DanielHouse
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After an excruciating road loss at Illinois and a tight win over Penn State, a trip to Michigan felt like a daunting task for an inconsistent Gophers team. They again surprised fans for more than 22 minutes during Tuesday’s matchup against the No. 5 ranked Michigan Wolverines.
The Gophers led by seven points early in the second half, but Michigan started to catch fire. They capitalized upon Minnesota’s 16 total turnovers and put together a 23-3 second half run. The Wolverines suddenly led by 13 points with 9:10 left. The Gophers didn’t quit, though.
A 10-2 run, including a steal by Dupree McBrayer helped Minnesota knot the game at 57 with 31 seconds remaining. Michigan forward Ignas Brazdeikis advanced the ball and his shot was blocked on the baseline by Eric Curry. It deflected into the hands of guard Charles Matthews, who launched the game-winning shot with a second remaining. Despite a valiant comeback, the Gophers fell short, 59-57, on the road against a top-five team.
Forward Ignas Brazdeikis had 18 points, including a string of five consecutive points during Michigan’s 23-3 run. Minnesota went nearly ten minutes without scoring in the second half and controlled a large portion of the game. Turnovers were simply too much for them to overcome.
From the beginning, it looked like the Gophers might have the energy needed to compete.
Jordan Murphy was attacking the glass and Minnesota opened the night with a 10-4 rebounding advantage. Murphy’s energy on both ends of the court helped the Gophers jump out to an early 16-8 lead.
Eric Curry’s passing helped set up opportunities for his teammates, especially when Michigan doubled him in the post. Curry found Murphy in the paint for a tough basket at the rim. Minnesota started the night with intensity on both ends of the floor forced Michigan to take tough shots. Collectively, Minnesota was boxing out well and closing out around the arc. They also were using quality low-post action to claim an early 10-4 advantage in the post. In the first half, the Gophers moved the ball well and crisp passing helped them maximize their offensive possessions.
At one point, Michigan was shooting just 23 percent from the floor and 1-for-10 behind the arc, but the Gophers had ten first half turnovers to keep the Wolverines within striking distance. As the Michigan offense caught fire, things quickly changed. A Jon Teske three-pointer helped the Wolverines hit four consecutive shots, tying the game at 23. Teske drilled his first five attempts, but his teammates were just 6-for-30 from the floor in the first half.
The Gophers took advantage of the Wolverines’ poor shooting and Eric Curry kicked out behind the arc for a three-pointer. Minnesota entered halftime with a three-point lead, despite Jordan Murphy and Daniel Oturu each having two fouls. Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer also started the game just 2-for-10 from the floor, but Minnesota managed to play great team basketball on both ends of the court.
Coffey again struggled on Tuesday night, scoring just 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting. In Minnesota’s first five Big Ten games, he averaged 23.4 points per game, but hasn’t found a groove recently. In the past three conference matchups, he is averaging roughly ten points per game. If the Gophers want to compete in these type of games, they need more consistent scoring from Coffey. On the other hand, senior Dupree McBrayer stepped up in the late stages of this game.
McBrayer smoothly drilled a three-pointer to begin the second half and drew an offensive foul to extend Minnesota’s lead to seven points. Michigan struck back with a 6-0 run, including a five-point streak by Ignas Brazdeikis. Throughout the night, the Gophers fought through ball screens, but turnovers allowed Michigan to accumulate easy baskets and free throws. Dupree McBrayer’s hustle and tenacity on defense helped the Gophers hang around late.
Minnesota’s inability to consistently take care of the basketball flipped the balance of this game. The Gophers also fouled three-point shooters twice, which allowed the Wolverines to accumulate easy points. Michigan turned up the intensity on defense, forcing four key turnovers over a five-minute stretch. The Wolverines’ lead suddenly stretched to 13 points as they went on a 23-3 run. Over the same stretch, the Gophers made just one of their eleven shots. In a surprising twist of events, Minnesota went away from the high-low action that had success early in the night. They eventually returned to it in the final stages.
The Gophers went on one late run to cut Michigan’s lead to six points with 2:42 remaining. A tough layup by Amir Coffey, followed by a laser three-pointer by freshman Gabe Kalscheur tied the game at 57. However, Charles Matthews’ last-second buzzer-beater propelled Michigan to a victory.
Minnesota gave Michigan ample opportunities to score and they took advantage. During a road game versus a top-five opponent, the margin for error is slim. Mistakes in the second half were too much, but the Gophers proved they could compete against a strong team on the road.
