Liabilities down the stretch

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gopherdiehard

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Two guys that can't be in the game down the stretch konate and Murphy both bad free throw shooters both turnover prone I absolutely hate the fact Murphy had the ball in his hands away from the hoop down the stretch.. this need team needs to figure out in late game situation who the go to guys are.. plenty of winnable games left but this **** needs to start now or it's just another lost season which I have become used to
 

gopherdiehard said:
Two guys that can't be in the game down the stretch konate and Murphy both bad free throw shooters both turnover prone I absolutely hate the fact Murphy had the ball in his hands away from the hoop down the stretch.. this need team needs to figure out in late game situation who the go to guys are.. plenty of winnable games left but this **** needs to start now or it's just another lost season which I have become used to
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Murphy is the weakest link of our players who play significant minutes.
 

gopherdiehard said:
Two guys that can't be in the game down the stretch konate and Murphy both bad free throw shooters both turnover prone I absolutely hate the fact Murphy had the ball in his hands away from the hoop down the stretch.. this need team needs to figure out in late game situation who the go to guys are.. plenty of winnable games left but this **** needs to start now or it's just another lost season which I have become used to
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We don't have any reliable big men. It's a pick your poison.

Lynch can block shots.
Curry can make a shot once in a while.
Bakary can defend 1 on 1, but gets lost on the court.
Murphy can...turnover the ball, foul, miss layups, and miss free throws.

That's all. They don't do more than 1 thing well, and in Murphy's case he doesn't do anything well. Our big men are bad. Not just down the stretch.
 

mnsportsgeek said:
We don't have any reliable big men. It's a pick your poison.

Lynch can block shots.
Curry can make a shot once in a while.
Bakary can defend 1 on 1, but gets lost on the court.
Murphy can...turnover the ball, foul, miss layups, and miss free throws.

That's all. They don't do more than 1 thing well, and in Murphy's case he doesn't do anything well. Our big men are bad. Not just down the stretch.
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You forgot foul out for Lynch, but otherwise a great summary.
 

Lynch can score a little as well. However, he is a poor defender outside of his ability to block shots.

Murphy can't defend at all.
 


The sad part about Murphy is it seems like he hasn't put much of anything into improving his skills. After a really nice freshman year one would think he would put the time in. He looks worse. Beyond that he is not playing with a whole lot of effort. He is late defensively and there were plays where he just made very little effort on. I certainly hope that Fitzgerald is ready to go next year. There is something going on with Murphy that he's just not into it.
 

bga1 said:
The sad part about Murphy is it seems like he hasn't put much of anything into improving his skills. After a really nice freshman year one would think he would put the time in. He looks worse. Beyond that he is not playing with a whole lot of effort. He is late defensively and there were plays where he just made very little effort on. I certainly hope that Fitzgerald is ready to go next year. There is something going on with Murphy that he's just not into it.
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Been hearing Murphy complaints a lot lately and I haven't wanted to believe them but I am starting to now. What I find odd is that he looks to me like he is batteling just as hard as he did last year and the effort seems to be there. But it's like he isn't as strong as last year.
 

bga1 said:
The sad part about Murphy is it seems like he hasn't put much of anything into improving his skills. After a really nice freshman year one would think he would put the time in. He looks worse. Beyond that he is not playing with a whole lot of effort. He is late defensively and there were plays where he just made very little effort on. I certainly hope that Fitzgerald is ready to go next year. There is something going on with Murphy that he's just not into it.
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Agree with your summary.

He is worse than last year, overall.
 

macgopher said:
Been hearing Murphy complaints a lot lately and I haven't wanted to believe them but I am starting to now. What I find odd is that he looks to me like he is batteling just as hard as he did last year and the effort seems to be there. But it's like he isn't as strong as last year.
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He appears unhappy to me.
 



Yeah, what happened to Murphy? He definitely appears to be unhappy out there.
 


PlayRoyce said:
Yeah, what happened to Murphy? He definitely appears to be unhappy out there.
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I can't figure it out either. There should be less pressure on him to score this year and he just seems like a different player.
 




I went and watched the end of the game on DVR and Maryland abused Murphy over and over late in the game.

Play 1: Murphy gets beat off the dribble for a layup and an and 1 (this was the Eric Curry charge/block play)
Play 2: Maryland runs high ball screen, Murphy gets switched on to a guard and beat off the dribble forcing help and the wide open corner 3
Play 3: Maryland runs high ball screen again, Murphy gets beat again and Trimble misses layup (an only the Gophers like thing happens where Maryland slaps the rebound towards two Gopher players bouncing off the Gophers back to a Maryland big who is fouled inside and makes both free throws)

That's 8 points on 3 straight possessions and the Gophers go from up one with 2:33 to play to down 3 with 57 seconds left.

