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House’s Report: Gophers fall 81-72 to Middle Tennessee State in the NCAA Tournament
The Minnesota Golden Gophers were stifled by the 1-3-1 zone defense of the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Raiders cruised past the Golden Gophers, 81-72, on the heels of an impressive 19-point performance by Reggie Upshaw. Minnesota was dominated in nearly every phase of the game after opening on a 7-0 run. The Gophers ended their season with a 24-10 record, after finishing the previous season 8-23.
The Rundown
Minnesota came out with a ton of energy on both ends of the court. The Gophers started the game on a 7-0 run, sparked by an Amir Coffey three-pointer and a Reggie Lynch finish in traffic. On the defensive end, Reggie Lynch blocked a shot and Jordan Murphy secured a tough rebound. After the quick start, Minnesota went into sleep mode. The Gophers were smothering MTSU on defense, but went on an 0-for-5 scoring drought over 3:13. The Blue Raiders started the game shooting just 3-for-15. Minnesota couldn’t capitalize and it hurt them when Middle Tennessee’s shooting came to life.
Middle Tennessee State grabbed an 18-14 lead, but Minnesota quickly answered with an Eric Curry jumper and two free throws by Amir Coffey, knotting the game at 18. MTSU would go up by as many as four points, but a tough fadeaway jumper in traffic by Jordan Murphy drew an and-one. Minnesota pulled within two points at the 3:40 mark of the first half.
Nate Mason and Dupree McBrayer combined to shoot just 1-for-10 in the first half. Mason was blanked in the scoring column and it hurt the Minnesota offense. The Blue Raiders hit six consecutive shots and led by six with under three minutes to play in the first half. Minnesota missed seven straight three pointers until Dupree McBrayer drilled a corner three-pointer to trim Middle Tennessee’s lead to 37-31 at the break.
The Blue Raiders would extend their lead to 10 points with 17 minutes left as Ed Simpson drained a three-pointer. Nate Mason managed to score his first points of the game with 16:17 left, but it was too late. The Gophers trailed by 14 points with 15 minutes to play and never led again. Minnesota made one last run as Dupree McBrayer and Amir Coffey drilled tough finishes at the rim. The Gophers were within seven points after an 11-2 run with 7:19 left. An Eric Curry and-one brought the Gophers within four points, but Reggie Upshaw answered with a three-pointer. Nonetheless, Minnesota allowed Upshaw to go on a 6-point streak of his own to pull the Blue Raiders ahead for good. They rolled to an 81-72 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Rebounding battle
The Gophers were getting outrebounded 22-11 at the break and the loss of Reggie Lynch early in the game drastically hurt Minnesota’s rebounding. In addition, the Gophers shot the ball just 38% in the first 20 minutes. They missed a plethora of wide-open shots and received limited guard play. Dupree McBrayer and Nate Mason combined to shoot 1-for-10 from the floor in the first half. This is something the Gophers couldn’t afford with Akeem Springs out. Minnesota had open looks after rotations against the MTSU 1-3-1. However, they couldn’t hit the shots. The Gophers were just 6-for-21 from behind the arch and missed Springs’ three-point spark. In addition, MTSU’s 1-3-1 zone left only one defender down low and Minnesota’s guards needed to attack and find shots under the hoop. They did this a few times, but left potential opportunities out there. They couldn’t seem to get to the middle and dish to big-men down low. More importantly, the Blue Raiders controlled the glass 37-24 and it allowed them to dictate almost every aspect of the game.
Nate Mason struggled to play defense and couldn’t move laterally to keep the offensive play in front of them. Mason injured his hip in the second half and it impacted his defensive ability even more. He also had just 5 points on 2-for-10 shooting. This type of offensive output from a point guard is hard for any team to overcome.
Lynch picks up two quick fouls
Reggie Lynch picked up two quick fouls and went to the bench near the midway point of the first half. This drastically impacted Minnesota’s rebounding and changed the game plan for the Gophers. They couldn’t pound the ball down low and control the paint on both ends. Minnesota struggled defensively without him on the floor and Middle Tennessee State shot 50% in the first 20 minutes. There was limited weakside rotation when Lynch left the game and it caused the Gophers to over pursue shooters. Minnesota also had trouble defending screens and communicating on defense. Everything they were doing on defense appeared to be out of sync. They had trouble communicating and getting through screens to defend the perimeter. In addition, defensive rotations were slow in every way.
Ball movement
The Middle Tennessee State defense was superb throughout the game. They caused headaches with the 1-3-1 zone they deployed. Minnesota couldn’t move the basketball and it caused their offense to go stagnant. They couldn’t hit enough threes to exploit the zone defense either. They appeared to be confused during many possessions and simply had no answer for the Blue Raiders’ smothering defensive style. During a 6-0 run in the middle of the second half, the Gophers spaced the floor more and attacked off the dribble. They found a way to combat the the MTSU defense, but it was too late.
What’s Next?
