I like where things stand right now.

touchdownvikings

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It hasn't been pretty. Sh*t - sometimes it hasn't even been ****able with the assistance of a case of your favorite brew. But I like where things stand right now. Because things boil down to things our guys can control.

On the offensive side of things, the Gophers have a scoring median (in B1G play) of 68. This remains objectively low for sustained success.

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49 B1G games played. Interquartile range of scores by winning teams: 68-80. Median score of winning team 75.

Median points surrendered by the Gophers in B1G play: 78. So half the time the Gophers surrender a quantity of points that generally leads to your opponent winning. I'm going to need that case of brew now. And it's only 1pm in here in Florida.

But here's the good part. This season boils down to IW and Curry. We KNOW what we're going to get from the rest. Murph? Double-double most nights out - some struggles against talented length. Can't ask him to grow 2 inches, it is what it is. Coffey? Will lead the team in scoring on average, and he's got a few more 20+ games left in him during the season. Pree? Great defense, streaky shooter that averages out in the long run to a decent shooter. He's got a few "hot" games left in him.

Now... IW. He's been improving. I never even worry about him chucking up 19 shots any more. That's a thing of the past. He plays within the offense now. And his assist numbers will improve when his teammates pull out of their shooting slumps. He needs to play defense HARD and continue to play offense within the system. Those are CHOICES. And he appears to making them more than not, and the Gophers will win when that happens. He played hard D last night, and the Gophers held Penn State to a point total that generally leads to your opponent losing - and they did. If IW plays HARD D and stays within the system, the median point total will climb and points surrendered will fall. This is a choice for IW, and he looks to be making the right choice!

As for Curry - he's looking like he's climbing back into form. Great news! We need him. Especially when teams try to get Murph in foul trouble. Plus he brings the hint of an outside shot, so he adds an extra dynamic.

Long term the question marks in this season come down to IW and Curry. And they are looking good. So I expect good things.
 




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