***OFFICIAL MINNESOTA VS PENN STATE BTT IN-GAME THREAD!!!!***

Did we just lose by 30 to complete a winless season?

I wait until after the game (and sometimes the next day after a crushing loss) to post because if anyone could read my texts that I send out to my friends I sound just as unhinged as some of the posters here. It makes for some interesting reading post-game, however.

Also, I'd like to note that I have watched a ton of games this season and most teams play incredibly stupid and do dumb stuff over the course of the game. We don't having any vested interest in most of these games so we probably don't notice it but even elite teams like Gonzaga just make head scratching decisions at times.

This was a really important win and the team (including Pitino) should be commended for pulling this game out when things looked bleak for much of the game.

I look forward to tomorrow and posting around the same time, hopefully with a clear head!

Long Live Miles Tarver!


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Did we just lose by 30 to complete a winless season?

I wait until after the game (and sometimes the next day after a crushing loss) to post because if anyone could read my texts that I send out to my friends I sound just as unhinged as some of the posters here. It makes for some interesting reading post-game, however.

Also, I'd like to note that I have watched a ton of games this season and most teams play incredibly stupid and do dumb stuff over the course of the game. We don't having any vested interest in most of these games so we probably don't notice it but even elite teams like Gonzaga just make head scratching decisions at times.

This was a really important win and the team (including Pitino) should be commended for pulling this game out when things looked bleak for much of the game.

I look forward to tomorrow and posting around the same time, hopefully with a clear head!

Even die-hard superfan Gopher Lady tweeted out that this was a brutal game, so ease yourself off your high horse. Maybe this forum is a bit too rowdy for you.
 

My goodness, lots of negativity on this board. Calm down people. Bring on Purdue!
 



Even die-hard superfan Gopher Lady tweeted out that this was a brutal game, so ease yourself off your high horse. Maybe this forum is a bit too rowdy for you.

I’m with Miles. This board does an amazing job of bringing fans together, but does an equally amazing job of raising expectations. In real time it’s so easy to point out flaws, yet college basketball is full of imperfect play. There are a handful of teams in a given year that win pretty more often than not. Those teams are in the top 5.

I’ll react and complain audibly mid game with the best of them, but my perspective of this team varies dramatically with my involvement on gopher hole. The less I’m on here, the better I feel about their performance. This is not an endorsement of Pitino or what some on here call mediocrity, but rather an acknowledgement that this board is an echo chamber of negative opinions, opinions which would exist for almost all college basketball teams under the microscope of emotionally invested fans.




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My goodness, lots of negativity on this board. Calm down people. Bring on Purdue!

I watch most games with a half hour to one hour DVR delay because I cannot deal with commercials, free throws and other stuff. I also cannot deal with too much human interaction,at least I thought during a real game.

Tonight I paused the DVR and walked over the street to the "Bar", in my Cathedral Hill/ Ramsey Hill Neighborhood in St. Paul. I was shocked to see the game was actually on the TV screen and surprised to see a group behind me was aware of the game.

By the late second half I(and the other guy next to me) was shouting at the TV after every score,, stop and rebound, and the table behind me was loud. There was a hold out table on the other side of the wall that I could hear as well.

The staff never even noticed that this game was big, the average patron knew nothing, but if we ever made it back to the Final Four that place would have been rocking.

Gopher basketball always matters, and tonight reminded me of that.

What I learned tonight was the lost feeling of gutting out a tough game and experiencing a big win with a group in public.

The night was a lot more fun of sitting on the couch with a remote, and the DVR, win or lose.
 
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The good: Dupree played his best game of the year. Murphy was solid and Coffey finally turned in on at the end.

The bad: What is up with Oturu? Gabe. Stull. Why Richard, why?
 

Hello?

It's always a thrill when the Gophers win, but that game was brutal, and I didn't like that brand of basketball. This team could accomplish some things if they could clean this shat up.

You do realize that it takes two to tango. Penn state smartly turned the entire game into a slugfest. They walked it up court. The pressed throughout. They were the physical aggressor. And it all worked for about 38 minutes. You can’t choose style of play. Is this your first big ten rodeo?
 



You do realize that it takes two to tango. Penn state smartly turned the entire game into a slugfest. They walked it up court. The pressed throughout. They were the physical aggressor. And it all worked for about 38 minutes. You can’t choose style of play. Is this your first big ten rodeo?

Penn State was playing relentless pressure defense, man to man, and looked very athletic. I still think that coach has something brewing there if he does not get fired. but I will never understand how they were under .500. #24 very good, #11 great, #23 great, the rest all solid.

This was a great win tonight.
 


For what it's worth, Lunardi had said the Gophers could likely end up in the play-in game if they had lost today.

What a relief though. It feels like the Gophers won their way into the tournament with this victory and the Purdue game instead of backing their way in.
Honestly, i would've preferred the 10/11 seed with a loss tonight instead of the probable 8/9 seed we're going to get now.

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Honestly, i would've preferred the 10/11 seed with a loss tonight instead of the probable 8/9 seed we're going to get now.

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For sure because I’m so confident in a win in round one I’d rather have a tougher opponent so I can play the loser of UNC-Duke instead of the winner
 




Win a couple more and we could end up with a 7 seed!
Is Middle Tennessee going to make the tournament this year? Remember the last time we were a seven seed?

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Penn State was playing relentless pressure defense, man to man, and looked very athletic. I still think that coach has something brewing there if he does not get fired. but I will never understand how they were under .500. #24 very good, #11 great, #23 great, the rest all solid.

This was a great win tonight.

The brand of basketball I'm talking about was the often aimless offense, careless turnovers, zombie team energy (the coach's words, not mine), and the junior "star" of the team not walking up until well into the second half. I don't mind Big Ten basketball, actually; I watch it all the time.
 

I think there is a very good possibility the Gophers win this by 10 points or more.

In the regular season game Stevens had 27 points and was 3 for 3 from 3. He's a 22% shooter from the 3 line, so good luck going 3-3 again. Nobody else had more than 10 points for PSU.

Murphy Oturu and Curry combined for 40 of our points with Murph getting 19pts and 21 rebounds. Coffey shot 3 of 14 for a mere 11 points. McBricks had 10 and Gabe was not in double figures.
We had 13 turnovers as well and we have not been producing that many as of late. Coffey was not nearly as efficient at running the point as he is now. Stockman did not play but could be huge defending the paint.

I do not see PSU being able to stop Murphy and Oturu from getting their averages and Coffey should continue his hot streak. Would love to see Gabe have a big game as well.

Projection:

Gophers 76 - Penn State 64 with 24 points from Stevens.

Well, at least I got Stevens point total right!
 

I’m with Miles. This board does an amazing job of bringing fans together, but does an equally amazing job of raising expectations. In real time it’s so easy to point out flaws, yet college basketball is full of imperfect play. There are a handful of teams in a given year that win pretty more often than not. Those teams are in the top 5.

I’ll react and complain audibly mid game with the best of them, but my perspective of this team varies dramatically with my involvement on gopher hole. The less I’m on here, the better I feel about their performance. This is not an endorsement of Pitino or what some on here call mediocrity, but rather an acknowledgement that this board is an echo chamber of negative opinions, opinions which would exist for almost all college basketball teams under the microscope of emotionally invested fans.




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Great post and spot on.


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The good: Dupree played his best game of the year. Murphy was solid and Coffey finally turned in on at the end.

The bad: What is up with Oturu? Gabe. Stull. Why Richard, why?

Gabe and Oturu looked lost.

I'm with you on Stull. I would rather see Hurt out there.
 

It's always a thrill when the Gophers win, but that game was brutal, and I didn't like that brand of basketball. This team could accomplish some things if they could clean this shat up.

Welcome to the Big Ten. It's not pretty and it's never going to be, so perhaps you should find another conference to watch if you don't like it. Penn State came in having won 7 of their last 10, arguably the hottest team in the league. Their 3/4 court press and length defensively gave the Gophers all kinds of problems, they stayed within arm's length until they absolutely had to make a run. And when they needed a lift, they got it from Murphy and McBrayer, the seniors. Coffey turned it on scoring-wise when he had to, scored 6 points the first 36 minutes and finished with 22.

Lamar Stevens is a pro. Scored 24 but needed 25 shots to do it. I thought we forced him into several tough looks and he took a few bad shots in critical moments. Love that McBrayer hit the big shot that led to overtime and got a huge 3 in OT. I'm stunned that Stevens went under the Stockman screen on Coffey's 3 that could've won. You never, ever, ever go under the screen in that situation. You switch and force him to take a contested shot.

For as sluggish as both teams were the first 34 minutes, the last 6 and overtime was fun, entertaining basketball. The Gophers need to play the whole 40 tonight like they did the last 6 of regulation and 5 of overtime last night. They got the one win they had to have, now go play free tonight. You could tell they were a little tight last night, knowing what was at stake.
 

1. Have Oturu and Gabe hit the freshmen wall?
2. We played defense without fouling! 15 total fouls, Coffey with 4, nobody else had more than 2.
3. We shared the ball! Murphy, Coffey, and Matz with 5 assists! Single digit turnovers at 9.
4. Lethargic first half. Lost the battle for loose balls.
5. Got to the free throw line, made 77%!
6. Blocked 1 shot, got 4 steals. We had no energy getting deflections of any sort.
7. Matz has been playing so well its making Pitino look bad for not using him when Curry wasn't 100%.
8. McBrayer's best game of the season?
9. Held Stevens to 9-25.
10. Bad defense on Watkins.

Sometimes we concentrate on weaknesses and miss strengths.
Our inside game is top notch. Our ability to draw fouls is great also.
Go Gophers!
 

Does anyone else get frustrated by the lack of ball handling by Coffey? Too many turn overs.
And lack of consistency.
Mark my words we lose tonight because he doens't play well. Wish he had some drive.
 

Does anyone else get frustrated by the lack of ball handling by Coffey? Too many turn overs.
And lack of consistency.
Mark my words we lose tonight because he doens't play well. Wish he had some drive.

I get frustrated by lack of ball movement

too much dribbling, too much standing around
 




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