is not afraid of the banging required down low. Nice moves (again) last night. He also can dribble the ball, when was the last time we had a freshman center who can handle/pass/catch the ball as he can? If Tubby wasn't here, I'm afraid Iverson would have been playing for Billy Donovan last night.....

[From the Barn]

I'm happy as long as Travis and Jamal don't see the court at the same time.

[XMan]

During the game, just toward the end of the first half, I was thinking what a difference it is to have Johnson back in the line up. He really makes a difference.

Then in the second half, it was really evident how much better the team played with Nolan on the court. These two are really solid.

[borninthebarn]

This team lives and dies by defense. That is Bostick's biggest issue right now. There were a couple of times on pick-n-rolls that he simply didn't defend very well and gave VA an open shot. Abu-Shamala struggles because he doesn't have Johnson or Nolen's quickness. Busch largely makes up for anything he lacks with all-out effort though. I disagree with anyone saying he should not see the floor.

We are a go-to guy on offense short of having an NCAA team.

[jmag21]

Totally agree. I'd like it if Tubby were to go to a more staggered substitution schedule. When he brought in the B team and left them in, the offense went absolutely dead. The biggest problem I have with the B Team is that nobody looks to create their own shot. Devoe could, and has, but it looks like he's trying very hard to be a point guard and not make mistakes. Devron unfortunately looks a step slow. Busch tries, but he's not the guy I want taking 20 foot turnarounds. And Ralph did not look good last night. I'd rather have at least one guy in there who can get to the basket, or can be relied on to get a good shot off.

[Maximus]

Nolen, Westbrook, Hoffarber, Johnson, and Iverson.

That may change as Williams and Carter filter back in but against Virginia those 5 looked awfully good.


Let JAS play all 120 minutes in the next three home games and then let him sit next to Payton for the rest of the year. I think he's still in the process of getting that shot off he started in the first half.

[Friend Of Tubby]

OOC games are best when everybody plays. So far 11 Gophers are averaging 10+ minutes. You never know when #12 or #13 might be needed down the road.

[watertown 1987 guy n]

Iverson is more polished than Sampson at this point though each has their strength. Last night Samson totally changed the look of the goofs defense at times through his shot blocking.

Iverson is just down right impressive playing the way he plays and as a freshman. I'm sure there are some that would disagree but I think he is probably the most important player on the team - he has done an outstanding job of nuetralizing the other teams bigs while adding double digit points and snagging rebounds the last few games - he also did it last night with his first foul in the second half. I don't think Williams will be able to do all that when he comes back and Samson needs another 25 pounds to successfully bang with the big boys. Without Iverson, big ten teams with bulk would destroy us.

[Gopher4Life]

>>Nolen, Westbrook, Hoffarber, Johnson, and Iverson.<<

If that was our best lineup, does it mean that we really haven't improved ourselves over last season? I recall a lot of us suggesting last Feb/March that we needed to upgrade our starting five at every position in order to move up in the conference and on the national scene. Did that happen...or anything close?

[NateDawgUM]

>>Nolen, Westbrook, Hoffarber, Johnson, and Iverson.<<

If that was our best lineup, does it mean that we really haven't improved ourselves over last season? I recall a lot of us suggesting last Feb/March that we needed to upgrade our starting five at every position in order to move up in the conference and on the national scene. Did that happen...or anything close?

All 4 of the returners look improved and Iverson is already better than Spencer Tollackson. He can rebound AND hit free throws!

Your point?

[From the Barn]

I think G4L, and understandably so, was pointing that out that too many of us, myself included, forgot that players can actually improve under decent coaches.

[ShowinGoldyLove]

>>Nolen, Westbrook, Hoffarber, Johnson, and Iverson.<<

If that was our best lineup, does it mean that we really haven't improved ourselves over last season?
One year of experience is a world of difference in collegiate basketball.