That was a nice win against a PSU team who brought a solid game today. You can see how much the team's success depends on:
1. The ability of Akeem Springs to hit 3's. When he's hitting, the Gophers can compete with anyone and pound lesser teams. When he's not (like today), the Gophers are unable to pull away from solid teams. The addition of Springs this year was huge, regardless.
2. The ability of Reggie Lynch to stay on the floor. His interior defensive presence is amazing, and he's not bad on his offensive moves, either. And his presence allows for aggressive/quick rebounders like Murphy and Curry dominate the boards.
3. Mason. I wasn't sold on him as a great player until the past few weeks...he's sold me now. Clearly, when Mason struggles, the Gophers struggle too. His stretch of mediocre play was the primary reason for the Gophers' 5-game losing streak; and his solid play the rest of the year has propelled them to a great season, otherwise. Mason is the team's most confident player and has developed a lot over the course of this season alone.
- PSU is going to be a very good team in the next couple of years or so. Their starters are clearly solid; they lack depth. And Chambers has recruiting up again. It is possible that the Gophers and PSU will be playing some very important games in the coming years.