DanielHouse
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Illinois’ first half shooting was about as cold as the weather outside Williams Arena during Wednesday night's matchup with the Gophers. The Fighting Illini shot just 5-for-26 from the floor to open the game. Things started to warm up in the second half as Minnesota’s 20-point lead dwindled to just four. However, the Gophers managed to fend off two late Fighting Illini runs to claim a 77-67 victory. Nate Mason led the Gophers with 17 points and six assists, while Jordan Murphy added 17 points and 17 rebounds to power Minnesota to their second Big Ten win.
The Gophers were showing excellent energy on defense to open the game. Reggie Lynch started the game with five points, five rebounds and five blocked shots. LeRon Black went to the bench with two fouls and the Gophers were in the bonus before Illinois scored their first points at the 15-minute mark. Minnesota was creating deflections and getting out on the run in transition. Bakary Konate and Reggie Lynch were active on defense, winning the battles down low. In one sequence, Konate had a steal, block, created a deflection and grabbed tough offensive board. Lynch was also fantastic in this game, blocking seven shots and playing disciplined on both ends. He looked engaged and when he is dialed in, teams can’t handle his physical presence around the rim.
The active defense allowed the Gophers to corral ten fast break points in the first half to extend their lead. This wasn’t the case in the second half, especially on the Gophers’ close-outs. They had zero fastbreak points in the second half and often forced poor shots. It allowed Illinois to hang around in a game the Gophers easily could have won by a wider margin. When the Illinois big-men were in foul trouble, going into a zone defense spelled trouble for the Gophers. However, Minnesota managed to overcome two late runs by Illinois with timely shooting, including a late corner three-pointer by Nate Mason to put the game on ice.
Mason was active on both ends in his return. He had three steals and drilled two quick threes to get the Gophers’ offense grooving. Mason was impressive, posting 17 points, six assists, three steals and just four turnovers. Jordan Murphy added another double-double, extending his streak to 16 games. He is now just one double-double shy of Tim Duncan’s NCAA record. Murphy was less efficient around the rim, but when he received the ball around the arch, he managed to set defenders up off the dribble. As the game progressed and he gained more confidence, Murphy was dominating around the rim.
It also was a strong night for Amir Coffey, who was getting out on the run and slashing teams in transition. He is attacking more and absorbing contact at the rim. Coffey scored 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting, helping the Gophers weather a few quick Illinois runs. This is definitely the strength of his game and it occurs when he is active on defensive end. His ability to not only get on the run and finish, but find his teammates makes him a very difficult matchup for opposing defenders. Minnesota was more active on the defensive end and displayed better overall ball movement during the first half. There was one moment in the game where Dupree McBrayer delivered a beautiful touch pass off a ball reversal to Amir Coffey for a three-pointer at the shot clock.
In the future, the Gophers will need to use their bench, especially as the games become even more challenging. Illinois’ bench outscored Minnesota’s 34-4 and the Gophers’ starting-five averaged 34 minutes. Minnesota used Bakary Konate for ten minutes, otherwise the three other bench players combined to play just 20 minutes. The increase in minutes for the starters was easy to see down the stretch, especially as they were missing free throws down the stretch.
The main flaw in this game was shot selection and less active second half defense. Poor shot selection by the Gophers allowed the Illini to go on a 7-0 run run to pull within 12 points. Illinois adjusted by running a zone to help defend inside, especially after LeRon Black went to the bench with foul trouble. The Gophers had to move the ball better and hit shots behind the arch to combat this adjustment. Minnesota wasn’t executing and Illinois started shooting the ball better in the second half. Teams will likely try play zone against the Gophers, especially after they watched Minnesota struggled to gain offensive identity.
