STrib: Gophers' defensive improvement has keyed the turnaround under Ben Johnson

[BleedGopher]

Per Marcus:

The Gophers (16-9, 7-7 Big Ten), who host Ohio State on Thursday, rank fifth in scoring defense (72.8) in Big Ten games and have their best defensive efficiency ranking (70th nationally) in three years. But they're still waiting to put a full game together.

"We won [against Rutgers] because guys said it's not going to be another Iowa or Purdue," Johnson said. "It's not going to be an offensive-dictated game. We had enough points scored, so we had to get stops."

Gophers' defensive improvement has keyed the turnaround under Ben Johnson

When the Gopher are winning, they're making it tough for other teams to get into an offensive rhythm.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[JZABR]

I'm noticing the defensive improvement. When Rutgers had a screen outside the arc, our bigs were HUSTLING back to the roller. Or if they were playing zone, they communicated if it was mismatch and helped. That's a sign of a connected team that seems to be playing better as the season goes on

 

[MNVCGUY]

Our team is very aggressive on defense which sometimes leads to trouble when teams are able to get an easy look. But the effort and intensity on D across the roster has been fun to watch.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

All hail Thorson

 

[GoodasGold]

All hail Thorson

A Guru!