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mnsportsgeek said:
Is Richard still proud of his guys though? I mean, Maryland only made a couple more plays than us.
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Agreed, just a few plays and who knows. Everyone is sick of the losing and nobody more than the players. But this team is not quitting. They are battling.
 


LesBolstad said:
Yep. 2nd half was absolutely absurd how Lil' Ricky kept getting burned by high pick & roll and didn't do a dam thing about it.

Gopher go into every game down 6 points when matched up against the better coaches in the B10.
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Coaching. Managing a game.
 

dpodoll68 said:
I hope they're not like the '96 team at all. It would be nice if the results from this season actually counted.
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An issue that is only relevant to you and no one else on the forum.
 

WindyCityGopher said:
That parallel has a serious flaw in that the '96 team had Bobby Jackson coming back for what turned out to be a Big Ten Player of the Year season in '97. We don't have anywhere near that quality of player on this roster, nor do I expect us to have that player on next year's roster either, especially as a go-to scorer. That's the guy we need to take the next step, and without him I'm afraid we won't do it.
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According to some that player would be Amir Coffey...
 



dpodoll68 said:
I really don't give two sh1ts what other people on the forum think. I don't glorify cheating.
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Neither do I. I also acknowledge what those kids did on the hard court and in that venue they never cheated.
 

The Gophers guards were horrible on defense all game. They just played slow and lazy and that goes to coaching.
 

BarnBurner said:
Start by not having the ball in the hands of Murph, near the top of the key when you must score. Mason, Springs, Amir would have been better choices, no?
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I don't believe he called for a Murphy clear out play. He was wide open and tried to make a play. Unfortunately he failed.
 



builtbadgers said:
I was wrong about 5 in a row but i still think this team makes the NCAA'S. The concern is again about giving up 59 in the 2nd half at home. THE points allowed defense is horrific. I am not campaigning for 49-48 games although winning that way is better than losing but you have to pay attention to how often do you lose when you give up 60,70 or 80. You will never recruit like a blue blood where you can score 90 give up 80 and win those types of games . Poor programs building up and sustaining that have done it by playing great defense. The Gophers are really easy to score on. That has to change. The offense is plenty good enough.
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Yes the second half defense was the biggest story to me. Maryland shot lights out, but so many easy cuts to the lane and easy dishes. It's got to be tough with the team also being offensively challenged at times to play your best defensive lineup.
Besides Lynch, who else is strong on defense for this team?
 



Mason should be but is not as he never gets wide. Coffee could be elite with that reach and those instincts but again it is poor fundamentals. They lost at PSU and won at NW and both nights played defense like it would be their thing but today had no less than 30 bad defensive possessions. It is the easiest thing to fix quickly if your players have the mental toughness to fight that hard ? What is encouraging is that when the offense struggled like at PSU they got that fixed pretty well. That indicates good coaching on that side and good talent. Defense is more about hard work and technique.
 



I said I wouldn't watch this game, or any game, until the Gophers actually won a game so I can't comment on the coaching performance today beyond this: This is the 2nd home loss as a favorite and the team is currently 1-3 on it's home floor...Unacceptable. Because today's loss was by 7 it doesn't even count in the record in close games although it clearly should. This University makes it literally impossible to be a fan of its revenue sports: its Basketball account tweeted out this week that "The Barn is BACK!" as evidenced by an overtime loss to their most biggest rival. Another blown lead today, this time a 9 point second half lead. That Ohio State team that the Gophers couldn't beat earlier this week? They lost to Iowa(!) today a team starting four freshman.

I have no idea what do with Pitino. The on court results are profoundly disappointing and the pattern of losing close games at a statistically improbable rate for four seasons does not speak well of him. That said, Washington looks like a real difference maker and Oturu is the best big man commitment since Royce. I'd hate to lose the talent that is on its way to Minnesota, but four years is more than enough time to simply make the NCAA tournament and produce at least one winning conference season. This would be so much easier if the team simply made the NCAA tournament which is still mathematically possibly, despite what it feels like today. The brutal thing is, this team would have a bid more or less locked up given their remaining schedule if they were just bad in close games instead of inept. If they were 5-4 right now, we could be talking about seeding...and lamenting the fact that if we just didn't let a couple of games get away the Gophers could have a shot at the conference title.

