Hey everyone, I was at the game yesterday. I get that it's against D2 Concordia, but here are my thoughts:
Washington: The Gophers have not had a point guard like this in my lifetime (31 years). He has quick hesitation moves, has the ability to get in the paint at will, flashy passer (many players weren't ready for his no-look passes), breathes confidence, and no shot scares him. He tends to get out of control. So Pitino will have a task on his hands... you want to unleash him, but you want to reign him back a bit to consistently make smart plays. He's a Sportscenter highlight waiting to happen. We have a future star on our hands Gopher fans.
Murphy: Was a total beast in the paint. I still think he'll lead the team in scoring this year.
Coffee: Like Murphy, as he plays well, the team plays well. I hope he becomes more assertive on the offensive end this year. Played solid, nothing specific to say.
Lynch: Had a terrible (non-blocking) foul a few minutes into the game. My father and cousin groaned immediately. He needs to stop with those! Other than that, he looked solid. Clearly no issues stemming from offseason knee surgery.
Mason: Clearly the team leader. Under control the entire night. Like Lynch, showed no issues from that ankle injury weeks back or that offseason hip surgery.
McBrayer: He and Mason played very well together. Definitely better chemistry between those two than last year. Like the others, no issues could be seen regarding offseason foot surgery.
Fitzgerald: This was the big one folks. I went into this game knowing I'd be watching him like a hawk. He is much bigger than I expected and has wide shoulders. Played good defense and rebounded well. Has a bit of an odd shot, but who cares. He looks like he'll be a reliable stretch forward that can make some threes. Biggest play of the night: he hustled down the court on the right side and was passed the ball in transition, then proceeded to one-handed dunk with ease. Very good to see, considering his recovering knee. Was a little rusty. After watching him play, as long as he stays healthy, my worries about a back-up for Murphy are over. He doesn't have the quickness or offense that Curry provides, but I think he will be a fine player off the bench for us. He's only going to get better as he gets more comfortable with that knee.
Harris: Missed a bunch of threes, but wasn't afraid to take them! I like the confidence out of the freshman. Plays hard on defense.
Hurt: Was more assertive, but defenders had no problem cutting him off when he tried to drive. Missed the three pointers he took. I know it's only one game, but if last night was any indication, he won't be giving us much again this year. I hope I'm wrong.
Konate: Got burned a couple of times on pick and rolls, same thing that happened many times last year. Plays hard. The exact same Konate as last year.
The common theme, as you can see, is that we looked HEALTHY! That was great to see. Go Gophers!