***OFFICIAL NORTH DAKOTA (FORMERLY SIOUX) AT MINNESOTA IN-GAME THREAD***

Donate To GopherHole
I didn't consult this thread during the game so my mind wasn't influenced by it.

I thought that, on the whole, this was the team's best game so far. I agree that the defense could have been better but it was mostly that Serbian big man who hurt the Gophers. He had a really good night. There was another guy who hit 3 threes and had a pretty good offensive night. Other than those two, I thought the Gophers' team defense played fairly well after getting into a hole.

There are four new players (five if you count Curry who has played very little over the last three years) in the rotation. I really felt the starting lineup solidified tonight as the team got something from all five of its starters. It was good to see the team show that they could dig themselves out of a hole and win the game without Carr having a spectacular performance. Gach had a really good game (21 points, 9 rbs, 3 assists) and it's important for another player to show that he can lead the team. Gach looks like Pitino's best transfer so far (Reggie Lynch made an immediate and major impact but he had trouble staying on the floor - in more ways than one). Robbins still has the jitters. If he would have made 3 of those missed bunnies, this would have been a more comfortable win. Still, he had a fair night overall and managed to play for 27 minutes. Johnson played 27 minutes as well and practically doubled his prior scoring high. Gabe appropriately limited his shots to 6 and did a lot of other little things to contribute tonight.

Unfortunately, despite the depth some of us thought we had, Pitino's bench is still a problem. Getting more from Mashburn and Ihnen would be very helpful.

We should also remember that both Michigan State and Purdue struggled to beat mid-major teams last night, even more than we did.
 
Last edited:


cjbfbp said:
I didn't consult this thread during the game so my mind wasn't influenced by it.

I thought that, on the whole, this was the team's best game so far. I agree that the defense could have been better but it was mostly that Serbian big man who hurt the Gophers. He had a really good night. There was another guy who hit 3 threes and had a pretty good offensive night. Other than those two, I thought the Gophers' team defense played fairly well after getting into a hole.

There are four new players (five if you count Curry who has played very little over the last three years) in the rotation. I really felt the starting lineup solidified tonight as the team got something from all five of its starters. It was good to see the team show that they could dig themselves out of a hole and win the game without Carr having a spectacular performance. Gach had a really good game (21 points, 9 rbs, 3 assists) and it's important for another player to show that he can lead the team. Gach looks like Pitino's best transfer so far (Reggie Lynch made an immediate and major impact but he had trouble staying on the floor - in more ways than one). Robbins still has the jitters. If he would have made 3 of those missed bunnies, this would have been a more comfortable win. Still, he had a fair night overall and managed to play for 27 minutes. Johnson played 27 minutes as well and practically doubled his prior scoring high. Gabe appropriately limited his shots to 6 and did a lot of other little things to contribute tonight.

Unfortunately, despite the depth some of us thought we had, Pitino's bench is still a problem. Getting more from Mashburn and Ihnen would be very helpful.

We should also remember that both Michigan State and Purdue struggled to beat mid-major teams last night, even more than we did.
Click to expand...

How dare you post something rational!!! The nerve of you Sir:eek::eek:. U should be banned from any and all future posting

Some of these guys are still auditioning for their role in the season/Pitino is still figuring out his rotation. That being said, I want more Mash and Ill as well and I think that will happen in upcoming games.

Gach looks like a B10 wing long, athletic and can get his own shots and the fact that we and the team know knows that Marcus doesn't have to be the man all the time/every night is invaluable - we know have both guys who can be the Alpha, when needed.

We won - yeah!!

Trust the process: if beating our neighbors to the west by only 9 points is the worst thing that happens to anyone on this board this week, then you are very blessed IMO.
 
Last edited:

howeda7 said:
Player grades so far:

Carr: A
Gabe: D
Gach B+
Johnson: C+ {but an A tonight)
Robbins: D

Mashburn: B-
Williams: C-
Ihnen: D
Curry: C
Omersa: D
Click to expand...

