DanielHouse
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In the past two games, the Gophers have been an opponent teams with losing streaks want to play. Michigan State had lost three games in a row and Nebraska dropped seven consecutive Big Ten matchups. Each of them found a way to win.
Indiana arrived to Williams Arena on Saturday after losing nine of their last ten. Following a heart-breaking loss at Nebraska, Minnesota needs to string together wins to gain momentum during the final month of the season.
The game on Saturday could be exactly what this team needed -- a confidence boost. Minnesota put together one of their most complete performances of the season. Freshman Gabe Kalscheur was dominant from downtown, drilling six three-pointers and scoring 20 points in 84-63 win. Minnesota had four players in double figures and showed off all of their potential when they are balanced in the scoring column.
The Gophers moved the basketball better, and more importantly, hit three-point shots, which contributes to their success. In eight Big Ten losses, the Gophers are shooting just 28-for-115 from downtown (24%). During their seven wins, (including this game), Minnesota has gone 47-for-119 behind arc (39.4%). This shows how much they rely upon spacing and knocking down shots to put Jordan Murphy in positions to be successful.
From the start, the Gophers again tried to establish an identity in the post with high-low action. Early in the game, Jordan Murphy found Daniel Oturu for a tough finish at the rim. Moments later, as the shot clock bled down, Oturu stepped out and drilled a three-pointer. The freshman big-man has been doing it all for the Gophers on both ends of the court. He had seven points and continues to be a bright spot when the offense runs through him.
Minnesota’s ball movement was more consistent and it helped them get shots in rhythm. Gabe Kalscheur hit two early three-pointers and Amir Coffey banked another long-range hit off the glass. The Gophers hit their first four attempts from behind the arc and went 8-for-11 from the floor. Two of those long-range hits were aided by banks off the glass. Minnesota was also doing an excellent job of getting deep post touches and cutting to open spots along the baseline.
Things clamped down quickly as Minnesota went 1-for-9 from the floor and Indiana pulled the game within five points. The Gophers went more than 5:02 without a field goal, but Jordan Murphy was a force in the first half. He was taking players off the dribble, cutting hard and attacking Indiana in every way. Murphy gets so low, is explosive around the low block and has great hands. He started 5-for-8 from the floor and reached the free throw line for 11 attempts in the first half. Murphy finished the afternoon with 23 points and 11 rebounds, posting his tenth double-double in 15 games.
Minnesota led by 12 points at the break and extended the lead behind three-point shooting from Gabe Kalscheur. The freshman was shooting the ball coming off curls and in rhythm. This helps him get in a groove and knock down shots. Kalscheur had 20 points, including six three-pointers.
In the second half, both Dupree McBrayer and Amir Coffey knocked down back-to-back three-pointers. McBrayer reached double figures, scoring ten points and Coffey added 18 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
This is an encouraging sign for the Gophers, especially considering both Coffey and McBrayer have been trying to overcome scoring slumps. Both of them came off screens and hit shots in rhythm as the Gophers started to shoot the ball efficiently. Indiana wasn’t playing well defensively and Minnesota attacked them with more patience and ball movement. The use of screens and curls helped the guards get more favorable looks with timing.
There are still moments where the Gophers struggle with quickness at the guard spots, but the help side defense was far more consistent in this game. Minnesota held Romeo Langford to just ten points via six shots and Indiana was just 2-for-17 from downtown. Amir Coffey did an excellent job defending Langford and the Gophers had strong close-outs around the perimeter.
If Minnesota can continue to shoot the ball like this, it changes everything and puts players in favorable positions to be successful. When the Gophers are balanced, they put stress on a defense with the varying skill sets they feature on their roster.
VIDEO
Indiana arrived to Williams Arena on Saturday after losing nine of their last ten. Following a heart-breaking loss at Nebraska, Minnesota needs to string together wins to gain momentum during the final month of the season.
The game on Saturday could be exactly what this team needed -- a confidence boost. Minnesota put together one of their most complete performances of the season. Freshman Gabe Kalscheur was dominant from downtown, drilling six three-pointers and scoring 20 points in 84-63 win. Minnesota had four players in double figures and showed off all of their potential when they are balanced in the scoring column.
The Gophers moved the basketball better, and more importantly, hit three-point shots, which contributes to their success. In eight Big Ten losses, the Gophers are shooting just 28-for-115 from downtown (24%). During their seven wins, (including this game), Minnesota has gone 47-for-119 behind arc (39.4%). This shows how much they rely upon spacing and knocking down shots to put Jordan Murphy in positions to be successful.
From the start, the Gophers again tried to establish an identity in the post with high-low action. Early in the game, Jordan Murphy found Daniel Oturu for a tough finish at the rim. Moments later, as the shot clock bled down, Oturu stepped out and drilled a three-pointer. The freshman big-man has been doing it all for the Gophers on both ends of the court. He had seven points and continues to be a bright spot when the offense runs through him.
Minnesota’s ball movement was more consistent and it helped them get shots in rhythm. Gabe Kalscheur hit two early three-pointers and Amir Coffey banked another long-range hit off the glass. The Gophers hit their first four attempts from behind the arc and went 8-for-11 from the floor. Two of those long-range hits were aided by banks off the glass. Minnesota was also doing an excellent job of getting deep post touches and cutting to open spots along the baseline.
Things clamped down quickly as Minnesota went 1-for-9 from the floor and Indiana pulled the game within five points. The Gophers went more than 5:02 without a field goal, but Jordan Murphy was a force in the first half. He was taking players off the dribble, cutting hard and attacking Indiana in every way. Murphy gets so low, is explosive around the low block and has great hands. He started 5-for-8 from the floor and reached the free throw line for 11 attempts in the first half. Murphy finished the afternoon with 23 points and 11 rebounds, posting his tenth double-double in 15 games.
Minnesota led by 12 points at the break and extended the lead behind three-point shooting from Gabe Kalscheur. The freshman was shooting the ball coming off curls and in rhythm. This helps him get in a groove and knock down shots. Kalscheur had 20 points, including six three-pointers.
In the second half, both Dupree McBrayer and Amir Coffey knocked down back-to-back three-pointers. McBrayer reached double figures, scoring ten points and Coffey added 18 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
This is an encouraging sign for the Gophers, especially considering both Coffey and McBrayer have been trying to overcome scoring slumps. Both of them came off screens and hit shots in rhythm as the Gophers started to shoot the ball efficiently. Indiana wasn’t playing well defensively and Minnesota attacked them with more patience and ball movement. The use of screens and curls helped the guards get more favorable looks with timing.
There are still moments where the Gophers struggle with quickness at the guard spots, but the help side defense was far more consistent in this game. Minnesota held Romeo Langford to just ten points via six shots and Indiana was just 2-for-17 from downtown. Amir Coffey did an excellent job defending Langford and the Gophers had strong close-outs around the perimeter.
If Minnesota can continue to shoot the ball like this, it changes everything and puts players in favorable positions to be successful. When the Gophers are balanced, they put stress on a defense with the varying skill sets they feature on their roster.
VIDEO
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