Besides losing close games, the most frustrating thing about this season is that winning your home games is just the first step to becoming a good team/program. We're in year four here and the Gophers need to win out just to finish 6-3 at home which is basically the bare minimum. The Barn will be "back" when any home loss is a disappointment and middle/bottom of the conference teams are put away early. The Barn is certainly not "back" when the oppositions scrubs calmly make pressure free throws and when the Visitors are 4-0 in the last 4 games to go to overtime. The Barn is in the top tier right now...of easiest places for B1G teams to win and it's been that way for a long, long time.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Both teams shot well from 3 point range but Maryland made two more then we did and had fewer misses....61% from 3 point range is insane.

This Gopher team is so close to breaking through anyone that is giving up on this squad is crazy. They are playing tight with pretty much everyone and they just haven't figured out how to make the plays late in the game to get the win. Murphy just flat out losing the ball was a killer.

It's not like they got beat by Rutgers. Maryland is a very good team so while it is disappointing as always to come up short it was still a strong effort. When this team finally puts it all together there is a chance for something really special to happen, even though some in here have a hard time seeing it.
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you mean next year?
 

"And the pattern of losing close games at a statistically improbable rate for four seasons." That is a powerful statement. What statistically improbable math do you base that on? What to do with Pitino? "That said Washington looks like a real difference maker and Oturu is the best recruit since Royce." What do you think happens to these recruits if Pitino leaves or is fired? " If they were just bad in close games instead of inept." If you are not watching the games how do you judge them inept?
 

macgopher said:
"And the pattern of losing close games at a statistically improbable rate for four seasons." That is a powerful statement. What statistically improbable math do you base that on? What to do with Pitino? "That said Washington looks like a real difference maker and Oturu is the best recruit since Royce." What do you think happens to these recruits if Pitino leaves or is fired? " If they were just bad in close games instead of inept." If you are not watching the games how do you judge them inept?
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Here's the question that should be asked: Is it statistically improbable that he has coached us into that many close games with the talent we have had, or is it statistically improbable that we have lost that many close games? Up until this year- I'd say that it was the former. I think we have a lot better talent this year but it looks like we are still a year away.
 

macgopher said:
"And the pattern of losing close games at a statistically improbable rate for four seasons." That is a powerful statement. What statistically improbable math do you base that on? What to do with Pitino? "That said Washington looks like a real difference maker and Oturu is the best recruit since Royce." What do you think happens to these recruits if Pitino leaves or is fired? " If they were just bad in close games instead of inept." If you are not watching the games how do you judge them inept?
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They are 3-12 in Pitino's tenure in games decided by one possession or overtime. That's 4 losses for every one victory...that's statistically improbable. The very facts that Washington is coming in next year and Oturu has committed makes the decision on Pitino difficult. I lean towards bringing him back if he misses the tournament this year, but I am certainly not thrilled about it. If Washington/Oturu weren't committed, I'd certainly want Pitino gone after this year if he doesn't make the tournament...and this is coming from someone who was more disappointed by year 2 than year 3 and has previously defended him as a coach. I believe I have watched every game this year besides Penn State and this one...Ohio State was the last straw for me until I see they actually have won a game. I just can't put myself through it anymore. How do I know they've been inept in close games? They are now 1-4 this season in conference games that went in to the final minute with a one possession lead either way. That's inept.

In his 4 year tenure, the Gophers have had a losing record in games decided by 2 possessions or less all 4 years (to date) and a losing record in games decided by 1 possession or overtime in all 4 years (to date). At some point, you stop looking for excuses as to why this has occurred and look at the constant which is Pitino as the head coach. This far in to his tenure, I am at that point.
 

bga1 said:
Here's the question that should be asked: Is it statistically improbable that he has coached us into that many close games with the talent we have had, or is it statistically improbable that we have lost that many close games? Up until this year- I'd say that it was the former. I think we have a lot better talent this year but it looks like we are still a year away.
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Pitino is 3-7 in his tenure in games decided by 2 possessions or less against Northwestern, Penn State, and Nebraska. Even if he coached us in to a bunch of games, why has he continuously failed to pull out these games? I just don't buy that you can coach well enough for 39 minutes of a game to have a chance to win, but then the last minute you're simply helpless against a better team. If anything there is more coaching done down the stretch of games with more frequent timeouts and more opportunities for offense/defense substitutions.
 