Are these offensive grades only? The one that jumps out is Gabe K. I would say that defensively, he's been a B+, maybe better. Offensively, the 3-point shooting has been an F, (though I thought he only forced one tough one from the top of the key last night) but the rest of his offensive game has been average in terms of getting to the line, going to the rim, not taking bad shots, not turning the ball over, ect.

I kinda agree with Pitino on Gabe, if you only focus on his 3-point shooting, you're missing a lot of his value. So far, his replacements (IMO) haven't added that much in terms of offensive efficiency while being probably not as solid and consistent on the defensive side.

I see Williams as a guy who is much closer to the light coming on defensively than II. Tre has some really nice moments and you can see what he's capable of, but I have pretty high hopes for both of them being decent contributors on both ends of the floor as the season goes on.
 

Unregistered User said:
Rabbit ears! So insecure.
Click to expand...
Hey old timer, this isn't the 60's when GH was a physical board in Coffman and you literally had to go there and find the postcard that was fastened to the board with pushpins.

Now we have "technology", and it alerts you when someone quotes your post. Try it out sometime.
 


EG#9 said:
That was worse than Loyola Marymount round 2. I am not sure I'd put Gabe's shooting in my top 10 things to worry about with this team. Why are we giving up straight line drives for layups to North Dakota in the last 5 minutes of a close game? Why do we see no signs of improvement from Jarvis Omersa in year 3? Liam Robbins looks like a solid backup big man for a good team as opposed to a key starter on a good team (still early to say that for sure). If we can't consistently get to the basket against North Dakota, how is this drive and get fouled offense going to work against disciplined defenses like MSU and Wisconsin or teams that can put great athletes on the floor (usually Maryland/tOSU) in the B1G? The fact that Ihnen, Mitchell, and Freeman can't crack the botation that includes Curry and Omersa should tell you a lot. I think the reported depth of this team is still very much an open question.

Brandon Johnson bounced back to make some really nice plays in the last 10 minutes or so of that game.
Click to expand...
Bolded: assume the strategy was to avoid foul trouble? Maybe that's a captain obvious thing, and maybe your point is it shouldn't matter that late in the game.
 

howeda7 said:
Player grades so far:

Carr: A
Gabe: D
Gach B+
Johnson: C+ {but an A tonight)
Robbins: D

Mashburn: B-
Williams: C-
Ihnen: D
Curry: C
Omersa: D
Click to expand...
Would you start giving more of Gabe's minutes to Mash? More of Robbins minutes to Curry? Assume more likely on the former, and not ready to say that on the latter.
 

60's Guy said:
You forgot the 3 that caused my jaw to drop because it actually went in. I was looking for flags.
Click to expand...
That was an NBA 3. Then none of the rest went in. He has to be so frustrated with himself. Got to be mental.

Hell, maybe he needs to step back farther from the line??
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
We are not a very good basketball team and it's the same issues over and over again.

Our offense, for years, is putrid. It's mostly a design defect and there is absolutely no ball movement and the players off the ball just stand and watch. It's part of the reason we lack intensity. It's really hard to stand around and then be quick on defense.

Also, even if it's a close game, we NEED to start getting more from our bench and giving Carr a rest. It was a close game, I get it, but I'd rather lose a couple non-conference games if it meant that we would develop a backup PG.

We also need to shoot better but that is really unlikely with our offense. We will continue to have shooting issues until our offensive design changes and pass more and dribble less.
Click to expand...
Richard Pitino says to this: my job is on the line, and I have a future NBA draft pick at PG who thinks he can and wants to play the entire game. I'm riding him into the dirt.
 



cjbfbp said:
I didn't consult this thread during the game so my mind wasn't influenced by it.

I thought that, on the whole, this was the team's best game so far. I agree that the defense could have been better but it was mostly that Serbian big man who hurt the Gophers. He had a really good night. There was another guy who hit 3 threes and had a pretty good offensive night. Other than those two, I thought the Gophers' team defense played fairly well after getting into a hole.

