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House’s Report: Turnovers plague the Gophers in an 84-77 loss to Michigan
Eleven turnovers plagued the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ chances to knock off the Michigan Wolverines in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament Saturday. Minnesota had five players in double figures, but hot shooting by the Wolverines was tough for the Gophers to stop in an 84-77 loss. Minnesota will now await their NCAA Tournament seed during the selection show Sunday night.
The Rundown
The Gophers started the game with three turnovers, including poor passes and a sequence where Jordan Murphy dribbled off his foot. Mortiz Wagner hit back-to-back three pointers to put Michigan up by 10 points. The Gophers had trouble with quick back cuts by the Wolverines offense. Dupree McBrayer and Amir Coffey were beaten off cuts and Reggie Lynch was no where to be found in help side defense. Michigan shot the ball incredibly well in the first half. They were 63% from the floor in the first 20 minutes. The Gophers had 8 first half turnovers and didn’t maximize their potential possessions. Nate Mason’s scoop layup brought the Gophers within 6 points, but a D.J. Wilson three-point play had the Wolverines back on top by 9 points. Michigan entered the break with a 47-36 lead.
The Gophers went on a 6-0 run to open the second half, sparked by a Jordan Murphy dunk and Amir Coffey layup. The Wolverines were on an 0-for-5 scoring drought and Dupree McBrayer hit a three-pointer to pull the Gophers within four points. Minnesota used a three pointer by Nate Mason to tie the game at 55 with just over 13 minutes remaining. Minnesota couldn’t seem to get over the hump and back-to-back three pointers by Derrick Walton Jr. put Michigan back up by 9 points with 5 minutes left. The Gophers would get within 5 points, but that’s as close as they would get. Michigan’s strong shooting, along with Minnesota’s high volume of turnovers were too much to overcome, as the Gophers fell 84-77.
Missed layups and turnovers
The Gophers missed numerous layups in the first half and it allowed Michigan to get out on the run. Eric Curry, Amir Coffey, Nate Mason, and Jordan Murphy all missed shots around the rim. These misses were what kept Michigan’s double-digit lead in hand. When the Gophers attack, they need to be able to finish at the rim. Having four easy baskets go off the mark wasted quality possessions for the Gophers. It hurt them in the points column at the end of the game.
Bench points
The Gophers need to figure out the rotation of their lineup to absorb the loss of Akeem Springs. Minnesota was outscored 16-2 on the bench. Eric Curry was the only player to score coming off the bench as the Gophers played just 6 players. Losing Springs is going to be huge moving forward because Minnesota has limited guard depth. Richard Pitino must figure out a way to rotate players or utilize another guard to take some minutes away from Dupree McBrayer and Nate Mason. In addition, Richard Pitino rotated Reggie Lynch in and out of the game in crunch time, which put Eric Curry on the floor. This was a head scratching move as the Gophers were trying to mount a comeback.
Slow defensive rotations, cut trouble
The Gophers struggled with quick flare cuts by the Michigan offense in the first half. Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer both got caught ball watching. In addition, Reggie Lynch wasn’t in help side position to protect the rim. Michigan picked up easy baskets and shots behind the arch after they attacked. The Gophers were a step slow to rotate on defense and left their feet on ball fakes. Eric Curry had two instances where a Michigan player ball faked and finished with an easy layup. Curry has a tendency to ball watch and over pursue the offensive player. Minnesota didn’t close out hard and with balance during any portion of this game.
Turnovers cause trouble, three-point shooting
The Gophers had one sequence where they turned the ball over three times. They tallied 8 total turnovers in the first half. A variety of them came from poor passes, but others were due to the offense revolving too much around dribbling. Minnesota’s post players have a tendency to put the ball on the floor. They need to go up strong and make a move before committing with a dribble. The Gophers are at their best when they take care of the ball and run through their offensive sets. Minnesota committed 11 turnovers in this game and it allowed Michigan to score more points. The Wolverines had 20 points off turnovers and it was a difference-maker. Amir Coffey’s turnover after the game was tied at 55 was a huge momentum shift.
Minnesota is missing the three-point shooting of Akeem Springs already. The Gophers shot 0-for-4 from the three-point line and didn’t commit to shooting from there. They attacked more on offense and didn’t value hitting threes. They need to find a balance between shots around the rim and behind the arch. However, players like Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer benefited from attacking. The Gophers were able to heat up at the three-point line, making three consecutive shots from behind the arch to start the second half. Nonetheless, it was too late as the Gophers couldn’t shop the hot shooting of Mortiz Wagner and Derrick Walton Jr. for Michigan.
Nate Mason’s defense
Point guard Nate Mason couldn’t seem to buy a basket at certain stages of the game. He was 10-for-23 shooting and had 23 points (17 of which came in the second half). He is missing layups and consistently forces difficult shots he has a limited chance of making. Mason produced better in the second half and hit difficult layups at the rim. He also drilled a three-pointer to tie the game at 55.
Where Mason struggled was on the defensive end. The Wolverines continually set ball screens at the top of the key on Nate Mason and shot as he tried to hedge. Derrick Walton Jr. had back-to-back threes and Michigan exploited Mason’s inability to fight through screens and defend.
What’s Next?
Minnesota will now await their NCAA Tournament seed during the selection show Sunday night. They will either play Thursday or Friday in the first round of the tournament.
Eleven turnovers plagued the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ chances to knock off the Michigan Wolverines in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament Saturday. Minnesota had five players in double figures, but hot shooting by the Wolverines was tough for the Gophers to stop in an 84-77 loss. Minnesota will now await their NCAA Tournament seed during the selection show Sunday night.
The Rundown
The Gophers started the game with three turnovers, including poor passes and a sequence where Jordan Murphy dribbled off his foot. Mortiz Wagner hit back-to-back three pointers to put Michigan up by 10 points. The Gophers had trouble with quick back cuts by the Wolverines offense. Dupree McBrayer and Amir Coffey were beaten off cuts and Reggie Lynch was no where to be found in help side defense. Michigan shot the ball incredibly well in the first half. They were 63% from the floor in the first 20 minutes. The Gophers had 8 first half turnovers and didn’t maximize their potential possessions. Nate Mason’s scoop layup brought the Gophers within 6 points, but a D.J. Wilson three-point play had the Wolverines back on top by 9 points. Michigan entered the break with a 47-36 lead.
The Gophers went on a 6-0 run to open the second half, sparked by a Jordan Murphy dunk and Amir Coffey layup. The Wolverines were on an 0-for-5 scoring drought and Dupree McBrayer hit a three-pointer to pull the Gophers within four points. Minnesota used a three pointer by Nate Mason to tie the game at 55 with just over 13 minutes remaining. Minnesota couldn’t seem to get over the hump and back-to-back three pointers by Derrick Walton Jr. put Michigan back up by 9 points with 5 minutes left. The Gophers would get within 5 points, but that’s as close as they would get. Michigan’s strong shooting, along with Minnesota’s high volume of turnovers were too much to overcome, as the Gophers fell 84-77.
Missed layups and turnovers
The Gophers missed numerous layups in the first half and it allowed Michigan to get out on the run. Eric Curry, Amir Coffey, Nate Mason, and Jordan Murphy all missed shots around the rim. These misses were what kept Michigan’s double-digit lead in hand. When the Gophers attack, they need to be able to finish at the rim. Having four easy baskets go off the mark wasted quality possessions for the Gophers. It hurt them in the points column at the end of the game.
Bench points
The Gophers need to figure out the rotation of their lineup to absorb the loss of Akeem Springs. Minnesota was outscored 16-2 on the bench. Eric Curry was the only player to score coming off the bench as the Gophers played just 6 players. Losing Springs is going to be huge moving forward because Minnesota has limited guard depth. Richard Pitino must figure out a way to rotate players or utilize another guard to take some minutes away from Dupree McBrayer and Nate Mason. In addition, Richard Pitino rotated Reggie Lynch in and out of the game in crunch time, which put Eric Curry on the floor. This was a head scratching move as the Gophers were trying to mount a comeback.
Slow defensive rotations, cut trouble
The Gophers struggled with quick flare cuts by the Michigan offense in the first half. Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer both got caught ball watching. In addition, Reggie Lynch wasn’t in help side position to protect the rim. Michigan picked up easy baskets and shots behind the arch after they attacked. The Gophers were a step slow to rotate on defense and left their feet on ball fakes. Eric Curry had two instances where a Michigan player ball faked and finished with an easy layup. Curry has a tendency to ball watch and over pursue the offensive player. Minnesota didn’t close out hard and with balance during any portion of this game.
Turnovers cause trouble, three-point shooting
The Gophers had one sequence where they turned the ball over three times. They tallied 8 total turnovers in the first half. A variety of them came from poor passes, but others were due to the offense revolving too much around dribbling. Minnesota’s post players have a tendency to put the ball on the floor. They need to go up strong and make a move before committing with a dribble. The Gophers are at their best when they take care of the ball and run through their offensive sets. Minnesota committed 11 turnovers in this game and it allowed Michigan to score more points. The Wolverines had 20 points off turnovers and it was a difference-maker. Amir Coffey’s turnover after the game was tied at 55 was a huge momentum shift.
Minnesota is missing the three-point shooting of Akeem Springs already. The Gophers shot 0-for-4 from the three-point line and didn’t commit to shooting from there. They attacked more on offense and didn’t value hitting threes. They need to find a balance between shots around the rim and behind the arch. However, players like Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer benefited from attacking. The Gophers were able to heat up at the three-point line, making three consecutive shots from behind the arch to start the second half. Nonetheless, it was too late as the Gophers couldn’t shop the hot shooting of Mortiz Wagner and Derrick Walton Jr. for Michigan.
Nate Mason’s defense
Point guard Nate Mason couldn’t seem to buy a basket at certain stages of the game. He was 10-for-23 shooting and had 23 points (17 of which came in the second half). He is missing layups and consistently forces difficult shots he has a limited chance of making. Mason produced better in the second half and hit difficult layups at the rim. He also drilled a three-pointer to tie the game at 55.
Where Mason struggled was on the defensive end. The Wolverines continually set ball screens at the top of the key on Nate Mason and shot as he tried to hedge. Derrick Walton Jr. had back-to-back threes and Michigan exploited Mason’s inability to fight through screens and defend.
What’s Next?
Minnesota will now await their NCAA Tournament seed during the selection show Sunday night. They will either play Thursday or Friday in the first round of the tournament.