EG#9 said:
Pitino is 3-7 in his tenure in games decided by 2 possessions or less against Northwestern, Penn State, and Nebraska. Even if he coached us in to a bunch of games, why has he continuously failed to pull out these games? I just don't buy that you can coach well enough for 39 minutes of a game to have a chance to win, but then the last minute you're simply helpless against a better team. If anything there is more coaching done down the stretch of games with more frequent timeouts and more opportunities for offense/defense substitutions.
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+1

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 


EG#9 said:
Pitino is 3-7 in his tenure in games decided by 2 possessions or less against Northwestern, Penn State, and Nebraska. Even if he coached us in to a bunch of games, why has he continuously failed to pull out these games? I just don't buy that you can coach well enough for 39 minutes of a game to have a chance to win, but then the last minute you're simply helpless against a better team. If anything there is more coaching done down the stretch of games with more frequent timeouts and more opportunities for offense/defense substitutions.
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2013-14 1-1 against NW in 2 possession games, 0-1 against Neb @Neb, 1-0 against PSU @PSU
2014-15 0-2 against PSU, 0-1 against Neb at Neb, 0-1 against NW@NW
2015-16 no close games
2016-17 lost a 2 pointer to PSU @PSU, beat NW @NW

So I also have us at 3-7 in close games between those teams - but it is important to note that 8 of the 10 games were road games
 

bga1 said:
2013-14 1-1 against NW in 2 possession games, 0-1 against Neb @Neb, 1-0 against PSU @PSU
2014-15 0-2 against PSU, 0-1 against Neb at Neb, 0-1 against NW@NW
2015-16 no close games
2016-17 lost a 2 pointer to PSU @PSU, beat nebraska at nebraska[/B]
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You mean beat Northwestern at Northwestern. We don't play at Nebraska this year.
 

builtbadgers said:
Mason should be but is not as he never gets wide. Coffee could be elite with that reach and those instincts but again it is poor fundamentals. They lost at PSU and won at NW and both nights played defense like it would be their thing but today had no less than 30 bad defensive possessions. It is the easiest thing to fix quickly if your players have the mental toughness to fight that hard ? What is encouraging is that when the offense struggled like at PSU they got that fixed pretty well. That indicates good coaching on that side and good talent. Defense is more about hard work and technique.
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Absolutely! You can be a marginally good offensive player but still play great defense. It's all about heart, hustle, grit, determination. Call me old, but I remember a guy named Kevin Boyle who played for Iowa back in the 80's. He made First Team All Big 10 mainly based on his defense. He wasn't a great offensive force, but DAMN could he play D! Because defensive plays don't make highlight films, playing good defense is probably not a high priority for today's players.
 


GopherJack said:
Absolutely! You can be a marginally good offensive player but still play great defense. It's all about heart, hustle, grit, determination. Call me old, but I remember a guy named Kevin Boyle who played for Iowa back in the 80's. He made First Team All Big 10 mainly based on his defense. He wasn't a great offensive force, but DAMN could he play D! Because defensive plays don't make highlight films, playing good defense is probably not a high priority for today's players.
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Ah...Kevin Boyle...remember him well. I lived in Iowa City when he played there. Oddly, he was a reasonably effective offensive player as an underclassman but became steadily more anemic on that end of the floor as an upperclassman. Lute Olson was the coach at the time and kept his own scoring system for players' game performances that was much more comprehensive than the normal box score. He occasionally commented how Boyle finished consistently at or near the top of the roster in most games according to that scoring system.

I also distinctly remember seeing Boyle frequently at the university library in the hours before closing, even on some nights after he had played a game.
 

EG#9 said:
They are 3-12 in Pitino's tenure in games decided by one possession or overtime. That's 4 losses for every one victory...that's statistically improbable. The very facts that Washington is coming in next year and Oturu has committed makes the decision on Pitino difficult. I lean towards bringing him back if he misses the tournament this year, but I am certainly not thrilled about it. If Washington/Oturu weren't committed, I'd certainly want Pitino gone after this year if he doesn't make the tournament...and this is coming from someone who was more disappointed by year 2 than year 3 and has previously defended him as a coach. I believe I have watched every game this year besides Penn State and this one...Ohio State was the last straw for me until I see they actually have won a game. I just can't put myself through it anymore. How do I know they've been inept in close games? They are now 1-4 this season in conference games that went in to the final minute with a one possession lead either way. That's inept.