There are four new players (five if you count Curry who has played very little over the last three years) in the rotation. I really felt the starting lineup solidified tonight as the team got something from all five of its starters. It was good to see the team show that they could dig themselves out of a hole and win the game without Carr having a spectacular performance. Gach had a really good game (21 points, 9 rbs, 3 assists) and it's important for another player to show that he can lead the team. Gach looks like Pitino's best transfer so far (Reggie Lynch made an immediate and major impact but he had trouble staying on the floor - in more ways than one). Robbins still has the jitters. If he would have made 3 of those missed bunnies, this would have been a more comfortable win. Still, he had a fair night overall and managed to play for 27 minutes. Johnson played 27 minutes as well and practically doubled his prior scoring high. Gabe appropriately limited his shots to 6 and did a lot of other little things to contribute tonight.

Unfortunately, despite the depth some of us thought we had, Pitino's bench is still a problem. Getting more from Mashburn and Ihnen would be very helpful.

We should also remember that both Michigan State and Purdue struggled to beat mid-major teams last night, even more than we did.
Click to expand...
Nice to read some positive spin. :)
 

howeda7 said:
Player grades so far:

Carr: A
Gabe: D
Gach B+
Johnson: C+ {but an A tonight)
Robbins: D

Mashburn: B-
Williams: C-
Ihnen: D
Curry: C
Omersa: D
Click to expand...
A D for Ihnen? He needs PT. Thus far, he has had nearly 0.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
We are not a very good basketball team and it's the same issues over and over again.

Our offense, for years, is putrid. It's mostly a design defect and there is absolutely no ball movement and the players off the ball just stand and watch. It's part of the reason we lack intensity. It's really hard to stand around and then be quick on defense.

Also, even if it's a close game, we NEED to start getting more from our bench and giving Carr a rest. It was a close game, I get it, but I'd rather lose a couple non-conference games if it meant that we would develop a backup PG.

We also need to shoot better but that is really unlikely with our offense. We will continue to have shooting issues until our offensive design changes and pass more and dribble less.
Click to expand...
Nailed it.
 

Chico Gopher said:
Are these offensive grades only? The one that jumps out is Gabe K. I would say that defensively, he's been a B+, maybe better. Offensively, the 3-point shooting has been an F, (though I thought he only forced one tough one from the top of the key last night) but the rest of his offensive game has been average in terms of getting to the line, going to the rim, not taking bad shots, not turning the ball over, ect.

I kinda agree with Pitino on Gabe, if you only focus on his 3-point shooting, you're missing a lot of his value. So far, his replacements (IMO) haven't added that much in terms of offensive efficiency while being probably not as solid and consistent on the defensive side.

I see Williams as a guy who is much closer to the light coming on defensively than II. Tre has some really nice moments and you can see what he's capable of, but I have pretty high hopes for both of them being decent contributors on both ends of the floor as the season goes on.
Click to expand...
Ihnen needs PT. Much more of it.
 



The bottom line is this team is going to be bad unless we can find someone who can make an outside shot. The number of people on this forum who trash Omersa yet defend Gabe astounds me. Gabe can't dribble penetrate and can no longer shoot. That leaves us with a "heady" player who plays above average D. That type of player should be your 7th man, not your starting shooting guard.
 

Chico Gopher said:
Are these offensive grades only? The one that jumps out is Gabe K. I would say that defensively, he's been a B+, maybe better. Offensively, the 3-point shooting has been an F, (though I thought he only forced one tough one from the top of the key last night) but the rest of his offensive game has been average in terms of getting to the line, going to the rim, not taking bad shots, not turning the ball over, ect.

I kinda agree with Pitino on Gabe, if you only focus on his 3-point shooting, you're missing a lot of his value. So far, his replacements (IMO) haven't added that much in terms of offensive efficiency while being probably not as solid and consistent on the defensive side.

