DanielHouse
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The clock struck zero as guard Dupree McBrayer ran to the opposite end of the arena to celebrate with thousands of maroon and gold fans. A player who has overcome adversity in many ways, was basking in the glory of a special moment. For thousands of fans who made the trip, they waited years to see this happen. Throughout the afternoon, it felt like a Minnesota home game as fans got on their feet. A little energy and three-point shooting helped carry the Gophers to an 86-76 win over Louisville in the NCAA Tournament.
“[The] crowd was awesome, crowd was absolutely. When I meet people, I try to explain to them about Minnesota and how much pride our fans have not just for men’s basketball for the University…it’s special to them, all across the board,” head coach Richard Pitino said. “That crowd really carried us.”
The crowd, combined with sharp shooting from every corner of the floor had everyone on their feet at Wells Fargo Arena. It was a surprising trend for a team that has consistently struggled to shoot three-pointers this year.
During Thursday’s NCAA Tournament game, Minnesota started slow, but caught fire from downtown. This season, the Gophers ranked No. 285 nationally in three-pointing shooting, knocking down just 32 percent of their attempts. In Thursday’s 86-76 win over Louisville, Minnesota shot 40 percent from behind the arc.
The hot shooting helped the Gophers win their first NCAA Tournament game since 2013. It’s just the second NCAA Tournament victory for the program since 1991. For everyone involved, this was a special moment.
“It means a lot. Obviously, for us as a team, for the coaches, for future recruitment, just overall,” guard Amir Coffey said. “Also, for the players that were here two years ago, it let’s us get that sick taste out of our mouths.”
The Gophers started tentative on offense, hitting just one of their nine three-point tries, but they closed the first half knocking five of their next six attempts. The hot shooting continued as Minnesota finished the afternoon 11-for-27 from downtown. Freshman Gabe Kalscheur finished with 24 points, including five long-range hits. As a team, the Gophers shot 50 percent from the floor and had four players were in double figures. It was a balanced attack for Minnesota as they showed flashes of confidence both in the half court and transition.
This season, Louisville forward Jordan Norwa averaged 17.2 points per game and was a key player the Gophers had to slow. His ability to play inside and knock down long-range shots, makes him really difficult to defend. Amir Coffey and company locked him down the entire day, holding the Cardinals’ best player to ten points on 4-for-10 shooting. Shutting down Norwa was a part of the team’s overall gameplan.
“[We] emphasized shutting down their best player and defensive rebounding and then on the offensive end, just crashing the offensive glass,” guard Dupree McBrayer said after the win.
The Gophers did a strong job of playing team defense throughout the afternoon. They rotated well, had active ball pressure and managed to box out effectively. They led the rebounding margin 13-7 and had five offensive boards in the first ten minutes. Minnesota was playing cohesive and managed to do an effective job of handling Louisville’s high ball screen action. They fought through screens and communicated well to pressure the perimeter and force tough shots.
Early on, when Minnesota couldn’t hit a shot, they suddenly found life. Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer hit back-to-back three-pointers and confidence permeated everywhere. Moments later, Gabe Kalscheur added to the total with a tough contested three-pointer in the corner. The freshman caught fire after watching McBrayer’s long-range hit go through the net. It was the game’s turning point.
“I feel like we just got confidence during the game as well,” guard Gabe Kalscheur said. “I feel like Dupree, once he hit his, everyone started getting confidence and we just fed off each other.”
Behind hot shooting, the Gophers led by seven points until a 7-2 Louisville run trimmed the lead to two points. The Gophers again answered with sharp shooting. Guard Amir Coffey drilled a three-pointer to bring Minnesota into halftime with a five-point lead. After starting slow from behind the arc, the Gophers made five of their final six three-pointers to end the half.
Coffey finished the afternoon with 18 points, including a trio of three-pointers. When he scored more than twenty points or shot more than 50 percent this season, the Gophers only lost three conference games. He nearly eclipsed both of those categories in Tuesday’s win.
The Gophers continued to shoot well in second half as Jordan Murphy knocked down a three-pointer. Minnesota opened the half on a 7-0 run and Murphy dominated in the post with a tough three-point play. During the same span, Louisville missed six consecutive shots and went more than three minutes without a basket. The Gophers continued to shoot confidently as Gabe Kalscheur knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, expanding the Minnesota lead to 16 points with 10:48 remaining. The lead blossomed to 19 points near the midway mark of the second half.
Late in the game, Louisville trimmed the advantage to ten points by attacking off the dribble and getting inside out action behind the three-point line. Minnesota answered by attacking in the post and shooting confidently from the floor. The entire afternoon, the Gophers were balanced offensively and put together a complete performance on both ends of the court to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
Minnesota will await the winner of Michigan State and Bradley in the next round of the tournament on Saturday in Des Moines.
Notes:
Star big-man Jordan Murphy missed a portion of the second half with back spasms. He was asked about the situation during his postgame press conference and said he is prepared to seek additional treatment.
“I think it happened like early in the second half. My back just locked up on me. I don’t know what else I can do about it, but I mean for now, just get treatment, just take care of it,” Murphy said. “It just happened down the stretch and just have to keep playing through it.”