The Gophers next possession has Murphy get the ball and attempts to dribble inside and simply lose the ball out of bounds.

For some reason down 3 with 48 seconds left, the Gophers appear to commit an intentional foul after trying for a steal and put Maryland on the line?

Despite being down 2 possessions and the shot clock being off, Nate Mason then takes a short jumper on the next possession. If they are giving you a layup take it, but otherwise you really need to take a three in that situation.
 

TruthSeeker said:
Murphy is the weakest link of our players who play significant minutes.
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Yet last year he was the most exciting player on the court for us. Statistically he was a just little bit better last year. From what I recall last year they had a lot more plays designed for him. Basically, get the ball to Jordan on the base line, clear out, and watch him explode to the rim and dunk it. The only dunks that I see from him this year are ones that he gets wide open by the rim, gets fed and slams it down.

He is still our best rebounder by far. Is this just in a sophomore slump? If we evaluate Mason as a pure point guard then he is pretty darn good with his assist to turnover ration. Is it just that we are not giving Murphy the ball in the right position? It seems like when he gets the ball by the free throw line he is going to turn it over.
 

Murphy has not improved since last year and all the teams know his 1 one 1 moves. He needs to add the mid-range jumper to his games. Lynch going for the block most of the time has exposed our weak side defense. We give up way too many offensive rebounds when he goes for the block. We need to rotate down better.

Murphy no longer is a weapon. He gets most of his points on put backs.
 

Well, other teams watch the Gophers, and scout what the Gopher players do. It's just possible that they are defending Murphy differently this year.

Also, FWIW, last year, it seemed like there was more room in the lane for Murphy to operate, with the Gophers often playing without a true post player (or at least, an effective post player). This year, with Lynch in the middle, the lane is more crowded, and Murphy is not finding the room he had last year.
 

stats and stuff

The scouting report on Murphy is out. Don't let him catch it within 8 feet of the basket and box him out. He is a likely turnover waiting to happen in the high post. He cannot guard the pick and roll.

Curry is longer, has a better overall game and basketball IQ. I also think his length might help Lynch to foul slightly less. I would start Curry and play him more. On a side note, Murphy needs to accept his role as a rebounder and hustler, unfortunately I am not sure he doesn't sulk if he is benched.

Murphy played well at the end of games last year as we had a "stretch 4" in King, and Murphy was usually guarded by a slower center/PF.

Man to Man was getting beat but what kind of zone could you play when you have an awesome pg and two guys who couldn't miss from 3?

Not sure if Mason was guarding Melo the whole time, but I wonder if McBrayer could play him better? Would love McBrayer to own a stopper label and put his energy there.

Tough loss, we killed them on the boards, blocked 10 shots, shot 79% FT, and we shot 9-17 on three's.

On the bad end, we had 1 steal, we gave up 51% shooting, and only forced 7 turnovers. We played defense like a pac 12 team.



short ornery norwegian said:
Well, other teams watch the Gophers, and scout what the Gopher players do. It's just possible that they are defending Murphy differently this year.

Also, FWIW, last year, it seemed like there was more room in the lane for Murphy to operate, with the Gophers often playing without a true post player (or at least, an effective post player). This year, with Lynch in the middle, the lane is more crowded, and Murphy is not finding the room he had last year.
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Long-time reader, first-time poster to the board. I was at The Barn for Maryland, a highly-entertaining game despite the loss. I've watched pretty much every game this year, but here are a few concerns I have after Saturday's loss.

It's pretty obvious that there is next to ZERO communication on defense right now. Maryland ran a simple high ball screen most of the game, and got whatever look they wanted out of it every time they ran it. You have three options to defend a ball screen: Fight through it, hedge it or switch. Maryland had lobs the entire first half and missed about 6 dunks because the two defending it weren't talking. It's basic, fundamental basketball. Also, other than Springs there was virtually no pressure on the ball whatsoever. That has to change, create pressure on the ball and you get bad passes or forced shots. That echoes what Pitino said after with the "F" grade for on-ball defense.

Murphy should be all but banned from dribbling the ball. Get your points off rebounds, post entry passes and hustle plays. Also, Reggie Lynch has got to value his playing time more. The flow of the game is entirely different when he's out there. Keep your hands up and move your feet, and the stupid fouls go away. And for the love of God, one time, pass out of a double team in the post. I think I counted five times in double teams where he put his head down like a bull in a china shop and either traveled or missed a shot. At least make the defense think you'll look for an open guy on the perimeter, then they may not double you and it opens up the floor.

You also have to give credit to Melo Trimble, he took over the game when it mattered in the second half and when he didn't score on his own, he beat his defender and got others wide open looks. Dude should have gone to the NBA after his freshman year, would've been a top 10 pick.

