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Consistency has been hard to find for the 2019 Gopher basketball team.
This season, Minnesota hasn’t put together one big stretch of wins, but they have remained competitive in a tough Big Ten conference. After a nail-biting 75-73 upset of No. 2 Purdue, the Gophers faced one of their biggest challenges yet – finding a way to slow down a dynamic Michigan Wolverines squad.
With two physical games over the past two nights, this wasn’t an easy task. The Gophers looked fatigued during most of Saturday’s game as Michigan cruised to a 76-49 win. Isaiah Livers scored 21 points and Xavier Simpson added 15 of his own as the Wolverines punched their ticket to the Big Ten Tournament championship.
The Gophers started the game going toe-to-toe with Michigan on each possession. At the 10:52 mark of the first half, Gabe Kalscheur drilled a tough contested jumper in the paint to knot the game up at 13. Things quickly came to a screeching halt, though. From that point on, the Gophers were outscored 25-6 and finished the first half shooting just 9-for-27 from the floor. The Wolverines closed the first half on a 19-4 run and couldn’t miss a shot. Center Jon Teske’s three-pointer hit off the back iron and went down, illustrating the way Michigan shot the basketball in this game.
Michigan shot 57 percent, knocked down four three-pointers and committed just two turnovers in the first half. The Michigan run started when Minnesota became careless with the basketball. Amir Coffey had the ball ripped away and Ignas Bradzdeikis slammed it down the other way. The Wolverines also blocked five first half shots and matched Minnesota’s physicality in the paint. The Gophers earned opportunities at the foul stripe, but couldn’t come away with points, either. They went 3-for-9 from the free throw line and lost crucial opportunities to keep pace.
Amir Coffey scored 14 points and Jordan Murphy added ten of his own, but Minnesota struggled to move the ball or hit shots from downtown. The Gophers made just two of their twelve three-point attempts and couldn’t knock down any open looks to answer Michigan’s dynamic shooting.
The Wolverines could do what they wanted offensively because Minnesota struggled on the defensive end. The formula for success in the team’s past two wins was their ability to defend well. The Gophers struggled to fight through screens and were a step slow trying to defend pick-and-roll looks. It’s clear fatigue set in for Minnesota near the midway point of the first half. When that happened, Michigan had wide-open three-pointers and mid-range jumpers. The Wolverines’ tempo, physicality and ability to attack with a purpose was tough to defend.
They are so disciplined in their half court sets and it takes energy and effort to actively defend their attack. Minnesota didn’t have anything left to keep pace with the quickness, athleticism and length of the Wolverines’ attack. Michigan cruised the entire afternoon, drilling countless open three-pointers. They led by as many as 35 points, shot a whopping 52 percent and had three players in double figures.
Despite the Gophers losing this game, Jarvis Omersa stepped up as Matz Stockman missed the game with concussion symptoms. Within his two minutes, he grabbed three rebounds, forced two contested shots and got his hand into two passing lanes. However, his offensive game is still evolving and he struggled at the free throw line. He missed two free throws in Saturday’s game and is just 2-for-13 at the line this season.
An underrated issue for Minnesota is the lack of production they are receiving from the bench. They have scored a combined six bench points in the past two games. This occurred despite six reserves playing a total of 40 minutes in this matchup. Sophomore guard Isaiah Washington also made his first appearance in the past five games. Prior to those five matchups, he played a combined seven minutes in three games. It’s unclear why he missed so much action, but Washington did see the floor when Minnesota lost control of the game on Saturday.
The Gophers ran out of steam at the Big Ten Tournament and struggled to keep pace with one of the best teams in the country. Now, the focus shifts to the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota will likely earn an eight or nine seed in the tournament field. The Selection Show starts on Sunday night at 5 p.m. CT and will air on CBS.
VIDEO:
This season, Minnesota hasn’t put together one big stretch of wins, but they have remained competitive in a tough Big Ten conference. After a nail-biting 75-73 upset of No. 2 Purdue, the Gophers faced one of their biggest challenges yet – finding a way to slow down a dynamic Michigan Wolverines squad.
With two physical games over the past two nights, this wasn’t an easy task. The Gophers looked fatigued during most of Saturday’s game as Michigan cruised to a 76-49 win. Isaiah Livers scored 21 points and Xavier Simpson added 15 of his own as the Wolverines punched their ticket to the Big Ten Tournament championship.
The Gophers started the game going toe-to-toe with Michigan on each possession. At the 10:52 mark of the first half, Gabe Kalscheur drilled a tough contested jumper in the paint to knot the game up at 13. Things quickly came to a screeching halt, though. From that point on, the Gophers were outscored 25-6 and finished the first half shooting just 9-for-27 from the floor. The Wolverines closed the first half on a 19-4 run and couldn’t miss a shot. Center Jon Teske’s three-pointer hit off the back iron and went down, illustrating the way Michigan shot the basketball in this game.
Michigan shot 57 percent, knocked down four three-pointers and committed just two turnovers in the first half. The Michigan run started when Minnesota became careless with the basketball. Amir Coffey had the ball ripped away and Ignas Bradzdeikis slammed it down the other way. The Wolverines also blocked five first half shots and matched Minnesota’s physicality in the paint. The Gophers earned opportunities at the foul stripe, but couldn’t come away with points, either. They went 3-for-9 from the free throw line and lost crucial opportunities to keep pace.
Amir Coffey scored 14 points and Jordan Murphy added ten of his own, but Minnesota struggled to move the ball or hit shots from downtown. The Gophers made just two of their twelve three-point attempts and couldn’t knock down any open looks to answer Michigan’s dynamic shooting.
The Wolverines could do what they wanted offensively because Minnesota struggled on the defensive end. The formula for success in the team’s past two wins was their ability to defend well. The Gophers struggled to fight through screens and were a step slow trying to defend pick-and-roll looks. It’s clear fatigue set in for Minnesota near the midway point of the first half. When that happened, Michigan had wide-open three-pointers and mid-range jumpers. The Wolverines’ tempo, physicality and ability to attack with a purpose was tough to defend.
They are so disciplined in their half court sets and it takes energy and effort to actively defend their attack. Minnesota didn’t have anything left to keep pace with the quickness, athleticism and length of the Wolverines’ attack. Michigan cruised the entire afternoon, drilling countless open three-pointers. They led by as many as 35 points, shot a whopping 52 percent and had three players in double figures.
Despite the Gophers losing this game, Jarvis Omersa stepped up as Matz Stockman missed the game with concussion symptoms. Within his two minutes, he grabbed three rebounds, forced two contested shots and got his hand into two passing lanes. However, his offensive game is still evolving and he struggled at the free throw line. He missed two free throws in Saturday’s game and is just 2-for-13 at the line this season.
An underrated issue for Minnesota is the lack of production they are receiving from the bench. They have scored a combined six bench points in the past two games. This occurred despite six reserves playing a total of 40 minutes in this matchup. Sophomore guard Isaiah Washington also made his first appearance in the past five games. Prior to those five matchups, he played a combined seven minutes in three games. It’s unclear why he missed so much action, but Washington did see the floor when Minnesota lost control of the game on Saturday.
The Gophers ran out of steam at the Big Ten Tournament and struggled to keep pace with one of the best teams in the country. Now, the focus shifts to the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota will likely earn an eight or nine seed in the tournament field. The Selection Show starts on Sunday night at 5 p.m. CT and will air on CBS.
VIDEO: