Best Gophers of the Tubby Era: #11-#15

Throughout the summer I'll be writing up each of the 34 players who played for the University of Minnesota under Tubby Smith.  Why Tubby?  Because it's the most recent era that's over.  If this goes well perhaps I'll go back and do Monson as well.  I'll be looking at any player who played at Minnesota under Tubby at some point, even if it was just a year.  And I will be considering their entire Gopher career, so guys who started under Monson or finished under Pitino will have their whole career considered, but anyone who transferred in or out is only evaluated on their Gopher stats.  With me?  Here we go:

#34 to #31 can be found here.
#26-#30 can be found here.
#21-#25 are here
Here's #16-#20


15.  Julian Welch (2011-2013).
-  This feels high for Welch considering he was a two year player whose playing time dramatically shrunk in his second year, but Welch somehow managed to rank top 10 in assists, three pointers, and steals among all Gophers in this countdown.  I don't remember him as a particularly great shooter or passer, but I remember the steals simply because of the difference between his hand speed and foot speed.  He had, without question, the fastest hands of any Gopher I can recall.  He also was essentially a lawn gnome when he tried to guard anyone trying to get to the lane.  I legitimately loved watching him simply because of those two things.

14.  Elliott Eliason (2011-2015).
-  This is a tough career to try to sum up, but you could probably do it best just by looking at his minutes per game each year:  15.0, 13.7 (regression), 21.9 (big leap forward!), 11.2 (ugh).  That's about right.  He had that one stretch of brilliance his junior season where he put up double doubles in four of eight games with two other near misses, and that stretch included five Big Ten games, where it looked like he might be becoming something, but alas, it wasn't meant to be and his career kind of spiraled to an underwhelming conclusion.  However it's almost impossible to look back on this guy with any kind of bad feelings.  He was a guy who came and gave it everything he had whenever he was on the court, and never let playing time get to him in any way you could see or hear about it.  Good dude.

13.  Lawrence McKenzie (2006-2008).
-  McKenzie ranks high because even though he was only a Gopher for two years he was pretty much the man both of those years, averaging 13.3 points per game, and led the Gophers to the NIT in Tubby's first year which seemed like an impossibility following the disaster that was the final Monson/Molinari year and suddenly everything seemed possible and we were on our way and we could build this dream together standing strong forever nothing's gonna stop us now.  Or whatever.

12.  Maurice Walker (2010-2015).
-  Walker played for 17 years as a Gopher, and that kind of time is tough to forget.  I also think he might have lost some weight once Pitino came in, but I'm not sure I thought I heard that somewhere though.  Seriously though, the first time I saw Walker play as a freshman I could tell right away he had a great feel for the game.  You know how a lot of big men get the ball on the block and go right into score mode?  Walker didn't, he saw the court amazingly well, although it's not backed up by his assist numbers I stand by what I saw.  Injuries and weight issues (perhaps related) robbed him of some athleticism and explosiveness, and who knows what might have been?  He was clearly a hard worker, just looking at his weight loss and free throws, and I believe he could have developed an outside shot at some point.  This would be a good guy to take a do over on, if you could do such as that.

11.  Spencer Tollackson (2004-2008).
-  No bonus points for being the radio guy for the Gophers, though not because I dislike him or anything - I actually like when he weights in from the player's perspective on things, even if he's behind only Paul Allen on the homer list.  That actually kind of sums up his playing career - a little bit annoying and a little bit likable.  Similar to Walker, he was clearly a hard worker who wanted to win.  I remember him completely revamping his free throw form to try to fix that issue (didn't work) and going from a garbage man to someone with a variety of moves.  Unfortunately, all that hard work to develop those moves didn't really work because he didn't have the natural talent to finish.  Clearly worked at it though, which is cool.

Illinois

No time for a Gopher/Illinois preview due to the sales meeting, but here’s a picture anyway. There apparently are no attractive Illini fans who get their picture taken, so here's an alleged picture of some Bears fans. Gophers 72, Illinois 64.

I wrote this on the plane, due to the fact that my boss was sitting just a few rows away from me. I figured if he glanced back and saw me on the computer, he’d assume I was working and think I was some kind of hard worker guy. Genius, I know. So here you go.

Being about halfway through the Big Ten season, why not grade the Gopher players thus far through the season? I think From the Barn did this earlier in the season, but I’m on a plane, and, as such, can’t really look it up and link to it.