The Gophers end the season with a 24-10 overall record and will return every starter on their roster, aside from Akeem Springs. They head into the offseason looking to improve overall guard depth as they build upon the core of young players they established.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers were stifled by the 1-3-1 zone defense of the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Raiders cruised past the Golden Gophers, 81-72, on the heels of an impressive 19-point performance by Reggie Upshaw. Minnesota was dominated in nearly every phase of the game after opening on a 7-0 run. The Gophers ended their season with a 24-10 record, after finishing the previous season 8-23.
The Rundown
Minnesota came out with a ton of energy on both ends of the court. The Gophers started the game on a 7-0 run, sparked by an Amir Coffey three-pointer and a Reggie Lynch finish in traffic. On the defensive end, Reggie Lynch blocked a shot and Jordan Murphy secured a tough rebound. After the quick start, Minnesota went into sleep mode. The Gophers were smothering MTSU on defense, but went on an 0-for-5 scoring drought over 3:13. The Blue Raiders started the game shooting just 3-for-15. Minnesota couldn’t capitalize and it hurt them when Middle Tennessee’s shooting came to life.
Middle Tennessee State grabbed an 18-14 lead, but Minnesota quickly answered with an Eric Curry jumper and two free throws by Amir Coffey, knotting the game at 18. MTSU would go up by as many as four points, but a tough fadeaway jumper in traffic by Jordan Murphy drew an and-one. Minnesota pulled within two points at the 3:40 mark of the first half.
Nate Mason and Dupree McBrayer combined to shoot just 1-for-10 in the first half. Mason was blanked in the scoring column and it hurt the Minnesota offense. The Blue Raiders hit six consecutive shots and led by six with under three minutes to play in the first half. Minnesota missed seven straight three pointers until Dupree McBrayer drilled a corner three-pointer to trim Middle Tennessee’s lead to 37-31 at the break.
The Blue Raiders would extend their lead to 10 points with 17 minutes left as Ed Simpson drained a three-pointer. Nate Mason managed to score his first points of the game with 16:17 left, but it was too late. The Gophers trailed by 14 points with 15 minutes to play and never led again. Minnesota made one last run as Dupree McBrayer and Amir Coffey drilled tough finishes at the rim. The Gophers were within seven points after an 11-2 run with 7:19 left. An Eric Curry and-one brought the Gophers within four points, but Reggie Upshaw answered with a three-pointer. Nonetheless, Minnesota allowed Upshaw to go on a 6-point streak of his own to pull the Blue Raiders ahead for good. They rolled to an 81-72 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Rebounding battle
The Gophers were getting outrebounded 22-11 at the break and the loss of Reggie Lynch early in the game drastically hurt Minnesota’s rebounding. In addition, the Gophers shot the ball just 38% in the first 20 minutes. They missed a plethora of wide-open shots and received limited guard play. Dupree McBrayer and Nate Mason combined to shoot 1-for-10 from the floor in the first half. This is something the Gophers couldn’t afford with Akeem Springs out. Minnesota had open looks after rotations against the MTSU 1-3-1. However, they couldn’t hit the shots. The Gophers were just 6-for-21 from behind the arch and missed Springs’ three-point spark. In addition, MTSU’s 1-3-1 zone left only one defender down low and Minnesota’s guards needed to attack and find shots under the hoop. They did this a few times, but left potential opportunities out there. They couldn’t seem to get to the middle and dish to big-men down low. More importantly, the Blue Raiders controlled the glass 37-24 and it allowed them to dictate almost every aspect of the game.
Nate Mason struggled to play defense and couldn’t move laterally to keep the offensive play in front of them. Mason injured his hip in the second half and it impacted his defensive ability even more. He also had just 5 points on 2-for-10 shooting. This type of offensive output from a point guard is hard for any team to overcome.
Lynch picks up two quick fouls
Reggie Lynch picked up two quick fouls and went to the bench near the midway point of the first half. This drastically impacted Minnesota’s rebounding and changed the game plan for the Gophers. They couldn’t pound the ball down low and control the paint on both ends. Minnesota struggled defensively without him on the floor and Middle Tennessee State shot 50% in the first 20 minutes. There was limited weakside rotation when Lynch left the game and it caused the Gophers to over pursue shooters. Minnesota also had trouble defending screens and communicating on defense. Everything they were doing on defense appeared to be out of sync. They had trouble communicating and getting through screens to defend the perimeter. In addition, defensive rotations were slow in every way.
Ball movement
The Middle Tennessee State defense was superb throughout the game. They caused headaches with the 1-3-1 zone they deployed. Minnesota couldn’t move the basketball and it caused their offense to go stagnant. They couldn’t hit enough threes to exploit the zone defense either. They appeared to be confused during many possessions and simply had no answer for the Blue Raiders’ smothering defensive style. During a 6-0 run in the middle of the second half, the Gophers spaced the floor more and attacked off the dribble. They found a way to combat the the MTSU defense, but it was too late.
What’s Next?
The Gophers end the season with a 24-10 overall record and will return every starter on their roster, aside from Akeem Springs. They head into the offseason looking to improve overall guard depth as they build upon the core of young players they established.