In his 4 year tenure, the Gophers have had a losing record in games decided by 2 possessions or less all 4 years (to date) and a losing record in games decided by 1 possession or overtime in all 4 years (to date). At some point, you stop looking for excuses as to why this has occurred and look at the constant which is Pitino as the head coach. This far in to his tenure, I am at that point.
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I don't know if it's true in college basketball, but in the NFL, the vast majority of teams win about half of their close games in the long run. If a team goes 12-4 and wins 6 games by 3 points each, while getting blown out in their losses, they'll generally have a worse record the next year. Likewise, teams that lose a lot of close games one year will generally improve in the future.

I would also guess that being up by 2 or 3 points versus down by 2 or 3 makes a significant difference in the likelihood of winning. Granted, I think in 4 of those 5 games, Michigan State, @Purdue, @Penn State, and Maryland, we relinquished a double digit lead at some point
 

I can see you guys sitting in the stands bad mouthing your kid's high school coach. Most of you have no clue what you are watching. Maryland is now 19 and 2. They shot lights out. They executed. Springs decided basically not to assert himself on offense the last 5 minutes of the game. He's our offense. Maybe until the very end he might have looked to score once in the last 5 minutes, but I don't think so. Is that Pitino not recognizing that and encouraging him? Or was Pitino aware and realized on this day Springs was hiding late game? (There's not much you can do about that as a coach during a game w/o risking permanent damage...everything has consequences) Nobody filled the void offensively...Coffey usually contributes at this time, not today. Had we made our free throws in the last 5 minutes it is a different game possession wise.
We didn't make plays. If you guys think a coach can magically elevate his players to finish games versus more experienced teams and if he can't he's not a good coach...you don't understand how it works. It's absolutely a process. We ain't ready yet. We don't have a Melo, we didn't have two unconscious three point shooters. Nobody stepped up for the Gophers because they just are not ready yet. They caught fire, we went cold. We could have lost by 40 without the first half run. Our schedule is brutal! Who we play, when we play em, where we play em etc
 

60's Guy said:
I can see you guys sitting in the stands bad mouthing your kid's high school coach. Most of you have no clue what you are watching. Maryland is now 19 and 2. They shot lights out. They executed. Springs decided basically not to assert himself on offense the last 5 minutes of the game. He's our offense. Maybe until the very end he might have looked to score once in the last 5 minutes, but I don't think so. Is that Pitino not recognizing that and encouraging him? Or was Pitino aware and realized on this day Springs was hiding late game? (There's not much you can do about that as a coach during a game w/o risking permanent damage...everything has consequences) Nobody filled the void offensively...Coffey usually contributes at this time, not today. Had we made our free throws in the last 5 minutes it is a different game possession wise.
We didn't make plays. If you guys think a coach can magically elevate his players to finish games versus more experienced teams and if he can't he's not a good coach...you don't understand how it works. It's absolutely a process. We ain't ready yet. We don't have a Melo, we didn't have two unconscious three point shooters. Nobody stepped up for the Gophers because they just are not ready yet. They caught fire, we went cold. We could have lost by 40 without the first half run. Our schedule is brutal! Who we play, when we play em, where we play em etc
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Silly take. The offense was fine; just didn't execute. Ricky can't dribble or pass for those on the floor. Biggest issue i, and most around where sitting, was failure to make any defensive adjustments. Really disappointing Ricky didn't change the defense to stop high ball screen & roll. That was junior high type stuff. I actually like the roster and incoming talent the staff has put together. It's not going to mean anything when your 6 points down at the start of games due to coaching.
 

EG#9 said:
I said I wouldn't watch this game, or any game, until the Gophers actually won a game so I can't comment on the coaching performance today beyond this: This is the 2nd home loss as a favorite and the team is currently 1-3 on it's home floor...Unacceptable.
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So I guess it cancels out their two road wins as underdogs?
 

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