All that said, the Gophers very much control their own destiny. Win your last 5 home games, win at Illinois and at Rutgers and you've got your 10 wins to be an NCAA lock before the Big Ten Tournament. It's very doable, and Indiana just became very winnable with Blackmon out.
 

trying to stay positive

Agree with most of your post. Hard on offense when neither Lynch nor Murphy can play the high post effectively. I would like to see Curry play with Lynch more. While he isn't a good 3 pt shooter, I think the free throw line jumper is makeable for him. Not sure Murphy or Lynch would be good at passing the ball back out, but they could at least try. Problem is its like a pick 6 if its picked off.

Melo wasn't a first round prospect last year and he probably won't be this year.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Melo-Trimble-7258/

While he looks athletic in the big ten, he is not an athlete in NBA terms. He is most likely a second round pick backup pg. Same issues as Tyus in terms of lateral quickness and length. Superb at the college level!



NWMetroGopherFan said:
You also have to give credit to Melo Trimble, he took over the game when it mattered in the second half and when he didn't score on his own, he beat his defender and got others wide open looks. Dude should have gone to the NBA after his freshman year, would've been a top 10 pick.

All that said, the Gophers very much control their own destiny. Win your last 5 home games, win at Illinois and at Rutgers and you've got your 10 wins to be an NCAA lock before the Big Ten Tournament. It's very doable, and Indiana just became very winnable with Blackmon out.
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I'd be all for getting Curry more playing time. I think he is better defensively with his length and is becoming more explosive on the offensive end.


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#coacheslivesmatter
 

So how much do they try to post up Coffey? Not very often. Especially with Curry in the game as he is more of an outside threat versus Murphy. Murphy is a garbage type guy and not someone you design plays around. At least Lynch has shown some down low moves compared to Murphy but still far short of what is needed.

All one has to do is go back and look at Wisky's bigs and drool.

Pitino has no other options but to create opps for the guards and Amir and hope the bigs can convert an O board or two. Not a good solution. Getting Coffey more involved is the key especially down low or high post. Plus he is 80% on his FT attempts in his last five games. Problem is he only gets to the line 3-4 times a game.

Coffey and the guard are the key to what is left of the season. Forget about the bigs.
 

march madness said:
The scouting report on Murphy is out. Don't let him catch it within 8 feet of the basket and box him out. He is a likely turnover waiting to happen in the high post. He cannot guard the pick and roll.

Curry is longer, has a better overall game and basketball IQ. I also think his length might help Lynch to foul slightly less. I would start Curry and play him more. On a side note, Murphy needs to accept his role as a rebounder and hustler, unfortunately I am not sure he doesn't sulk if he is benched.

Murphy played well at the end of games last year as we had a "stretch 4" in King, and Murphy was usually guarded by a slower center/PF.

Man to Man was getting beat but what kind of zone could you play when you have an awesome pg and two guys who couldn't miss from 3?

Not sure if Mason was guarding Melo the whole time, but I wonder if McBrayer could play him better? Would love McBrayer to own a stopper label and put his energy there.

Tough loss, we killed them on the boards, blocked 10 shots, shot 79% FT, and we shot 9-17 on three's.

On the bad end, we had 1 steal, we gave up 51% shooting, and only forced 7 turnovers. We played defense like a pac 12 team.
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Interesting view on Murphy as to why his game worked last year, I hadn't thought of that.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Well, other teams watch the Gophers, and scout what the Gopher players do. It's just possible that they are defending Murphy differently this year.

Also, FWIW, last year, it seemed like there was more room in the lane for Murphy to operate, with the Gophers often playing without a true post player (or at least, an effective post player). This year, with Lynch in the middle, the lane is more crowded, and Murphy is not finding the room he had last year.
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One on One Murphy is a pretty tough match up on the block, you would think Pitino would put in some sets to isolate and get him the ball him where he is effective. He's pretty useless the way he is being used, an occasional rebound basket but that is about it.
 

Atl Gopher said:
Yet last year he was the most exciting player on the court for us. Statistically he was a just little bit better last year. From what I recall last year they had a lot more plays designed for him. Basically, get the ball to Jordan on the base line, clear out, and watch him explode to the rim and dunk it. The only dunks that I see from him this year are ones that he gets wide open by the rim, gets fed and slams it down.

He is still our best rebounder by far. Is this just in a sophomore slump? If we evaluate Mason as a pure point guard then he is pretty darn good with his assist to turnover ration. Is it just that we are not giving Murphy the ball in the right position? It seems like when he gets the ball by the free throw line he is going to turn it over.
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Feels like he gets defensive attention based on how he was last year, not how he is this year. Maybe the B1G book on him is double and triple him in the post because he is piss poor at moving the ball back out once he gets it fed to him inside. He looks like he just puts his head down regardless of double or triple coverage and works to the hoop.
 

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