***OFFICIAL MINNESOTA VS WASHINGTON IN-GAME THREAD!!!!***

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That's a heck of a win against a Washington squad expected to compete for the Pac-12 title. Their zone is one of the more difficult ones to score on, given their speed, athleticism and length. They blocked a ton of shots just because of their length, and we won't see that a lot the rest of the season.

Credit to Pitino for making adjustments the final 20 minutes, namely making a concerted effort to get Murphy the ball. He had ZERO shot attempts in the first half. Team defense was locked in tonight.

Keep the foot on the gas and go get a win at BC on Monday. Legit chance to go unbeaten in non-conference play at this point.
 

A nice foul trouble win. The foul trouble tonight would have usually translated into a loss the last two years.
 


Reader comment to Seattle Times game story:

"@AzMariners UW shot 50 percent from the field to Gophers 38 percent. Game was won at free throw line, where Minnesota had nine more attempts than UW, despite committing many more blatant fouls. Zebras dictate outcome again."

Officiating is in the eye of the beholder. No mention of Gabe's apparent travel on the game winning shot.
 

cncmin said:
Anybody else notice that McBrayer was NOT in the game for the final play? I don't know if his leg is still messed up but he looks to be having balance and stopping issues. Given he's been recovering for many months now, I don't have a lot of confidence that he's going to be 100% healthy again by the end of his Gopher career.
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McBrayer was pulled in favor of IW, who played better and made us a more dangerous offensive team. McBrayer's shot is flat as a pancake right now and Pitino had seen enough. No indication its injury related; certainly hope not as he is a key to our season.
 


Impressive 48 point second half.
I don’t love all the high screens against the zone, but we did have some effective interior passing against the zone.
One reason I hate having Coffey play PG against a zone team is that he’s our best option to flash to the FT line and receive the pass (he’s a good passer, shooter and decision maker).
Pleasantly surprised by Matz. He and Murph really played well together inside.
Washington has some great post entry passes.
Still with some great assists to the post, as well.
 


I haven’t watched the second half yet. First half set basketball back 20 years but I’m excited to watch the second half. I know the outcome (thanks 2018 technology) but I want to see it for myself.

In March, the committee won’t look at how the gophers won. They’ll look at the W
 

Block M said:
McBrayer was pulled in favor of IW, who played better and made us a more dangerous offensive team. McBrayer's shot is flat as a pancake right now and Pitino had seen enough. No indication its injury related; certainly hope not as he is a key to our season.
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Bench didn't look very happy when McBrayer took the jumper 2 feet inside of the arc on the 3 on 2 break that spun out.
 




gopheraddict said:
Reader comment to Seattle Times game story:

"@AzMariners UW shot 50 percent from the field to Gophers 38 percent. Game was won at free throw line, where Minnesota had nine more attempts than UW, despite committing many more blatant fouls. Zebras dictate outcome again."

Officiating is in the eye of the beholder. No mention of Gabe's apparent travel on the game winning shot.
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That comment by the reader is ridiculous. Any time Dickerson was breathed on by the Gophers, a foul was called. The refs called a foul when he slipped on the floor next to Stockman in the 2nd half, and it was easily the worst call I've seen all day, and I've been watching basketball since 11am.
 

The first half was the worst offensive half of basketball I've seen the Gophers play in years. I don't know why every team doesn't play zone against us.

Great 2nd half for Murphy, Coffey and IW. I continue to feel that you simply have to start IW and bench McBreyer or Gabe.
 

WoodburyTim said:
Bench didn't look very happy when McBrayer took the jumper 2 feet inside of the arc on the 3 on 2 break that spun out.
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I think all Gopher fans groaned. It's bad to take a guarded transition jumper. It's worse to take one off-balance just inside the arc.
 



howeda7 said:
The first half was the worst offensive half of basketball I've seen the Gophers play in years.
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In some ways, yes. Obviously they were a little sloppy with the ball, the bigs couldn’t finish, Coffey couldn’t finish, the outside shots weren’t falling and their free throw shooting was horrible.

But there *was* some good in that mess. It wasn’t just nothing but piss poor.

They are trying to play fast. They need work, but are definitely successfully pushing the pace. Especially in transition and double especially after an opponent made basket. When they start learning how to convert, look out.

They were getting the ball inside for repeated good looks. Oturu is young and will learn. Coffey will convert more than he has. Mats is capable and we all know what Murphy can do. And Curry will extend and open things up further.

The looks from the outside were mostly good, with some poor shot selection mixed in. Easy to correct. A result of pushing the pace hard, I think.