I see Williams as a guy who is much closer to the light coming on defensively than II. Tre has some really nice moments and you can see what he's capable of, but I have pretty high hopes for both of them being decent contributors on both ends of the floor as the season goes on.
Click to expand...
Gabe...18-18 from the FT line
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
How dare you post something rational!!! The nerve of you Sir:eek::eek:. U should be banned from any and all future posting

Some of these guys are still auditioning for their role in the season/Pitino is still figuring out his rotation. That being said, I want more Mash and Ill as well and I think that will happen in upcoming games.

Gach looks like a B10 wing long, athletic and can get his own shots and the fact that we and the team know knows that Marcus doesn't have to be the man all the time/every night is invaluable - we know have both guys who can be the Alpha, when needed.

We won - yeah!!

Trust the process: if beating our neighbors to the west by only 9 points is the worst thing that happens to anyone on this board this week, then you are very blessed IMO.
Click to expand...

Good advice! I'll try not to overdo the optimism or rationality.

One mistake I made in my prior post: I forgot that Carr was a transfer! Age related slippage perhaps. So, I guess Gach would be Pitino's second best transfer.

As far as Ihnen, Pitino used him late last season as a sub in the defensive interior and he did pretty well in that role. I wish he would give him some time there again. Omersa gives a lot of effort but he simply lacks the length to guard better big men and to grab his fair share of rebounds.

I always enjoy the "trust the process" line! I'm a Sixers fan and that line frequently was applied during the tanking years of the infamous GM, Sam Hinkie.
 

Angry said:
I think we have scored more on inbounds plays in the last two games then all of 2008-2019.
Click to expand...
MplsGopher said:
Richard Pitino says to this: my job is on the line, and I have a future NBA draft pick at PG who thinks he can and wants to play the entire game. I'm riding him into the dirt.
Click to expand...
I agree Carr needs to play. He trained all summer to play extended minutes. He is a young man. They play 3 AAU basketball games in one day...he can play 35 minutes every 3 days. He wants to play. He very likely won't be here next year. A possible reason he is here this year and not in a foreign country is because he knew he'd be on the court as much as he wanted as a Gopher. He ain't Kawhi like, he doesn't need his minutes managed.
 

BarnBurner said:
Ihnen needs PT. Much more of it.
Click to expand...
I think Ihnen has the most potential of anybody on our team. Length, athleticism, shooting ability.
Again, we don't see these guys practice. In Ihnen's game minutes he is contributing nothing. Is he doing the same in practice? If so, that's why he gets 2 minutes.
We do not know his mental concerns...family illness? homesick? a million things but he is presently a lost soul. He absolutely needs a whisperer, just like Gabe, just like Robbins. Those three guys are the leading candidates to perform dramatically better. We do not possess the coaching process to transform these guys. They seem left to discover their own remedies. Gabe's is definitely a year long quest without a solution.
We need a coach or doctor who can paint pictures, use visualization, take these guys to places in their minds they can't get to or imagine on their own.
 

60's Guy said:
I think Ihnen has the most potential of anybody on our team. Length, athleticism, shooting ability.
Again, we don't see these guys practice. In Ihnen's game minutes he is contributing nothing. Is he doing the same in practice? If so, that's why he gets 2 minutes.
We do not know his mental concerns...family illness? homesick? a million things but he is presently a lost soul. He absolutely needs a whisperer, just like Gabe, just like Robbins. Those three guys are the leading candidates to perform dramatically better. We do not possess the coaching process to transform these guys. They seem left to discover their own remedies. Gabe's is definitely a year long quest without a solution.
We need a coach or doctor who can paint pictures, use visualization, take these guys to places in their minds they can't get to or imagine on their own.
Click to expand...
I think Ihnen needs PT. Just that simple. Perhaps his practices dont warrant it, but he has the potential.
 

MplsGopher said:
Hey old timer, this isn't the 60's when GH was a physical board in Coffman and you literally had to go there and find the postcard that was fastened to the board with pushpins.

Now we have "technology", and it alerts you when someone quotes your post. Try it out sometime.
Click to expand...

Point proven.

Your pathetic life revolves around making 6 posts in 2 minutes and feverishly waiting for your precious inbox notification.

