DanielHouse
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After an upset win over No. 11 Purdue on Tuesday, the Gophers traveled to No. 24 Maryland with another chance to build their NCAA Tournament resume. Many thought the confidence of a big victory would give Minnesota some momentum down the stretch. With the inconsistency displayed by the Gophers this season, nobody knew how they would respond.
It turns out inefficient offense appeared again during a 69-60 loss in College Park, Md.
Minnesota committed 13 turnovers and Maryland took advantage by scoring 18 points off of them. The Gophers were also dominated 36-18 in the paint and surrendered 13 offensive boards. They simply struggled to handle the Terps’ physicality and length. They also didn’t receive a dominating performance by their guards and Amir Coffey started the night slowly.
In the past nine Big Ten wins, junior guard Amir Coffey is shooting 52 percent and averaging 23.8 points per game. He has burst onto the scene over the past two games, tallying two 30-plus point performances on 20-for-34 shooting. All season, it’s been clear this team needs Coffey to take over games.
Amir Coffey started the evening 0-for-3 and the Gophers went 2-for-8 from the floor in the opening minutes. Maryland responded with a 5-for-7 shooting surge, including a pair of three-pointers by Jalen Smith. Minnesota’s help side defense was a step slow and they struggled to communicate off pick-and-roll action. The Gophers trailed by as many as 22 points until a 13-2 run over the final four minutes trimmed the deficit to nine points. Coffey finished the night with 23 points on 8-for-17 shooting, but 17 of them came in the second half. By then, Minnesota had trouble climbing back into the game. When Coffey hasn’t been able to completely dominate from start to finish, the Gophers have struggled to win.
Minnesota also had trouble stopping the Terps when they pushed the tempo. They couldn’t get back defensively and Anthony Cowan was killing them off the dribble like he did in the last matchup. Cowan had 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting and forward Jalen Smith added 19 points. Maryland was getting out in front of the Gophers in transition, which allowed them to accumulate easy baskets or trailing jumpers.
For Minnesota, there wasn’t much action offensively, especially with guys cutting or moving off ball to create opportunities. When Minnesota stands around, they dribble too much and don’t move the basketball. Maryland’s half court defense and active ball pressure made it very hard for the Gophers to get quality offensive looks. The activity by Anthony Cowan and Jalen Smith smothered the Gophers’ offensive threats. Outside of Coffey, Dupree McBrayer and Gabe Kalscheur combined to shoot 4-for-14 as Minnesota struggled to get quality looks. Amir Coffey also started slow, which helped the Terps grab a large lead.
Until the 6:34 mark of the first half, Coffey hadn’t hit a single shot. He quickly responded with back-to-back three-pointers, trimming the Maryland lead to ten points late in the half. The Terps went 1-for-11 from the floor over a 2:24 span, but Minnesota couldn’t hit any shots either. They were 2-for-11 over the same span as both teams struggled to shoot the basketball.
Minnesota’s post players combined to shoot 9-for-20 from the floor and Maryland held a 36-18 advantage in the paint during the first half. The Gophers normally can get high-low or inside-out action because they have the advantage inside. However, Maryland’s athleticism and quickness is a matchup the post players struggled with. When there isn’t much cohesive offensive flow around the arc, it makes the Gophers very easy to defend. It’s magnified by the fact Maryland’s half court defense is very strong and they do an excellent job of hedging screens around the perimeter. When Minnesota dribble weaves as much as they do, they accumulate so many shots late in the shot clock.
During many possessions, the ball enters the post and those players are asked to make a move off the dribble. When this happens, turnovers occur and the offense is extremely inefficient. Against Purdue, the Gophers’ half court sets were much better and they displayed improved ball movement. In Friday night’s game, they couldn’t get in transition and lacked an identity offensively. Also, committing thirteen turnovers makes it very difficult to win Big Ten road games.
Minnesota didn’t match up well with Maryland because they needed guard play and dominant defense to carry them. When that happens, the result hasn’t been in favor of the Gophers, especially if Amir Coffey gets off to a slow start.
It turns out inefficient offense appeared again during a 69-60 loss in College Park, Md.
Minnesota committed 13 turnovers and Maryland took advantage by scoring 18 points off of them. The Gophers were also dominated 36-18 in the paint and surrendered 13 offensive boards. They simply struggled to handle the Terps’ physicality and length. They also didn’t receive a dominating performance by their guards and Amir Coffey started the night slowly.
In the past nine Big Ten wins, junior guard Amir Coffey is shooting 52 percent and averaging 23.8 points per game. He has burst onto the scene over the past two games, tallying two 30-plus point performances on 20-for-34 shooting. All season, it’s been clear this team needs Coffey to take over games.
Amir Coffey started the evening 0-for-3 and the Gophers went 2-for-8 from the floor in the opening minutes. Maryland responded with a 5-for-7 shooting surge, including a pair of three-pointers by Jalen Smith. Minnesota’s help side defense was a step slow and they struggled to communicate off pick-and-roll action. The Gophers trailed by as many as 22 points until a 13-2 run over the final four minutes trimmed the deficit to nine points. Coffey finished the night with 23 points on 8-for-17 shooting, but 17 of them came in the second half. By then, Minnesota had trouble climbing back into the game. When Coffey hasn’t been able to completely dominate from start to finish, the Gophers have struggled to win.
Minnesota also had trouble stopping the Terps when they pushed the tempo. They couldn’t get back defensively and Anthony Cowan was killing them off the dribble like he did in the last matchup. Cowan had 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting and forward Jalen Smith added 19 points. Maryland was getting out in front of the Gophers in transition, which allowed them to accumulate easy baskets or trailing jumpers.
For Minnesota, there wasn’t much action offensively, especially with guys cutting or moving off ball to create opportunities. When Minnesota stands around, they dribble too much and don’t move the basketball. Maryland’s half court defense and active ball pressure made it very hard for the Gophers to get quality offensive looks. The activity by Anthony Cowan and Jalen Smith smothered the Gophers’ offensive threats. Outside of Coffey, Dupree McBrayer and Gabe Kalscheur combined to shoot 4-for-14 as Minnesota struggled to get quality looks. Amir Coffey also started slow, which helped the Terps grab a large lead.
Until the 6:34 mark of the first half, Coffey hadn’t hit a single shot. He quickly responded with back-to-back three-pointers, trimming the Maryland lead to ten points late in the half. The Terps went 1-for-11 from the floor over a 2:24 span, but Minnesota couldn’t hit any shots either. They were 2-for-11 over the same span as both teams struggled to shoot the basketball.
Minnesota’s post players combined to shoot 9-for-20 from the floor and Maryland held a 36-18 advantage in the paint during the first half. The Gophers normally can get high-low or inside-out action because they have the advantage inside. However, Maryland’s athleticism and quickness is a matchup the post players struggled with. When there isn’t much cohesive offensive flow around the arc, it makes the Gophers very easy to defend. It’s magnified by the fact Maryland’s half court defense is very strong and they do an excellent job of hedging screens around the perimeter. When Minnesota dribble weaves as much as they do, they accumulate so many shots late in the shot clock.
During many possessions, the ball enters the post and those players are asked to make a move off the dribble. When this happens, turnovers occur and the offense is extremely inefficient. Against Purdue, the Gophers’ half court sets were much better and they displayed improved ball movement. In Friday night’s game, they couldn’t get in transition and lacked an identity offensively. Also, committing thirteen turnovers makes it very difficult to win Big Ten road games.
Minnesota didn’t match up well with Maryland because they needed guard play and dominant defense to carry them. When that happens, the result hasn’t been in favor of the Gophers, especially if Amir Coffey gets off to a slow start.
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