Free throws? Ugh. Not sure what to say there. Murphy was better last year. He should return to form. Same for Coffey. Some of the others have major issues.Washington needs to learn how to draw fouls, because he’s probably our best bet.

To sum it up, I think the pace Pitino wants to play is very fast and we have the athletes to do it in transition for sure. Might want to dial back a *little* in the half court, but I think the idea is to push as hard now to see what they are capable of.
 

There was a lot not to like about that first half, and really much of the Gophers entire performance the past 3 games, but I am not going to spend anytime dwelling on it. Gabe Kalscheur said Happy M'Fing Thanksgiving Gopher fans! Vancouver Showcase Champs!

Really liked how the Gophers responded in the second half, first coming back from down 9 to take the lead and then coming back a second time after Washington extended the lead again. I really felt strangely confident the Gophers could win this game after the first comeback, they just seemed like they had the juice. Matz did a nice job on Dickerson and I really felt like if Oturu didn't get that rather bogus foul call, the Gophers could have won this one without needing a buzzer beater to do so. They could have tired out the Washington big man if Stockman and Oturu could have shared the minutes. Jordan Murphy finally had a few of those beastly paint scores that have been missing and I thought Isaiah played a pretty composed game with the one glaring omission. It will probably go unappreciated by most, but when Oturu finally got back in the game late he was a major positive on the defensive end. He was a big reason the Gophers got stops when they needed them late. Thanks to the Gophers for getting one of the best nights of the year off to a great start.
 

howeda7 said:
The first half was the worst offensive half of basketball I've seen the Gophers play in years. I don't know why every team doesn't play zone against us.

Great 2nd half for Murphy, Coffey and IW. I continue to feel that you simply have to start IW and bench McBreyer or Gabe.
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On the first point. They gave up 48 in the second half playing mostly zone. Which is why not every team runs it against us. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It takes a lot of practice to be good at running zone. Washington practices it a ton and gave up 48 in the second half.

I like that pitino mixes in possessions of zone here and there. I think that is what teams should do to us.



Second point I agree. I think McBrayers skill set is better served coming off the bench anyways.
 

My favorite line from he Seattle Times article:

“When it left his hand, I said he made it,” Dickerson said. “I seen the look in his eyes. I said he made that shot as soon as he shot it over me.”


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

I posted something similar in a different thread, but the more I think about it, the more I'm impressed with how the kids battled that 2nd half. There were multiple occasions where they cut the lead to a couple points, but then went back down by 7-9... they continued to fight and claw there way back, though. Very gritty effort in that 2nd half--certainly something to be encouraged by.
 

This team may be the equivalent of the NW football team - not pretty but winning sort of ugly-like! Love watching them gut out victories!
 

This team is what we thought they were: talented and deep, but a lot of new pieces. There was no telling how well they'd come together, and it's been good at times and a hot mess at other times. But they're 5-0, and much of that has been determination and playing for 40 minutes. I don't know if I'd call that toughness because there are stretches when they don't look all that mentally tough, but the leadership of the upperclassmen shows in the way they keep fighting and making plays.

If I were Pitino, I'd emphasize their best moments, which demonstrate what they're capable of if they could perform more consistently. I'd also talk about realizing their free throw abilities, especially Coffey and Murphy not throwing up to their track record right now. Challenge them to be more focused and mentally tough at the stripe. They're certainly capable of better.
 

Our D can win us close games in crunch time, we just have to limit the mistakes on O to stay in the game. The schedule has really benefited us so far, getting pushed by some decent teams early will help us more than popcorn state.
 

Bad Gopher said:
This team is what we thought they were: talented and deep, but a lot of new pieces. There was no telling how well they'd come together, and it's been good at times and a hot mess at other times. But they're 5-0, and much of that has been determination and playing for 40 minutes. I don't know if I'd call that toughness because there are stretches when they don't look all that mentally tough, but the leadership of the upperclassmen shows in the way they keep fighting and making plays.

If I were Pitino, I'd emphasize their best moments, which demonstrate what they're capable of if they could perform more consistently. I'd also talk about realizing their free throw abilities, especially Coffey and Murphy not throwing up to their track record right now. Challenge them to be more focused and mentally tough at the stripe. They're certainly capable of better.
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Agreed. They havent had the usual cupcakes to work out the challenges of so many new starters and changing rolls. I've recovered from being stunned by how inept they looked at times, but we said all we wanted more meaningful games in the preseason! A 5-0 that actually means something is great.
 