When Richard Pitino was asked about his injury, he wasn’t worried about the senior’s status.
“Absolutely no doubt in my mind [he’ll be out there],” Pitino said. “He’ll find a way even if we tell him he can’t.”
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“[The] crowd was awesome, crowd was absolutely. When I meet people, I try to explain to them about Minnesota and how much pride our fans have not just for men’s basketball for the University…it’s special to them, all across the board,” head coach Richard Pitino said. “That crowd really carried us.”
The crowd, combined with sharp shooting from every corner of the floor had everyone on their feet at Wells Fargo Arena. It was a surprising trend for a team that has consistently struggled to shoot three-pointers this year.
During Thursday’s NCAA Tournament game, Minnesota started slow, but caught fire from downtown. This season, the Gophers ranked No. 285 nationally in three-pointing shooting, knocking down just 32 percent of their attempts. In Thursday’s 86-76 win over Louisville, Minnesota shot 40 percent from behind the arc.
The hot shooting helped the Gophers win their first NCAA Tournament game since 2013. It’s just the second NCAA Tournament victory for the program since 1991. For everyone involved, this was a special moment.
“It means a lot. Obviously, for us as a team, for the coaches, for future recruitment, just overall,” guard Amir Coffey said. “Also, for the players that were here two years ago, it let’s us get that sick taste out of our mouths.”
The Gophers started tentative on offense, hitting just one of their nine three-point tries, but they closed the first half knocking five of their next six attempts. The hot shooting continued as Minnesota finished the afternoon 11-for-27 from downtown. Freshman Gabe Kalscheur finished with 24 points, including five long-range hits. As a team, the Gophers shot 50 percent from the floor and had four players were in double figures. It was a balanced attack for Minnesota as they showed flashes of confidence both in the half court and transition.
This season, Louisville forward Jordan Norwa averaged 17.2 points per game and was a key player the Gophers had to slow. His ability to play inside and knock down long-range shots, makes him really difficult to defend. Amir Coffey and company locked him down the entire day, holding the Cardinals’ best player to ten points on 4-for-10 shooting. Shutting down Norwa was a part of the team’s overall gameplan.
“[We] emphasized shutting down their best player and defensive rebounding and then on the offensive end, just crashing the offensive glass,” guard Dupree McBrayer said after the win.
The Gophers did a strong job of playing team defense throughout the afternoon. They rotated well, had active ball pressure and managed to box out effectively. They led the rebounding margin 13-7 and had five offensive boards in the first ten minutes. Minnesota was playing cohesive and managed to do an effective job of handling Louisville’s high ball screen action. They fought through screens and communicated well to pressure the perimeter and force tough shots.
Early on, when Minnesota couldn’t hit a shot, they suddenly found life. Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer hit back-to-back three-pointers and confidence permeated everywhere. Moments later, Gabe Kalscheur added to the total with a tough contested three-pointer in the corner. The freshman caught fire after watching McBrayer’s long-range hit go through the net. It was the game’s turning point.
“I feel like we just got confidence during the game as well,” guard Gabe Kalscheur said. “I feel like Dupree, once he hit his, everyone started getting confidence and we just fed off each other.”
Behind hot shooting, the Gophers led by seven points until a 7-2 Louisville run trimmed the lead to two points. The Gophers again answered with sharp shooting. Guard Amir Coffey drilled a three-pointer to bring Minnesota into halftime with a five-point lead. After starting slow from behind the arc, the Gophers made five of their final six three-pointers to end the half.
Coffey finished the afternoon with 18 points, including a trio of three-pointers. When he scored more than twenty points or shot more than 50 percent this season, the Gophers only lost three conference games. He nearly eclipsed both of those categories in Tuesday’s win.
The Gophers continued to shoot well in second half as Jordan Murphy knocked down a three-pointer. Minnesota opened the half on a 7-0 run and Murphy dominated in the post with a tough three-point play. During the same span, Louisville missed six consecutive shots and went more than three minutes without a basket. The Gophers continued to shoot confidently as Gabe Kalscheur knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, expanding the Minnesota lead to 16 points with 10:48 remaining. The lead blossomed to 19 points near the midway mark of the second half.
Late in the game, Louisville trimmed the advantage to ten points by attacking off the dribble and getting inside out action behind the three-point line. Minnesota answered by attacking in the post and shooting confidently from the floor. The entire afternoon, the Gophers were balanced offensively and put together a complete performance on both ends of the court to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
Minnesota will await the winner of Michigan State and Bradley in the next round of the tournament on Saturday in Des Moines.
Notes:
Star big-man Jordan Murphy missed a portion of the second half with back spasms. He was asked about the situation during his postgame press conference and said he is prepared to seek additional treatment.
“I think it happened like early in the second half. My back just locked up on me. I don’t know what else I can do about it, but I mean for now, just get treatment, just take care of it,” Murphy said. “It just happened down the stretch and just have to keep playing through it.”
When Richard Pitino was asked about his injury, he wasn’t worried about the senior’s status.
“Absolutely no doubt in my mind [he’ll be out there],” Pitino said. “He’ll find a way even if we tell him he can’t.”
VIDEOS:
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