***OFFICIAL MINNESOTA AT ARKANSAS IN-GAME THREAD!!!!***





I read a post that said Konate wasn’t available, but Gas moves so much better that I think he was the better choice, regardless, at backup 5 due to the athleticism of Arkansas.
 


I thought Gaston D. played pretty well today, relative to expectations.

He did play pretty well. EG said that they didn't try to go small- but they did try it an Fitzgerald was just not playing well. Overall- the team just did not play defense, couldn't hit shots and we continue to suffer when going to the bench. That is a recipe for a loss, but the guys on the bench are better than this and it is just going to take some time. Pitino is going to have to make some adjustments and I am confident that he will. Everyone is going to pressure us out high until we start burning that defense. And we have to find some passion on defense- opponents are just blowing by our perimeter defenders. I continue to think that this team lost a little something mentally during the 5 on 3 debacle. We haven't been the same since. Might be a players only meeting soon.....
 

I'm not so sure Fitz will have a scollarship waiting for him next season. Might be best for him to graduate and move on.
 

Simple plain fact of the matter is against good teams, especially on the road we are going no where if Lynch only plays 14 minutes. Takes away an advantage in the post, especially altering shots, but he also allows our guards to be more aggressive on the perimeter. Quietly we got 13 points from the bench yesterday, thar wasn't the problem. Offense isn't an issue, we need Lynch on the floor, that going to be the difference between nine or ten big ten wins and twelve plus. Or the difference between the first weekend and the second weekend of the tourney
 

Hard to blame Lynch for being frustrated with the foul calls, 3 of the 4 were atrocious. On the over-the-back third foul, the ball had already been rebounded and the play was effectively over. It was the lightest of shoves. And the illegal screen that was his second foul wasn't illegal, he stood there and didn't move. He must value his playing time and know that because of his size, he might be an easy target for foul calls. His playing only 6 minutes in the first half was the difference in the game. Everything changed from a defensive standpoint, Arkansas had no fear driving the lane because we had no rim protector on the floor.

That said, the Gophers defense in the pick-and-roll and their overall communication on the defensive end was horrid. There was no intensity and no talking on screens, Arkansas got whatever shot it wanted when it wanted. They knew what was coming with the "40 Minutes of Hell" and still played flat in the first 10 minutes. Getting beat down the floor repeatedly when you know it's coming is unacceptable. Every time we made a run, there was a defensive breakdown that led to a dunk or an open 3.

Diedhiou was the third-best player on the floor for the Gophers, and that's not a good thing. He was very good for not having played in 5 games, and playing 18 minutes. He's made his case for playing over Bakary. Would have liked to see Harris get some run, but it's understandable that he didn't play with Arkansas size.

I'd rather take this lump now than in February. The Gophers are 1-2 in true road games, and the hope is they're battle tested for life on the road in the Big 10. The silver lining: Win your last 4 non-conference games and you enter the league gauntlet at 12-3 with Big Ten games to follow against Illinois and Indiana, both at home, that you should win.
 






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