It is nice to see a little more reasoned analysis of the game once the dust has settled. Washington is a very good zone defense team that was also trying to win the game. You can try and prepare as much as you can to break it down, but it is never the same as when you are in the actual game. Nice coaching adjustments at half and the players talent, execution and grit came out with a win.

As other have mentioned, Pitino wants to play very fast with an athletic group of players that can change styles on the fly. He is beginning to develop his style of team, just as this group of players are beginning to use their talents. Many will say it has taken too long, but he needed to get in the right group of players. I think this is just the beginning of a magical time at the U. Just remember that in college basketball you don't have to be perfect, just do enough things right to make up for all the things you do wrong. Good teams don't have to look pretty, they just need to find a way to win.
 
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howeda7 said:
The first half was the worst offensive half of basketball I've seen the Gophers play in years. I don't know why every team doesn't play zone against us.

Great 2nd half for Murphy, Coffey and IW. I continue to feel that you simply have to start IW and bench McBreyer or Gabe.
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You're gonna bench our best 3 pt shooter??


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Rewatching the game on FSN. We played such a better 2nd half. I'm impressed with some of the off ball activity Matz Stockman had on the offensive end. Very smart.
 

howeda7 said:
The first half was the worst offensive half of basketball I've seen the Gophers play in years. I don't know why every team doesn't play zone against us.

Great 2nd half for Murphy, Coffey and IW. I continue to feel that you simply have to start IW and bench McBreyer or Gabe.
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Offense is only as good as a made basket. Nobody remembers a sloppy possession if the ball goes in the hoop. Sure, there were turnovers and not every possession was pretty, but they largely moved the ball well got decent looks against a very athletic, aggressive and lengthy zone. Shots just didn't go in, it happens. Remember, Washington will contend for the Pac-12 title.

The Gophers played very good defensively, and it's what gave them a chance to win the game in the end. Loved to see a more aggressive approach in the second half, getting the ball to Murphy and driving the lane consistently. We were at our best off a defensive rebound, immediate outlet and running the floor before Washington could set up its zone. We'll be at our best all year getting out and running, it's what this group was built to do.

Gabe is way too valuable not to start. He plays great D, doesn't make many mistakes and is our best shooter.
 

NWMetroGopherFan said:
Offense is only as good as a made basket. Nobody remembers a sloppy possession if the ball goes in the hoop. Sure, there were turnovers and not every possession was pretty, but they largely moved the ball well got decent looks against a very athletic, aggressive and lengthy zone. Shots just didn't go in, it happens. Remember, Washington will contend for the Pac-12 title.

The Gophers played very good defensively, and it's what gave them a chance to win the game in the end. Loved to see a more aggressive approach in the second half, getting the ball to Murphy and driving the lane consistently. We were at our best off a defensive rebound, immediate outlet and running the floor before Washington could set up its zone. We'll be at our best all year getting out and running, it's what this group was built to do.

Gabe is way too valuable not to start. He plays great D, doesn't make many mistakes and is our best shooter.
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Gabe has to start. Its then judgement of whether to start IW and move Amir to the 3 or Dupree and keep Amir at PG.
 

NWMetroGopherFan said:
Offense is only as good as a made basket. Nobody remembers a sloppy possession if the ball goes in the hoop. Sure, there were turnovers and not every possession was pretty, but they largely moved the ball well got decent looks against a very athletic, aggressive and lengthy zone. Shots just didn't go in, it happens. Remember, Washington will contend for the Pac-12 title.

The Gophers played very good defensively, and it's what gave them a chance to win the game in the end. Loved to see a more aggressive approach in the second half, getting the ball to Murphy and driving the lane consistently. We were at our best off a defensive rebound, immediate outlet and running the floor before Washington could set up its zone. We'll be at our best all year getting out and running, it's what this group was built to do.

Gabe is way too valuable not to start. He plays great D, doesn't make many mistakes and is our best shooter.
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This!


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Don't disrespect Gabe's last second shot! He basically shot it one-handed. But his form on his right hand was pure.

What happened is he went up, after traveling, and realized Dickerson was going to block his shot. He moved his right hand further out to the right to avoid Dickerson's hand and executed a beautiful one handed jumper! This is something you don't see everyday, a player with enough awareness to realize they have to alter their usual form to get the job done! Think of Jordan switching hands in the air or Erving bringing the ball down and going to the backside of the basket. This shot wasn't as graceful but equally smart and aware for a shot we desperately needed.

Keep it up Gabe!

I don't get how Washington got an assist for the shot since Gabe passed up the initial look off the pass. No way Hoffarber would've!
 

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