I have better things to do.
 

Unregistered User said:
Point proven.

Your pathetic life revolves around making 6 posts in 2 minutes and feverishly waiting for your precious inbox notification.

I have better things to do.
Click to expand...
Mmmmm yes. It does! 😘

You wish you could type/think that fast, don't ya?
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
We are not a very good basketball team and it's the same issues over and over again.

Our offense, for years, is putrid. It's mostly a design defect and there is absolutely no ball movement and the players off the ball just stand and watch. It's part of the reason we lack intensity. It's really hard to stand around and then be quick on defense.

Also, even if it's a close game, we NEED to start getting more from our bench and giving Carr a rest. It was a close game, I get it, but I'd rather lose a couple non-conference games if it meant that we would develop a backup PG.

We also need to shoot better but that is really unlikely with our offense. We will continue to have shooting issues until our offensive design changes and pass more and dribble less.
Click to expand...

I watched Purdue last evening before our game came on. Painter's players are always in motion, setting screens, cuts and also use plays to set up #55 who is a shooter. They also get the ball to their bigs down low. Valpo's offense was moving very well until the last 10 minutes then PU took over.

UND did a very good job jumping on Carr on the high screen to negate the drive and potential roll by Liam. The O seemed to flow better when they used the 1-4 alignment with the vertical high screen action which gave Carr better angles to the hoop. But they didn't use it much. I still don't like RP's approach to offense.

Unlike many others, I am not giving up on Gabe. He is not gunning and taking bad shots and his dribble drive has improved, but didn't see it last nite. He does so many others things well which help the team but not on the stat sheet.
 

MplsGopher said:
Would you start giving more of Gabe's minutes to Mash? More of Robbins minutes to Curry? Assume more likely on the former, and not ready to say that on the latter.
Click to expand...
Yes on Gabe. Not sure what to do about Robbins. We mostly have to pray he gets better. Curry is playing enough as it is. I can't believe they don't give Freeman a look.
 

howeda7 said:
Yes on Gabe. Not sure what to do about Robbins. We mostly have to pray he gets better. Curry is playing enough as it is. I can't believe they don't give Freeman a look.
Click to expand...

Hopefully, he doesn't become a repeat of Mats Stockman, who could have helped if he actually saw the floor once in a while. If nothing else, he has five fouls to give.
 


Our lack of half-court offensive ball movement, off-ball cutting and screening, along with poor spacing will kill us in the B1G. We are not athletic enough or talented enough to beat many teams in the B1G with the sloppy street ball offense that Pitino is running.
On defense we are slow to rotate and communicate off-ball. Curry is very slow with his feet (understandable) and ND moved the ball to open looks because we do not rotate and communicate on defense.
Sure we beat a few bottom dwellers in mid major conferences, but not winning by 20 should tell you how weak we will be in the B1G. We will be lucky to win 6 games in the B1G and Carr will wonder why he came back.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
I watched Purdue last evening before our game came on. Painter's players are always in motion, setting screens, cuts and also use plays to set up #55 who is a shooter. They also get the ball to their bigs down low. Valpo's offense was moving very well until the last 10 minutes then PU took over.

UND did a very good job jumping on Carr on the high screen to negate the drive and potential roll by Liam. The O seemed to flow better when they used the 1-4 alignment with the vertical high screen action which gave Carr better angles to the hoop. But they didn't use it much. I still don't like RP's approach to offense.

Unlike many others, I am not giving up on Gabe. He is not gunning and taking bad shots and his dribble drive has improved, but didn't see it last nite. He does so many others things well which help the team but not on the stat sheet.
Click to expand...

Disagree regarding our offense. Dont see other teams, even the bluebloods, playing offense different than us. Everybody plays 4 out and does pick and roll.

However will agree with u on Purdue. I posted a week or so ago that i like purdue's offense the best. They will set screens away from the ball and have a system that leads to open shots more easily.
 

Thank you. Wojo was running the same thing using Garcia and John to set screens and hand off.
 



You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom