***OFFICIAL MACALASTER AT MINNESOTA EXHIBITION IN-GAME THREAD!!!***

He (Ihnen) probably did the best job on Williams, including back-to-back blocks late in the second half.
so he might actually be a two, as johnson had suggested months ago?

this could be an interesting team if we have someone tall and agile that can defend that far away from the basket
 

so he might actually be a two, as johnson had suggested months ago?

this could be an interesting team if we have someone tall and agile that can defend that far away from the basket
I don't think he's a conventional #2, but I think with the right matchup, he could help defend certain perimeter players.
 

Ihnen was the only player to stick it out through the coaching change, has gutted out a two-year rehab, and this is the conclusion you draw from 12 minutes of basketball in his first game back since 2020?

Get a grip.
This is Division 1 basketball, I understand the FEEL good story...but...winning games is what it is about. Isn't it?
 

The goal of the night was to win the game and learn some things, not to make sure nobody scores 40 on you. The chucker threw up 31 shots! We got beat by whatever against colorado state and people were ready to jump off a cliff when we didnt even know how johnson approached the scrimmage. Now we win by 25 without 2 of our best players and 90% of the people on this board are pissed because we didnt win by 80 and some guy scored 41. Cant win on this board. Hawkins scores 17 and Mitchell gets 13 and all im reading is how Williams a D3 player is clearly better than any of our guards. Lol
Wonder who the sky is falling weanies would rather have for the Big Ten season, No. 32 or Hawkins?
 

You could be right on the money about the big ten wins, but, just from last night’s game, just last night, how did you come away with them being a bad shooting team? They were 38-67
We outscored them 50-4 in the paint, our % will be good. They didn't pay a player over 6'5. That is where a lot of the numbers came from. Our wing players struggled to shoot, like last year. We still did not address the biggest weakness on this team..shooting the 3..

Out transfer guards are an upgrade over last year.
 


Ihnen was the only player to stick it out through the coaching change, has gutted out a two-year rehab, and this is the conclusion you draw from 12 minutes of basketball in his first game back since 2020?

Get a grip.

I know. I don't think I could make up the stuff that some people write here even if I really pushed my imagination.
 

You can't judge a team's shooting ability based on one game. Every team and every shooter has good and bad games.
One bad (or good) shooting game proves nothing...Stephen Curry occasionly has bad games.
No injury he had mono he will be fine
Mononucleosis is unpredictable as far as length of condition.
I HOPE he will be fine, soon.
 

so he might actually be a two, as johnson had suggested months ago?

this could be an interesting team if we have someone tall and agile that can defend that far away from the basket
He can definitely defend certain 2 guards. He’s quicker than he looks and he’s super long. I wasn’t paying attention too closely but he looks like a really solid defender.
 

We outscored them 50-4 in the paint, our % will be good. They didn't pay a player over 6'5. That is where a lot of the numbers came from. Our wing players struggled to shoot, like last year. We still did not address the biggest weakness on this team..shooting the 3..

Out transfer guards are an upgrade over last year.
Transfer guards do appear to be an upgrade, and they absolutely should shoot a high percentage with such a height advantage. Concur. Second half they shot the 3 pretty good at 7-15,
However, an exhibition game against the Scots isn’t really much to go on.
 



You are saying the Gophers (or the hypothetical more athletic seniors) have no one athletically capable of guarding Williams or active skilled 8th grader??
I'm saying BS to both...granted somebody needs to coach defense...you do need a plan so it is 5 guys guarding the ball aka team defense. But it is ridiculous for the Gophers to allow him to score 41 points when 3 of the 5 other guys were uncomfortable if they had the ball. Absolutely 100% preventable with a plan.
It's not like the Gophers didn't know who Macalester was....that is who dominated the ball for them and scored prior to the game.
The kids threw the ball up 43 times and had 10 free throws. He had 53 shots in the game!

Obviously, he is given the green light and he made some ridiculous playground shots as he is falling back or covered like a glove.

Yes, they need to play better defense. It is kind of hard to keep the horse from trying to score when you are up by 15-25 points most of the game.
 

Hawkins can shoot and Mitchel isn't bad, Carrington had a marginal outing but with better play and getting Christie back I like our guard rotation. They will do fine against tougher competition.

Lots of options in the front court even without Payne. Not bleak at all. Should be interesting.
 

I'm pleased that the team appears to be in shape. No dad bods this year.

They also hit free throws.

Little things matter.
 




By my count, Johnson put five different defenders on him. So what you are saying is Johnson should have used a new defense that he's never going to use again the rest of the year because someone got red hot... in a 20+ point blowout exhibition where the main goal is to figure out rotations and work on sets you're actually going to use during the season.

The Gophers aren't ridiculous, your response above is.
No, I'm saying we no have individual defenders who can guard a D3 scorer. Do you think anyone else we play will have a leading scorer we might want to prevent from having a career high? Think about it...he plays D3 and his career high is versus the Gophers.

In a team defense - 5 guys guarding the ball. You take things away, you help, you shade to the scorer. You adjust to take away the strengths of the opponent. Did we do do that?

Will we ever trap the other team's best player?

Why did we schedule Macalester if we are not going to prepare to play them?
Do you think our players feel good about our defense? Our preparation? Our confidence going forward after allowing 41 points to a D3 6 foot guard? The idea is to hold the opponents leading scorers under their averages significantly...this allows you to compete with lesser talent and skill than the other team has....which will be the case in the Big Ten.
 

Wonder who the sky is falling weanies would rather have for the Big Ten season, No. 32 or Hawkins?
Why would we have to choose between them...we have at least 3 scholarships I'd prefer Williams to have.
I don't know if we are bad shooting team or not. I do know Macalester was not a good defensive team. We dominated in the paint...not by design or efficiency...just being bigger stronger...how often will that be true? I do know we have several guys who count to three before they shoot...we may have trouble getting open looks and making shots.
 

No, I'm saying we no have individual defenders who can guard a D3 scorer. Do you think anyone else we play will have a leading scorer we might want to prevent from having a career high? Think about it...he plays D3 and his career high is versus the Gophers.

In a team defense - 5 guys guarding the ball. You take things away, you help, you shade to the scorer. You adjust to take away the strengths of the opponent. Did we do do that?

Will we ever trap the other team's best player?

Why did we schedule Macalester if we are not going to prepare to play them?
Do you think our players feel good about our defense? Our preparation? Our confidence going forward after allowing 41 points to a D3 6 foot guard? The idea is to hold the opponents leading scorers under their averages significantly...this allows you to compete with lesser talent and skill than the other team has....which will be the case in the Big Ten.
Maybe find a little of what you are searching for in the game coming up with Bethune-Cookman. Zion Harmon appears to be a decent test. Former 4-star. Gophers of course need the win, regular season. So would think you get the game planning you’re seeking.
 

We outscored them 50-4 in the paint, our % will be good. They didn't pay a player over 6'5. That is where a lot of the numbers came from. Our wing players struggled to shoot, like last year. We still did not address the biggest weakness on this team..shooting the 3..

Out transfer guards are an upgrade over last year.
What kind of team only pays guys 6'5 or less?
 

I'm pleased that the team appears to be in shape. No dad bods this year.

They also hit free throws.

Little things matter.
I did expect Fox to be a little thinner tbh.
 

We outscored them 50-4 in the paint, our % will be good. They didn't pay a player over 6'5. That is where a lot of the numbers came from. Our wing players struggled to shoot, like last year. We still did not address the biggest weakness on this team..shooting the 3..

Out transfer guards are an upgrade over last year.
We had a 38.5 3P%. Higher than their’s. Take out Betts who will unlikely shoot all that much and it was 44%.

The Gophs started a bit cold, perhaps that’s what you recall?
 

Why would we have to choose between them...we have at least 3 scholarships I'd prefer Williams to have.
I don't know if we are bad shooting team or not. I do know Macalester was not a good defensive team. We dominated in the paint...not by design or efficiency...just being bigger stronger...how often will that be true? I do know we have several guys who count to three before they shoot...we may have trouble getting open looks and making shots.
Why choose? Because that was the question: who would you rather have on your team for the Big Ten season, No. 32 or Hawkins?
 


