Donnellyu: The Shot Clock from the Gophers first-round victory

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Welcome back to the Shot Clock -- 24 smoking-hot takes and trenchant observations from the Gophers' 80-68 victory over Rutgers in the 11-vs.-14 game of the Big Ten Tournament.

24 - He might only be a freshman, but is there a more calming influence on the Gophers than Nate Mason? The kid point guard had a slick, efficient night, scoring 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Most of his damage came on drives to the hoop -- in fact, all three of his misses were 3-point shots. He added three steals, two assists and just one turnover in 32 minutes.

23 - Mason also displayed a trait common among elite point guards. In the first half, he deferred, held back and let the game come to him. But in the second half, when the Gophers saw a chance to put the hammer down, Mason began exploiting the Rutgers defense. He drove to the basket, shot pull-ups, got to the line -- basically, he scored when the opportunity presented itself, rather than trying to force it early. For a freshman, he has a remarkable sense of the game.
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http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Donnelly_The_Shot_Clock_from_the_Gophers_firstround_victory031115
 

Nate impresses me with his feel for the game and his decision making. And I think he's the most reliable ball handler on the team.
 

I think we got a good one in Nate. He is a very smart kid on and off the court.

I'm hoping the sophomore slump does not happen.
 

Gopherbbdude said:
I think we got a good one in Nate. He is a very smart kid on and off the court.

I'm hoping the sophomore slump does not happen.
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Statistically I'm not sure anyone has a sophomore slump. Just they don't live up to the heightened expectations.
 

Looking back at Nate's stat-lines in high school(or what i remember them being) and how he has played this year, he's a confidence kid. When he feels his shot is falling he is ultra aggressive (last night midway through 2nd half he looked like he wanted to shoot or go to the hole with every touch, completely ignored Joey King on a pick n pop on his spin move to the hole), and in situations where he isn't "feeling it" he "lets the game come to him". Fantastic trait in a PG, however, I don't think he's our "PG" of the future. I hope next year he feels more the role of scorer and decides that this is his team and he gets to shoot when he wants to. He's going to get PG touches for sure, but I'd like to see him be much more assertive than he was this year. Those 5 minutes where he was taking it to them was fantastic play by a true Freshman.
 


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