More bummed than I should be about this game. I didn't expect the Gophers to win today at tip off, but watching the game it sure felt like a game the
Gophers win ~7 out of 10 or so, but found a way to lose. There weren't too many parallel's to last year, but Seniors making mistakes in key situations was one.
First Half: The easy buckets in transition that were missed by Buggs and Murphy (Murphy dropped the pass) loomed large. Those four of the easiest points we were going to get all day, and Temple didn't blow a single similar opportunity all game.
Second Half: Not one, not two, but THREE possessions ended with the Gophers stepping on the sideline! This was a similarity to recent Gopher teams who seem to lead the nation in completely unforced turnovers. Gophers had a couple terrible breaks too including a horrific foul call on Murphy on a loose ball and an airball 3 by Temple which lead to Konate's 4th foul.
Worst play of the game: It's been mentioned in this thread already, but King passing up of the open 3 to try a wild "draw the foul" shot was absolutely brutal. Gophers were up 6 at this point and the King decision there lead to a transition 3 the other way. That's a 6 point swing and the Gophers never regained momentum. It would be so much easier to take this loss if it was like McBrayer or Dorsey making that mistake and not a Senior.
Player Notes:
Charles Buggs! Buggs played his best game as a Gopher in my mind, and I felt that way before he had even scored a bucket. He was rebounding more effectively than I ever remember and playing some very solid defense both on and off the ball. If this version of Buggs can continue to show up, that's a legit reason for hope of a better than expected conference finish.
Bakary Konate: Another major bright spot today. Rebounded, blocked shots, and ran the floor. His hands were inconsistent (dropped a nice pass in the first half, caught the one in the second half), but he looked much more comfortable with the ball in his hands. That little righty half hook will be a nice weapon for him, and he's got a nice stroke from the line as well. If Buggs didn't play so well, Konate would have been my pleasant surprise of the day.
Nate Mason: Kept the Gophers in striking distance with his offense in the first half. Seems a little quicker than last year as well as tighter with his handle. He was the Gophers best player today.
Dupree McBrayer: Love the potential of this kid. He came in and had an impact on the defensive end today and his drive and pass to Konate was the type of individual offensive creativity that this team has lacked for a long time. It's a really good sign that even though he's struggled at his strength (scoring the basketball), he's found a way to still impact games positively.
Coaching moment that I liked: Joey King had done nothing in the first half and Coach Pitino comes out and runs a beautiful set play to get King a wide open 3 to start the 2nd half.
Coaching area of concern: Temple was 10-22 from 3 and I am skeptical that they are a good 3 point shooting team. We can chalk it up to Temple having a "lucky" game for now, but since it was an area of concern last year this certainly bears monitoring.
Team area of concern: Bench was 0-8 from the field. As much as I like what I've seen from Dorsey defensively, he was 0-5 from the field and I am not sure he's ready to contribute from a scoring standpoint. He had a wide open 3 while the Gophers still had the lead that could have been the difference between a W and L. We will really need McBrayer and/or Murphy to score going forward.