With a plethora of inconsistency shown by this team, it’s hard to know what to expect in each game. Tuesday night’s performance was just another example.
The Gophers led by seven points early in the second half, but Michigan started to catch fire. They capitalized upon Minnesota’s 16 total turnovers and put together a 23-3 second half run. The Wolverines suddenly led by 13 points with 9:10 left. The Gophers didn’t quit, though.
A 10-2 run, including a steal by Dupree McBrayer helped Minnesota knot the game at 57 with 31 seconds remaining. Michigan forward Ignas Brazdeikis advanced the ball and his shot was blocked on the baseline by Eric Curry. It deflected into the hands of guard Charles Matthews, who launched the game-winning shot with a second remaining. Despite a valiant comeback, the Gophers fell short, 59-57, on the road against a top-five team.
Forward Ignas Brazdeikis had 18 points, including a string of five consecutive points during Michigan’s 23-3 run. Minnesota went nearly ten minutes without scoring in the second half and controlled a large portion of the game. Turnovers were simply too much for them to overcome.
From the beginning, it looked like the Gophers might have the energy needed to compete.
Jordan Murphy was attacking the glass and Minnesota opened the night with a 10-4 rebounding advantage. Murphy’s energy on both ends of the court helped the Gophers jump out to an early 16-8 lead.
Eric Curry’s passing helped set up opportunities for his teammates, especially when Michigan doubled him in the post. Curry found Murphy in the paint for a tough basket at the rim. Minnesota started the night with intensity on both ends of the floor forced Michigan to take tough shots. Collectively, Minnesota was boxing out well and closing out around the arc. They also were using quality low-post action to claim an early 10-4 advantage in the post. In the first half, the Gophers moved the ball well and crisp passing helped them maximize their offensive possessions.
At one point, Michigan was shooting just 23 percent from the floor and 1-for-10 behind the arc, but the Gophers had ten first half turnovers to keep the Wolverines within striking distance. As the Michigan offense caught fire, things quickly changed. A Jon Teske three-pointer helped the Wolverines hit four consecutive shots, tying the game at 23. Teske drilled his first five attempts, but his teammates were just 6-for-30 from the floor in the first half.
The Gophers took advantage of the Wolverines’ poor shooting and Eric Curry kicked out behind the arc for a three-pointer. Minnesota entered halftime with a three-point lead, despite Jordan Murphy and Daniel Oturu each having two fouls. Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer also started the game just 2-for-10 from the floor, but Minnesota managed to play great team basketball on both ends of the court.
Coffey again struggled on Tuesday night, scoring just 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting. In Minnesota’s first five Big Ten games, he averaged 23.4 points per game, but hasn’t found a groove recently. In the past three conference matchups, he is averaging roughly ten points per game. If the Gophers want to compete in these type of games, they need more consistent scoring from Coffey. On the other hand, senior Dupree McBrayer stepped up in the late stages of this game.
McBrayer smoothly drilled a three-pointer to begin the second half and drew an offensive foul to extend Minnesota’s lead to seven points. Michigan struck back with a 6-0 run, including a five-point streak by Ignas Brazdeikis. Throughout the night, the Gophers fought through ball screens, but turnovers allowed Michigan to accumulate easy baskets and free throws. Dupree McBrayer’s hustle and tenacity on defense helped the Gophers hang around late.
Minnesota’s inability to consistently take care of the basketball flipped the balance of this game. The Gophers also fouled three-point shooters twice, which allowed the Wolverines to accumulate easy points. Michigan turned up the intensity on defense, forcing four key turnovers over a five-minute stretch. The Wolverines’ lead suddenly stretched to 13 points as they went on a 23-3 run. Over the same stretch, the Gophers made just one of their eleven shots. In a surprising twist of events, Minnesota went away from the high-low action that had success early in the night. They eventually returned to it in the final stages.
The Gophers went on one late run to cut Michigan’s lead to six points with 2:42 remaining. A tough layup by Amir Coffey, followed by a laser three-pointer by freshman Gabe Kalscheur tied the game at 57. However, Charles Matthews’ last-second buzzer-beater propelled Michigan to a victory.
Minnesota gave Michigan ample opportunities to score and they took advantage. During a road game versus a top-five opponent, the margin for error is slim. Mistakes in the second half were too much, but the Gophers proved they could compete against a strong team on the road.
With a plethora of inconsistency shown by this team, it’s hard to know what to expect in each game. Tuesday night’s performance was just another example.
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