Things started to get interesting in the final stages of the game. The Fighting Illini went on a 7-for-9 shooting stretch to pull within nine points with just over 12 minutes left. A three-pointer by Chester Frazier and an easy putback narrowed Minnesota’s 13-point halftime lead to just four points. Nate Mason drilled a difficult fadeaway three-pointer, helping the Gophers extend their lead back to eight. They never looked back and fought off an Illinois team that showed plenty of heart, overcoming an early 20-point deficit.
Post-game reaction:
The Gophers were showing excellent energy on defense to open the game. Reggie Lynch started the game with five points, five rebounds and five blocked shots. LeRon Black went to the bench with two fouls and the Gophers were in the bonus before Illinois scored their first points at the 15-minute mark. Minnesota was creating deflections and getting out on the run in transition. Bakary Konate and Reggie Lynch were active on defense, winning the battles down low. In one sequence, Konate had a steal, block, created a deflection and grabbed tough offensive board. Lynch was also fantastic in this game, blocking seven shots and playing disciplined on both ends. He looked engaged and when he is dialed in, teams can’t handle his physical presence around the rim.
The active defense allowed the Gophers to corral ten fast break points in the first half to extend their lead. This wasn’t the case in the second half, especially on the Gophers’ close-outs. They had zero fastbreak points in the second half and often forced poor shots. It allowed Illinois to hang around in a game the Gophers easily could have won by a wider margin. When the Illinois big-men were in foul trouble, going into a zone defense spelled trouble for the Gophers. However, Minnesota managed to overcome two late runs by Illinois with timely shooting, including a late corner three-pointer by Nate Mason to put the game on ice.
Mason was active on both ends in his return. He had three steals and drilled two quick threes to get the Gophers’ offense grooving. Mason was impressive, posting 17 points, six assists, three steals and just four turnovers. Jordan Murphy added another double-double, extending his streak to 16 games. He is now just one double-double shy of Tim Duncan’s NCAA record. Murphy was less efficient around the rim, but when he received the ball around the arch, he managed to set defenders up off the dribble. As the game progressed and he gained more confidence, Murphy was dominating around the rim.
It also was a strong night for Amir Coffey, who was getting out on the run and slashing teams in transition. He is attacking more and absorbing contact at the rim. Coffey scored 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting, helping the Gophers weather a few quick Illinois runs. This is definitely the strength of his game and it occurs when he is active on defensive end. His ability to not only get on the run and finish, but find his teammates makes him a very difficult matchup for opposing defenders. Minnesota was more active on the defensive end and displayed better overall ball movement during the first half. There was one moment in the game where Dupree McBrayer delivered a beautiful touch pass off a ball reversal to Amir Coffey for a three-pointer at the shot clock.
In the future, the Gophers will need to use their bench, especially as the games become even more challenging. Illinois’ bench outscored Minnesota’s 34-4 and the Gophers’ starting-five averaged 34 minutes. Minnesota used Bakary Konate for ten minutes, otherwise the three other bench players combined to play just 20 minutes. The increase in minutes for the starters was easy to see down the stretch, especially as they were missing free throws down the stretch.
The main flaw in this game was shot selection and less active second half defense. Poor shot selection by the Gophers allowed the Illini to go on a 7-0 run run to pull within 12 points. Illinois adjusted by running a zone to help defend inside, especially after LeRon Black went to the bench with foul trouble. The Gophers had to move the ball better and hit shots behind the arch to combat this adjustment. Minnesota wasn’t executing and Illinois started shooting the ball better in the second half. Teams will likely try play zone against the Gophers, especially after they watched Minnesota struggled to gain offensive identity.
Things started to get interesting in the final stages of the game. The Fighting Illini went on a 7-for-9 shooting stretch to pull within nine points with just over 12 minutes left. A three-pointer by Chester Frazier and an easy putback narrowed Minnesota’s 13-point halftime lead to just four points. Nate Mason drilled a difficult fadeaway three-pointer, helping the Gophers extend their lead back to eight. They never looked back and fought off an Illinois team that showed plenty of heart, overcoming an early 20-point deficit.
Post-game reaction: