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The Gophers had no answer for No. 5 Purdue at Williams Arena Saturday afternoon. Five three pointers by Vincent Edwards sparked a 25-4 run for the Boilermakers, propelling them to an 81-47 win. Nate Mason and Jordan Murphy combined to score just 18 points and Isaiah Washington led the team with 11 points. With the win, Purdue matched its best 19-game start in school history set during the 1987-88 season.
The Gophers went on a 1-for-8 shooting drought from the floor and fell behind quickly as Purdue started to make open three-pointers. The Boilers opened the game 0-for-4 from behind the arch, but Vincent Edwards took matters in to his own hands. He had four first half three pointers to go along with 20 points. Dakota Mathias added three additional triples and the game quickly was out of reach.
The closest Minnesota would get came at the 12:15 mark of the first half. Dupree McBrayer drilled a three-pointer, but Edwards quickly answered, putting the Boilermakers back on top. Purdue went on a 25-4 run to claim a 19-point advantage late in the first half. They shot 40 percent from the three-point line and killed the Gophers in every phase of the game.
As the Gophers rotated their guards, freshman Isaiah Washington received valuable minutes. He delivered a nice dish to Bakary Konate and hit two three-pointers during 25 minutes of action. Washington is at his best when he can facilitate and play within the offensive sets. He was hitting a few open shots and finding a balance between attacking/passing to his teammates. Washington still shot just 3-for-13 from the floor and is struggling to find consistency as a shooter.
On the other hand, Nate Mason and Jordan Murphy combined to shoot just 6-for-21 from the floor. Murphy has just five rebounds in his past two games. The inability for Minnesota to receive dominant performances from these two players has made it difficult to compete. They also are playing outside their roles to compensate for the losses they have endured within their roster. There just simply isn’t enough depth to withstand low scoring outputs from these two players. The Gophers are depleted and feeling the impact of Amir Coffey missing time with a shoulder injury. His scoring and ability to pass the basketball are felt more than anyone is discussing.
Purdue quickly attacked one of the clear weaknesses he Gophers have right now. On the game’s first possession, Isaac Haas posted up on Konate and finished. The Boilermakers exploited this matchup throughout the day as Minnesota rotated Konate and Gaston Diedhiou every three to four minutes. The Gophers just don’t have the resources down low to compete with Big Ten teams. When Jordan Murphy went to the bench, Minnesota clearly struggled to withstand the Purdue frontcourt. He could only be left off the field for seconds at a time. When Pitino was asked about rotating players, he said it’s very challenging with limited depth and a completely new team on the floor.
“I feel like we need months of practice to get better,” Pitino said. “It’s difficult. We have a lot of pieces out there that weren’t playing a lot.”
The main adjustment the Gophers made was playing more zone to cause headaches for the Boilermakers. Purdue missed a few shots, but Minnesota couldn’t capitalize as they continued to bolster their lead.
The Gophers have now dropped four Big Ten games, falling off the map after being a consensus top-25 team in late November. With the vast majority of the Big Ten schedule left, Minnesota will need to figure things out in a hurry. However, the lack of depth and consistent scorers are going to be tough for them to overcome. They will need to play with improved effort and contributions from their veteran leaders.
The Gophers will travel to Penn State on Monday as they try to gain some much-needed confidence.
Postgame Reaction:
Not having Lynch makes Murphy’s job a lot tougher. He’s got his coat and backpack on, ready to head out. This can’t be easy for a competition like Murph. #gophers pic.twitter.com/zccP6DzI7P— Nadine Babu (@NadineBabu) January 13, 2018
Pitino: Are we missing Amir? Yes, we’re missing Amir. #gophers pic.twitter.com/u4LuNil9H3— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) January 13, 2018
Is #Purdue the best team in the Big 10?Pitino: They’re the best team we’ve played. #gophers #boilerup pic.twitter.com/1ieJ5DTROw— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) January 13, 2018
The Gophers went on a 1-for-8 shooting drought from the floor and fell behind quickly as Purdue started to make open three-pointers. The Boilers opened the game 0-for-4 from behind the arch, but Vincent Edwards took matters in to his own hands. He had four first half three pointers to go along with 20 points. Dakota Mathias added three additional triples and the game quickly was out of reach.
The closest Minnesota would get came at the 12:15 mark of the first half. Dupree McBrayer drilled a three-pointer, but Edwards quickly answered, putting the Boilermakers back on top. Purdue went on a 25-4 run to claim a 19-point advantage late in the first half. They shot 40 percent from the three-point line and killed the Gophers in every phase of the game.
As the Gophers rotated their guards, freshman Isaiah Washington received valuable minutes. He delivered a nice dish to Bakary Konate and hit two three-pointers during 25 minutes of action. Washington is at his best when he can facilitate and play within the offensive sets. He was hitting a few open shots and finding a balance between attacking/passing to his teammates. Washington still shot just 3-for-13 from the floor and is struggling to find consistency as a shooter.
On the other hand, Nate Mason and Jordan Murphy combined to shoot just 6-for-21 from the floor. Murphy has just five rebounds in his past two games. The inability for Minnesota to receive dominant performances from these two players has made it difficult to compete. They also are playing outside their roles to compensate for the losses they have endured within their roster. There just simply isn’t enough depth to withstand low scoring outputs from these two players. The Gophers are depleted and feeling the impact of Amir Coffey missing time with a shoulder injury. His scoring and ability to pass the basketball are felt more than anyone is discussing.
Purdue quickly attacked one of the clear weaknesses he Gophers have right now. On the game’s first possession, Isaac Haas posted up on Konate and finished. The Boilermakers exploited this matchup throughout the day as Minnesota rotated Konate and Gaston Diedhiou every three to four minutes. The Gophers just don’t have the resources down low to compete with Big Ten teams. When Jordan Murphy went to the bench, Minnesota clearly struggled to withstand the Purdue frontcourt. He could only be left off the field for seconds at a time. When Pitino was asked about rotating players, he said it’s very challenging with limited depth and a completely new team on the floor.
“I feel like we need months of practice to get better,” Pitino said. “It’s difficult. We have a lot of pieces out there that weren’t playing a lot.”
The main adjustment the Gophers made was playing more zone to cause headaches for the Boilermakers. Purdue missed a few shots, but Minnesota couldn’t capitalize as they continued to bolster their lead.
The Gophers have now dropped four Big Ten games, falling off the map after being a consensus top-25 team in late November. With the vast majority of the Big Ten schedule left, Minnesota will need to figure things out in a hurry. However, the lack of depth and consistent scorers are going to be tough for them to overcome. They will need to play with improved effort and contributions from their veteran leaders.
The Gophers will travel to Penn State on Monday as they try to gain some much-needed confidence.
Postgame Reaction:
Not having Lynch makes Murphy’s job a lot tougher. He’s got his coat and backpack on, ready to head out. This can’t be easy for a competition like Murph. #gophers pic.twitter.com/zccP6DzI7P— Nadine Babu (@NadineBabu) January 13, 2018
Pitino: Are we missing Amir? Yes, we’re missing Amir. #gophers pic.twitter.com/u4LuNil9H3— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) January 13, 2018
Is #Purdue the best team in the Big 10?Pitino: They’re the best team we’ve played. #gophers #boilerup pic.twitter.com/1ieJ5DTROw— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) January 13, 2018
