Breaking Down the Box - Indiana (B10 Tourney)

Minnesota - 59
Indiana -58
BOX SCORE


This would be worth watching for Gopher fans...



What is lost in the big Hoffarber buzzer beater is the overall Gopher effort. Without question Indiana is more talented and started the game flat and uninterested. After the 8-min timeout in the first half they flipped their switch and made a nice 11-2 run to cut the lead back to a manageable four point game with 24 minutes left. But Minnesota didn't back down, they actually extended the lead to seven as they hit half-time.

Then IU started the second half with their switch flipped and they clamped down not allowing Minnesota a point for the first 5:30 while DJ White was scoring all of their points and looked poised to single handily send the Gophers home.

But once again this team didn't back down and actually held the lead for all but 1.5 seconds of the last 5:10. Then predictably this team that isn't used to winning big games gave it away by Coleman going soft to the hoop, silly fouls and not boxing out (twice). But amazingly Hoffarber gave us his left handed impression of Christian Laettner and we live to finally take out the Illini.

Player of the Game - Damien Johnson
17 points
4 offensive rebounds
1 block
1 steal

Hoffarber's shot will get all of the press but Johnson was outstanding tonight. With a thin frontcourt and Coleman in foul trouble he kept things from getting ugly inside. Big Jon Williams had what may have been his best game as a Gopher but Johnson was the key to the win tonight.

Tempo Free Zone



For as bad as the rebounding appeared while watching the game, we actually out rebounded Indiana. We boxed out well enough to get 63.4% of their misses and we got back 43.2% of our own misses. That's not our worst rebounding effort of the year.

I do miss the old days of forcing turnovers. Remember when we used to press on most made baskets? And remember when we'd turn teams over on 23% (or more) of their possessions? I'm not sure why we abandoned the press but I for one miss it. Forcing Indiana to turn the ball over on only 11% of their possessions is not going to be good enough tomorrow.

Up Next - Illinois

Another chance to avenge an 0-2 Big Ten record. Screw that, can we PLEASE not make it 20 straight losses to Illinois? Two things have killed us vs. the Illini. Rebounding and three point shooting.

Illinois during the Big Ten Season shot 32% from behind the arc in their other 16 conference games. Against Minnesota they shot 53.6%. That is an alarming stat. They shot over 50% only three times all season (conference games only) and two of those were of course the Gopher games.

I know that rebounding is going to be the most talked about key for the Gophers but I put that as #2 behind keeping their 3-pnt FG% to something under 40%.

Does anybody else wonder if we'll be better off with Williams starting and Tollackson sits? Let us remember that he hath given us 5 rebounds vs. Illinois (that is combined folks)! Williams won't score but maybe he'd be willing to box out and give us 6 total boards. And most importantly maybe he'd be able to keep Pruitt or Randle from getting a couple extra offensive boards.

The Illini are beatable and fortunately they won't have the 'one fewer game played advantage', they were a Thursday team just like us.

Football Recruiting

It has been just over a month since my last recruiting update. That update was negative news concerning 2 recruits who appeared to be on their way to Gopher Nation. The 3-star OL from Cretin left us for Wisconsin and a certain California, 3-star QB picked Arizona over coach Brewster. Both were disappointing losses, but it's not as though Maturi should be calling Mason to bring him back (we all know he'll answer the phone). Since then 3 kids have said YES to Brewster and the commit list has grown to 10 guys.

New Commits...

• K/P - Bradley Nortman - Looks like the Badgers are letting guys slip through their borders! Nortman is listed as the #13 overall kicker according to Rivals but will likely be a punter and may be the one of the top couple punters in the country. Although he is from Milwaukee he has always wanted to attend MN. In fact when called and offered a scholarship at 11:00 pm, he returned the call at 11:10 to accept. Current kickers Kucek (P) and Giannini (K) will be seniors for Nortman's freshman season and I would assume he'll then be the guy for 3 solid seasons.
  
• TE - Eric Lair - This Houston TE is ranked by Rivals as the #3 TE in the state of Texas (80th overall in TX, would be #5 in MN). Lair is big (6'3", 210) fast (4.56 40) and should be a perfect fit for the spread offense. Some schools were recruiting Lair to play the big possession WR at the college level but his combo of size and speed should make for great mismatches from the TE position as a Gopher. Lair also had offers from Nebraska, OK State and other Big 12 programs.
  
• DT - Padric Scott - Scott was not a highly recruited DT and chose MN over smaller D1 schools like South Florida. But I wouldn't dismiss this kid as a non-factor just yet. Scott is a very intelligent kid and has the kind of work ethic that will eventually earn him some playing time. And perhaps his biggest contribution will be his recruiting efforts on his high school teammates. Scott is trying to convince teammates TJ Bryant (5-star DB), Steven Robinson (3-star OL) and BJ Daniels (3-star QB) to join him in Minnesota. Go get 'em Padric.
  

Outside of those commitments the recruiting front there has seen very little happy news for Gopher Nation. There are persistent rumors that Cretin WR, Mike Floyd is leaning towards Notre Dame or Ohio State while taking a "wait and see" approach to the U. Eden Prairie LB, Will Mobley was considered more likely to attend the U than Floyd recent developments seem have him warming up to Ohio State. Both are important recruits for Brewster as stated here many times. Losing one would be bad, losing both will be worse than really bad (really, really bad maybe?).

ESPN's Recruiting Insider (which is not as accurate or comprehensive as Rivals) is updated and they have their official top 150 list published (subscription necessary). Mike Floyd is the the only MN kid on the list at #41. Here are some of the recruits interested in MN and where they stand overall...

