Stadium Shootout - Louisville vs Minnesota game thread

[gophersfan]

a good start to the game 9-6 lead for Minnesota.

[PigAxeJug]

Yeah, im upset with the fouls but the D and Nolen's offense have been great.

[PigAxeJug]

Jwill has bad hands.....who knew :(

[Border Gopher]

Jwill has bad hands.....who knew :(

I was just going to post that, but didn't want to get too negative too early. :)

[gophersfan]

16-13 12:23 left in the first half.

[gophersfan]

Edited: it back on. 18-15 Minnesota.

[MinnesotaMadman]

The two calls on Westbrook were both questionable... taking our leading scorer out of the first half after only about 3 or 4 minutes.

Travis Busch should not be guarding Earl Clark. Busch is playing well offensively though.

And what's with some of these horrible camera angles. In the possession where Blake hit the three the ball was out of frame for half the possession.

[WolfontheProwl]

I am struggling to find the chat room would love to talk about this one its been a good first half so far.

[akgopher]

Louisville is tough. This is a big test to show how good our big question marks (post play- Sampson and Iverson) are as Frosh heading into the Big Ten. So far they are holding their own against two lottery picks.

[MinnesotaMadman]

FOUR MORE YEARS!

[gophersfan]

21-15 Minnesota. starting to open up the game. but can we keep it going.

[WolfontheProwl]

Busch is doing a great job hitting the open shot and hustling on defense. Terrific first half 7 points I wonder if the Gophers can wear down the Cardinals we have had so much rest the last 10 days.

[PigAxeJug]

yeah i can't find the chat, either.

[gophersfan]

is this the site you want with the chat room.
http://fromthebarn.org/

[gopherinchicago]

finally get the held ball call... that foul on iverson was crap

[sm10389]

anyone else disagree with a lot of these "fouls"?

[gopherinchicago]

some sketchy ones, but it's still only 7 fouls to 4 on them. not horrible. just who they were on (our big men) is the really frustrating part. still good teams overcome questionable foul calls

[PigAxeJug]

woot 24-17 7:17 to go in da have

[gophersfan]

24-17 Gophers. good game so far.

[WolfontheProwl]

Overall its been pretty fair but we have had a few head scratchers namely Iverson but they made up for that with a jump ball call that could have been called a reach in.

[MinnesotaMadman]

Nolen on Devoe on the floor at the same time. This could be interesting. It should help us break the press a little faster, hopefully.

I agree that some of our fouls have been questionable. The two on Westbrook hurt big time.

Nolen is unstoppable so far... keep it up Al.

[gophersfan]

9 point lead woohoo.

[gopherinchicago]

wow that finish by l'ville's t-will was pretty sweet

[WolfontheProwl]

This site has always had a chat room we used it during football season all the time. Usually you could get to it through the forum board and it was at the bottom of the page but cant find it now.

[gophersfan]

This site has always had a chat room we used it during football season all the time. Usually you could get to it through the forum board and it was at the bottom of the page but cant find it now.


that was on the old board. the board we on now does not have a chat room.

go here for the old site.
http://thehole84398.yuku.com/forum/view/id/2

the chat room is no more on the old board.

[gophersfan]

Louisvillw cut the lead to 4. 27-23 Minnesota.

[PigAxeJug]

Fouls have evened out 7-6. nice shot by DJ....31-26. make it 8-6.

[gopherinchicago]

yuck that was not a nice fast break for us

[MinnesotaMadman]

The pass from devoe to damian was telegraphed... can't miss two on one opportunities like that against good teams.

[Border Gopher]

yuck that was not a nice fast break for us

Too close to the hoop for a bounce pass, Devoe...

[WolfontheProwl]

2 fold problem tough bounce pass to handle by Johnson who didnt run wide enough on the break.

Al Nolen looks great today remember it wasnt long ago when people didnt think he would be able to play.

[gophersfan]

8 point lead under a minute to go.

[Border Gopher]

Uh, take the last shot maybe?

[gopherinchicago]

why didn't we reset our offense on ANY of those offensive boards? ugh.

[PigAxeJug]

Please take the last shot this time.

[Border Gopher]

Handed over some momentum there.

[MinnesotaMadman]

Good half... Horrible last possession

[gophersfan]

horrible last possession by Minnesota lead to a slam dunk. halftime.

[Gopher07]

I hope Tubby kicks their butts at halftime for that last minute of play.

[ShowinGoldyLove]

Don't know why he didn't have Hoff in there for that shot...Bostick takes an hour to get his shot off.

[akgopher]

I'm not impressed with Bostick so far. I was expecting a thick, athletic wing. Not a slow spot-up shooter. Busch deserves his minutes.

[WolfontheProwl]

I am not so sure what was so bad about the possession other than the result. Had a nice drive and kick to an open shooter. Bostick took to long to get off the shot and the defender made a terrific block. First time getting to see the Gophers other than the end of the Virginia game and I am pretty impressed by what I am seeing. Some things the team had to get better at as all teams do but with such a young team I have been impressed by the hustle, defensive play, and the all around play. The Gophers dont make a ton of silly mistakes that most young teams do. Al Nolen looks outstanding but I am wondering what you guys think about the supposed need for another point guard recruit. Tubby made it a priority to get another PG in this years recruiting class so we got Cobbs and I am not saying anything about him at all but was their a need? I cant imagine him getting any playing time with Nolen and Jospeh on the roster for the next couple of seasons. Just wondering what some of you guys think?

[Rex]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=283550135

Nolen 10, Johnson 8, Busch 8

[ShowinGoldyLove]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=283550135

Nolen 10, Johnson 8, Busch 8
Why does it have Paul Carter scoring 2 pts? He hasn't even played?

[PigAxeJug]

Yeah.....i consider being able to give your team a butt-whooping halftimespeech a big advantage....that dunk might have evened the playing field, as tubbies got something to rip into his boys about.

[Rex]

Let's try these stats.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/gamecenter/live/NCAAB_20081220_LOU@MN

ESPN also had CI with 3 fouls.....

[akgopher]

It's easy to see why Nolen flew under radar at Henry. His offensive game has a ways to go and he was there when the program started sliding. Man, If he had an outside shot and could finish....

[akgopher]

That shot of Ali needing to be fed and whipped was tasteless. The camera angles are Big Ten Network quality. Nice to have decent announcers for a change though.

[gophersfan]

now we starting to turn the ball over. wtf is going on now.

[gophersfan]

good job getting the foul on the 3 point shot. 3 FG coming now.

[WolfontheProwl]

Al Nolen reminds me of Eric Harris in many ways. Both came into college as defensive minded point guards who needed to work on offense and both showed quick improvement. I think Nolen has much more upside than Harris did because he is a little better athlete IMO.

[MinnesotaMadman]

Really sloppy start to the 2nd for both teams

[WolfontheProwl]

Busch in double figures he has been huge.

[MinnesotaMadman]

Foul... Foul... Foul... Foul... Foul...
Louisville is going to be in the bonus by the 15 minute mark.

[WolfontheProwl]

Could be a couple huge wins for the Big Ten today. Thats a big IF though.

[gophersfan]

10 point lead for Minnesota wow.

46-36

[WolfontheProwl]

Checks in a hits a 3 after about 15 seconds. That is not easy to do right off the bench. RSIII getting screwed on his blocks today.

[gophersfan]

Great Defense there for Minnesota. 48-37 Minnesota lead.

[Border Gopher]

You can tell Rick Pitino is frustrated. Look at his hair!

[WolfontheProwl]

Great team effort by the Gophers so far on both ends of the floor. The longer this game goes the better the Gophers should be.

[gophersfan]

timeout Louisville. 50-37 Minnesota lead. woohoo.

[mnballa2121]

Great game so far! Hopefully we keep this up!!

Nice to see Flip in the crowd!!

[WolfontheProwl]

Gophers need to continue to play the Defense that they have today and make the free throws they will be getting down the stretch to seal this game. We do need to protect the ball better we are getting a bit careless with who is getting the touches.

[WolfontheProwl]

Wow we need to shoot better from the line.

[Gopher07]

All these fouls are gonna kill us. We need to start playing smarter.

[WolfontheProwl]

Hoffarber is really big for this team. He seems to hit the shot when we need it the most. As bad as we have been playing the last 5 minutes yet we are still up double figures.

[MinnesotaMadman]

Bad homecoming for Westbrook.

We're lucky they are missing a large amount of their foul shots.

[31 Points]

Hoffarber Three Point Dagger..

[akgopher]

Blake is money. I think McHale wishes he could start Nolen even though he can't shoot or finish. Too bad Westbrook has to battle fouls. It would be nice to have him creating offense.

[Gopher07]

I won't feel good 'til the clock reads 0:00. C'mon Gophers!!

[akgopher]

Anyone notice the minutes Busch is getting today. I might get 22-25.

[MinnesotaMadman]

Hoff is also doing a great job handling the ball and helping Nolen get it up the court.

[WolfontheProwl]

I just dont understand what these officials are trying to do. They are calling so many fouls that you expect the whistle every play. Then you get Iverson underneath and gets hammered and no call. Let some of the touch fouls go and call the hard stuff. I am very pleased how the Gophers have stepped up to the Cards intensity.

[Border Gopher]

The refs must be from the Big Sky Conference.

[WolfontheProwl]

Samuals is no where close to an NBA player at this point. I have seen him play 4 games now and he cant handle the ball at all. In the NBA they will be picking his pocket all day.

[Gopher07]

Ahhhh clock, go faster!!

[MinnesotaMadman]

Momentum is swinging back to Louisville. We need to continue to play in control... And MAKE FREE THROWS!

[gophersfan]

down to a 5 point game. this is getting closer.

[Gopher07]

I'm gettin' nervous ... I can't help it, it's the Gopher fan in me.

[gopherinchicago]

argh! please stay aggressive offensively! and these freakin zebras are bad both ways! ah, college hoops, the drama, the passion, the coaching....they zebras watching a different game than the fans...

[31 Points]

Gotta be tough at the charity stripe guys.

[Gopher07]

For the love of all that is holy, hold on Gophers! MAKE PLAYS!

[gophersfan]

Minnesota lead 61-57. this is gonna go down to the wire.

[WolfontheProwl]

This has been the longest second half to watch. Their is no flow to the game and its just a march to the free throw line.

[gopherinchicago]

FREE THROWS!

[MinnesotaMadman]

Agree. The 2nd half of this game has been boring really. Too many whistles.

[Gopher07]

I feel sick, come on guys. Close it out.

[MinnesotaMadman]

No way.... what a horrible call. Busch did not foul him there. That was GREAT defense and a case where the nobody can't get the call going up against the NBA talent.

[ulfr]

that was the crap foul of the season

[gopherinchicago]

regardless of how this game turns out, win or lose, both teams have to agree these refs are at best overwhelmed by the athleticism of both teams and their intensity, and at worst, downright putrid. ugh. let's just hit our free throws!

[ulfr]

longest minute of the minnesota sports year

[Border Gopher]

Almost there!

[gopherinchicago]

that was a 10 second call on us they just missed... thankfully... wow

[MinnesotaMadman]

Just inbound the ball and make free throws...

[ulfr]

we haven't been ranked in how long?

[WolfontheProwl]

The Gophers schedule was well put together for a young team to improve their game and win at the same time. That has happened to this point and with a win today the Gophers set themselves up for a good Big Ten season. If we can beat this team no matter the situation I have no doubt we can beat any team in the Big Ten. Maybe not every night but their is no team this team cant beat.

[MinnesotaMadman]

YES! Way to go gophs!

[ulfr]

HUGE

[gophersfan]

the biggest win for Minnesota maybe in history. 70-64 upser of number 9 Louisville

[gopherguy05]

Big win. Expect to be ranked on Monday....

[Border Gopher]

the biggest win for Minnesota maybe in history. 70-64 upser of number 9 Louisville

Are you on drugs?

[gopherguy05]

the biggest win for Minnesota maybe in history. 70-64 upser of number 9 Louisville


In History?? If you think this was the biggest Gopher win in history you must be about 12.

It was a big win. Louisville didn't look great, but we took advantage.

Not even close to the biggest win ever though...

[Rex]

we haven't been ranked in how long?

not positive.... but I believe it was 12/02

[WolfontheProwl]

Lets continue to win and worry about that later. A ranking makes you a target for lesser teams lets be the team under the radar until the middle of January.

[akgopher]

Travis Busch= BMOC on Monday

[akgopher]

Wonder what the Kentucky boards will be saying

[Gopher737]

The three stars of the game for our 10-0 Gophers
#1 - Nolen ... Leadership, poise, great under pressure, confident and attacking style
#2 - Hoffbarger ... Clutch, stretched L'ville's D, dangerous from entire floor, suprisingly good D.
#3 - Johnson ... Outstanding D job on lottery pick Clark plus bonus points and rebounds
Honorable mention - Busch ... scrappy, energetic, key 10 point production.

Tubby has the guys playing great. Well done coach!

[Jim V2]

Al Nolen reminds me of Eric Harris in many ways. Both came into college as defensive minded point guards who needed to work on offense and both showed quick improvement. I think Nolen has much more upside than Harris did because he is a little better athlete IMO.


Interesting comparison. Harris was a really good defender--not b/c he got a lot of steals, but b/c he knew exactly where to position himself. Nolen isn't always in position, and is a bit more of a gambler, but he is quicker. That shows in steals, but also in rebounds--NOlen has a nose for the ball and gets there in a hurry.

Offensively, I think Nolen is quite a bit ahead of where Harris was as a soph. Nolen handles the ball better, and is a better shooter. But Harris' huge offensive growth came between his soph and jr year, when he showed up all of a sudden with a really good shot. So we'll see if Nolen can grow in the same way. I know others disagree, but I think Nolen is actually ,pretty good at getting to the basket--once again, his quickness pays off.

[Jim V2]

Wonder what the Kentucky boards will be saying

I haven't bothered to look, but pretty much everybody there hates Louisville, and only half of them don't like Tubby, so i'd guess they're half happy and half conflicted.

[Friend Of Tubby]

Wonder what the Kentucky boards will be saying

(They'll say) Tubby won with Monson's recruits.