The goal of the night was to win the game and learn some things, not to make sure nobody scores 40 on you. The chucker threw up 31 shots! We got beat by whatever against colorado state and people were ready to jump off a cliff when we didnt even know how johnson approached the scrimmage. Now we win by 25 without 2 of our best players and 90% of the people on this board are pissed because we didnt win by 80 and some guy scored 41. Cant win on this board. Hawkins scores 17 and Mitchell gets 13 and all im reading is how Williams a D3 player is clearly better than any of our guards. Lol
We played weak defense for 10 minutes in the first half. After that we tightened it up considerably. The kid kept hitting miracle shots most of them tightly guarded. I thought CBJ and team did a good job of adjusting. It’s also a teachable moment. You can’t be soft at the start of a game and let someone get in a zone like that.
 

We played weak defense for 10 minutes in the first half. After that we tightened it up considerably. The kid kept hitting miracle shots most of them tightly guarded. I thought CBJ and team did a good job of adjusting. It’s also a teachable moment. You can’t be soft at the start of a game and let someone get in a zone like that.
Yep, Caleb Williams was in a zone. He scored 4/7ths of Macalester's points. Tip the hat to him for balling against the big boys. Second half our boys tightened up defensively and Williams made shots where our guys just shook their head.

You are right. We came out slow and soft, but picked it up. I credit Elijah Hawkins for sparking the team. He came out and brought a next level intensity to the perimeter defense and forced tempo. He was confident and aggressive, which fed the energy to the rest of the team. He was, hands down, the MVP for the Gophers. His leadership when everyone else was sleep walking was great to see. As the point guard goes, so goes the team and Hawkins gets huge kudos for grabbing control and demanding that other pick up their intensity around him.
 

Yep, Caleb Williams was in a zone. He scored 4/7ths of Macalester's points. Tip the hat to him for balling against the big boys. Second half our boys tightened up defensively and Williams made shots where our guys just shook their head.

You are right. We came out slow and soft, but picked it up. I credit Elijah Hawkins for sparking the team. He came out and brought a next level intensity to the perimeter defense and forced tempo. He was confident and aggressive, which fed the energy to the rest of the team. He was, hands down, the MVP for the Gophers. His leadership when everyone else was sleep walking was great to see. As the point guard goes, so goes the team and Hawkins gets huge kudos for grabbing control and demanding that other pick up their intensity around him.
Hawkins definitely plays with an intensity our team has been missing the last couple years.
 




More like a Garrett Callahan at Southwest State imitation. Monson's Gophers couldn't stop him either.
A little love for my guy Garrett, he played at SDSU (Jackrabbits). A little fun note about that game, (SDSU vs. Gophers) during pregame SDSU coach (Nagy) found a Gopher scouting report of the SDSU players, the scouting report said that Garrett cannot shoot, cannot dribble and is not very athletic. Nagy shared it with Garrett who proceeded to torch the Gophers.
 


I'm curious for those that attended tonight, who was the biggest overachiever relative to expectations and who was the most underwhelming?
Hawkins I’d argue was the biggest overachiever as I thought he was the catalyst. Played hard, made a couple 3s, and will be fun to watch. JOJ was impressive across the board so I could see him as well. I thought Dawson did fine, Ihnen and Fox had their moments (was pretty happy to see them play well), and others did as expected. I would have hoped for more from Carrington on both ends, but I won’t write him off after a bad game. Betts on the other hand is clearly young and has the body of a future big ten player (reminded me of Hawkins from Illinois a few years back, just out of control), but has a ways to go. I think we have enough depth that he has time. I still anxiously await Christie’s debut
You could be right on the money about the big ten wins, but, just from last night’s game, just last night, how did you come away with them being a bad shooting team? They were 38-67
The guys who should be shooting actually shot pretty well. Betts also jacked up 3 - threes late trying to get us to 100 and clanked them all (each had a chance, but the were off). Teams will learn quickly not to leave Hawkins open.
 




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