• #41 - WR - Mike Floyd - much as been discussed on Floyd and not much has changed recently. I get the feeling that he knows how to play the recruiting game and many of his comments being made in July are about as reliable as a GM's in the days leading up the draft. I really wouldn't blame him for attending Notre Dame or Ohio State next fall, especially if the Gophers put up a disappointing effort this fall. My gut tells me that if we have a better than expected season (4-4 in Big 10, 8-4 overall) then maybe Floyd thinks that things are looking up and he wants to be a part of the Gopher party in Pasadena. a 2-6 conference record might convince him that nothing is changing and he wants to play for a national championship elsewhere.
  
• #18 - WR - Deion Walker - ESPN says that Walker "is a tall, lanky wide receiver with long arms and very smooth into and out of his cuts." And, "Overall, Walker is a playmaker, plain and simple. He has the measurables, the movement skills and a nice feel for the game. Outstanding prospect." Walker is on my top 15 list, but this guy is hot (45+ official offers) and I'd be shocked to see him in maroon and gold next season.
  
• #24 - WR/RB/Ret - Joe Adams - ESPN lists MN as #3 on Adams' list while Rivals does not show MN as one of the 9 schools on his list. So that is interesting info, but I don't care who says we are in the running as long as we are truly in the running. Adams is a "a wonderful overall athlete" who "shows a little bit of a second gear when he hits daylight." In Dunbar's new offense Adams might be a perfect piece for the puzzle.
• #28 - DT - Marcus Forston - ESPN's #2 DT who explosive and "is regularly one of the first people moving on the snap of the ball." We need to be stronger up the middle and Forston would greatly help our defense immediately. ESPN does not have MN in his top 5, but he is listed as a school he is considering. Rivals has MN as one of 10 schools who have offered. USC, ND and LSU are big name schools on the list but my guess is that this Florida kid will end up at Florida, Florida State or Miami as all have offered.
• #64 - S -Keanon Cooper - Cooper has been on the MN radar for a while and I think this is our best shot at an ESPN top 100 kid. ESPN picks Cooper to be one of the sleepers on their top 150. In high school he has exceled at multiple positions but will likely play S or LB (provided he adds some pounds) at the college level. In a recent Rivals article when asked to name his top 5 Minnesota was the first school to come out of his mouth along with Michigan, Wisconsin, Alabama and Georgia Tech. Alabama seems to be moving up his list, but time will tell.
• #74 RB - Jonas Gray - this Michigan back has always said MN is on his short list. But since offers have rolled in from Mich State and the Wolverines, my money is that we'll see Gray on Saturdays in East Lansing. Gray seems to really enjoy being the center of attention, I don't see him choosing to be a small fish in the Wolverine pond. He wanted badly to get an offer from them but he'll revel in "shocking the world" with his decision (which will likely result in a collective yawn from the rest of the country).
• #109 - S/OLB - Nolan Brewster - Nolan has committed to Texas as we all know, but he hasn't signed that little piece of paper and until he does he'll remain on Gopher Nation's radar. I expect a successful season for Coach (dad) Brewster and Nolan will get caught up in the excitement. We'll see. Texas already has several recruits that will force Nolan to fight for his playing time, not nearly as likely in Minnesota.
  
• #116 - QB - MarQueis Gray - 6'4" pocket passer who just happens to be very athletic and is often listed as a dual threat type of recruit. Gray would be a GREAT fit for Dunbar's spread offense. ESPN does not have MN is Gray's top 5, Rivals has MN as one of 9 schools to have offered Gray. I would be really happy to see Gray leading the offense when TCF Stadium opens up in 2009.
  

I don't think we'll be landing the majority of the kids listed above but if we can get 1 or 2 of the above names, then get 1 or 2 of the next tier guys (Mobley, Jewhan Edwards, Brandon Green, Harry Adams or Ryan Bass) then this moves from a good recruit class to a very good class and one to get excited about.

Official Gopher Nation Top 15 (16) wish list...

1. Mike Floyd - WR
2. Willie Mobley - LB
3. Deion Walker - WR
4. Brandon Green - WR
5. Ryan Bass - RB
6. Nolan Brewster - S
7. MarQueis Gray - QB
8. Keanon Cooper - S
9. Spencer Reeves - LB
10. Jonas Gray - RB
11. Kapron Lewis-Moore - DE
    
12. DJ Marshall - DT
13. Prentiss Wagner - CB
14. Darron Thomas - QB
15. Harry Adams - WR
    
16. Cordale Scott - WR

And that's all I've got to say about that.

Gopher Baseball to Ann Arbor

The Golden Gopher baseball team's regular season is officially over, but their 2nd season is hopefully just beginning. The conference tournament is set and Minnesota has a bye and is the #2 seed set to face the highest remaining seed after Wednesdays first round games.

1. Michigan (bye and host)
2. Minnesota (bye)
3. Penn State
4. Iowa
5. Illinois
6. Ohio State

Personally I feel fortunate that we are guranteed to not face Ohio State in our first game. I like their chances to upset Penn State in round 1 as they will put Cory Luebke (7-1, 1.94 ERA) on the mound. It'd be nice if they could throw Luebke again to face Michigan in round 2, but let's take this 1 round at a time.

I like our chances against Iowa or Illinois (assuming my OSU upset), getting that first win on Thursday looks to loom large. If you drop that game you are forced to 2 games just to get back to the Championship game where you have to beat the undefeated team twice. Even losing Friday isn't quite as daunting. Win Thursday then let's have fun taking on Michigan for a Championship game birth.

Good luck to Coach Anderson and all of his boys. We have a 6 year Championship game streak on the line so lets take care of business, get to the Championship game then win it and take the Omaha trip out of the committee's hands.