Dan Coleman: The numbers are nice, leading the team in both scoring and rebounding, but the problem is, this is what was expected. Two years ago. He’s now developed where he should have been two years ago. You can blame that on Monson if you want, and he surely deserves some of the blame, but not all. Couple that with his tendency to disappear in big games, and you come out to here. C-

Spencer Tollackson: Tough to grade, seeing as how I expected nothing and have seen, well, almost nothing. He had an excellent game against Northwestern, and has had a good game here and there, but in general hasn’t been impressive. It’s clear he’s worked hard on his footwork and offensive game, as often times the moves are there, he just doesn’t have the natural ability to actually score the ball. A good passer and decent defender for a big man, and much improved at the free throw line since some early season embarrassment. B-

Lawrence McKenzie: Have to give him credit for changing his game, although he seems to have changed it to the point where he’s become completely schizophrenic. He’s either run the offense and distribute McKenzie, or offensively taking over, looking to score McKenzie. If he could find a way to blend those together, he’d be a heck of a player. As it is, he’s half a player all of the time. Playing very solid defense this year helps him out. C+.

Al Nolen: Seeing as how there were rumors swirling after Tubby was hired that Nolen wasn’t a Big Ten caliber recruit, I wasn’t expecting much at all out of him. He’s quickly become a top defender on the team. Clearly the best at taking the ball, although I don’t think he’s the actual best defender on the team, at one point I believe Ken Pomeroy had him leading the country in steal percentage, or at least close to it. Has moments of excellent offensive play, whether knocking down the three or getting into the lane. Still has plenty of freshmen moments, and makes some decisions that look downright Burlesonian in nature, but looks to have an excellent future in front of him. A-

Blake Hoffarber: Another freshman who I wasn’t expecting much from. I’m not ready to say I’m pleasantly surprised by Hoffbauer just yet, as he’s a shooter and that’s it. He’s had his moments, but the remainder of his game isn’t up to speed just yet, to the point where against more athletic teams he’s getting very little playing time, and the Big Ten is just going to improve over the next three years (it has to, right?) I’m very much hoping he develops his game to the point where he can create his own shot, get to the rim, and actually play defense, both on and off the ball, and doesn’t become just another version of Shamala. I do believe he will become a capable player. B-.

Lawrence Westbrook: L-Dub was a guy who you knew had to have the ability to score, as he came in with quite a reputation (PJS has a well done post on him, if you care to find it). He was tentative last season, and I was hoping he would take a step forward in his sophomore year or end up transferring. Happily, he’s done the former, and looks to be an important cog in the Tubby rebuilding machine. This year he’s asserted himself on the offensive end, both inside and out, as well as showing that he’s not one dimensional, becoming the best perimeter defender on the team, both on and off the ball. I expect Westbrook to take another step forward next year, when he’ll be looked upon to score even more, as well as become a team leader. A-

Jonathan Williams: Um, I don’t know? Has he played extended minutes, ever? I suppose I have to rate him kind of far down, as he seemingly hasn’t made any strides since last season. Although I did see him make a left handed baby hook in one game, so I guess that’s something. Still, he’s going to need to develop in a hurry to help out next season, and if this season is any indication, it’s not likely to happen. D

Damian Johnson: Wow. If Westbrook took a step forward this year, DJ took three. Most of last season it wasn’t even clear who was the better recruit, Kevin Payton or Johnson, and now we’ve gotten to the point where one should probably transfer and the other has pretty much locked up a starting role for the next two years. He still has plenty of work to do on the offensive game, as it pretty much consists of layups, put backs, and garbage baskets right now. However, even if his offensive game never develops beyond what is now, as disappointing as that would be, he will still be a valuable part of the team due to his defense, rebounding, and energy. A

Jamal Abu Shamala: I haven’t exactly been subtle in my opinion of Shamala here at DWG, and the Northwestern game isn’t going to change it. Shamala is a shooter, and he’s very good at what he does. But that’s all he does. He can’t play defense, he can’t create for himself or his teammates, and he’s pretty much a liability out there against any team with athleticism. As he showed against Northwestern, he does have a place out there against poor teams who can’t exploit his slowness afoot, which why I still think he would have been better off going to a mid/low major program, but he wanted to play at the U, and I can respect that. I just can’t respect his defense. I guess in fairness, it is pretty much what I expected this year out of him. D-

Kevin Payton: I honestly can’t figure out what led Monson to give him a scholarship, but then again, Scout also gave him three stars. Where is that game? He has to have completely changed, because the Payton that (rarely) gets out there for the Gophers has the offensive game of Miles Tarver, without the defense or rebounding, and makes Kevin Burleson decision making look like Arriel McDonald. Absolutely baffling. He averaged 20 a game in high school, and I have no idea how. Still, when he has played he does show a lot of heart (did I really just write that?) and is a decent defender. Plus, he seems to have accepted his limited role without being a problem. D

Travis Busch: Is anybody else sick of the undersized white kid from Minnesota who works his ass off to get playing time and even though has little to no skill has all the hustle and grit in the world? Anybody else? It’s become quite a sickening and annoying tradition on the Gophers, and Busch is just the latest incarnate. Plus, he wears a shooting sleeve. On his off arm. Go away. F

Ryan Saunders: Unpossible to grade, since it appears he’s never going to actually play. Snappy dresser though. I’m going to give him a grade anyway. F

Tubby Smith: It would be pretty easy to give Tubby an A+, just for the recruiting class. Seeing as how I don’t believe Dan Monson had a class that was ever ranked better than 337th in the NCAA, and Tubby comes in with number 20, that’s pretty amazing. Seems to be a good game coach as well so far. I have some serious questions about some of the lineups he tosses out there at times, but when your talent is so limited, I suppose you have to try things at times that may seem a bit weird. A few times the team has seemed pretty unprepared as well, but it doesn’t seem to be an epidemic, and I feel the blame mainly falls on the players in those cases. A

Rico Tucker: A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Double Header

Nice little doubleheader tonight of Gophers vs. Northwestern and Duke vs. UNC. Figured I might as well hang out with my good friend Captain Morgan and watch a couple of basketball games.

As I watch Saved by the Bell to prepare for the games, I'm getting very nervous, and I'll tell you why. No, it's not because I'm semi-attracted to Zack Morris, it has to do with the line on game. First off, the line is 6.5. Northwestern hasn't lost a game by less than 9 this year, and at home lost to Michigan by 10. The Gophers have proven they can play on the road, including going into Ann Arbor and blowing out that same Michigan team. Seems like the line should be at least 9, at a minimum. Fishy.

But there's more. According to wagerline, 71% of the wagers are coming in on Minnesota. That should be enough to move the line at least a point. But it hasn't moved from 6.5, in fact, at one point today it moved a full point the opposite way. What this means is that 71% of the wagers are on Minnesota, but at least 50% of the money - and probably more based on that movement - is on Northwestern. So someone, somewhere very likely put a very, very large wager on the Wildcats. In general, those kind of people that make those kind of wagers know what they're doing.

It looks like Vegas thinks that either the Wildcats win, or this is going to very tight game. Thus, I'm worried. I'm going to go ahead and try and dull this concern with alcohol. On to the game.

6:02 - Whoever this announcer is it tells us that Spencer Tollackson is the key for the Gophers tonight. Great. That's super. I'm actually in agreement with From the Barn in wanting to see limited minutes for Spence and Williams, and going small against the smallish Wildcats. We shall see.

6:05 - Shamala starting. What. The. Eff.

6:05 - The Big Ten Network has frozen. This is awesome. It's just stuck. Not cool.

6:07 - Fixed in time to see Hoffbauer knock down a three. Apparently he's starting for McKenzie tonight. This is the perfect team for Hoff to have a good game, since his defense won't be exposed as much.

6:09 - Loving Tollackson's new found ability to make free throws. And he looks a lot better. At free throws, not lookswise. He still looks just like The Todd, and he is one ugly MoFo.

6:12 - First break, 8-7 Gophers with Hoff shooting three when they come back. The announcer said, "Lindsay Lohan doesn't get as many second chances" as the Gophers did last time these two teams played. It's going to be a long game.

6:19 - Damian Johnson just airballed a layup. Well, he hit backboard, but missed the rim completely. Seriously.

6:21 - After a three minute frozen tv signal delay, we come back just in time to see Craig Moore hit a three to give NW an 18-16 lead, followed by a McKenzie travel. I knew this was going to happen.

6:24 - Channel out again. I'm going to watch UCONN/Syracuse instead.

6:25 - Johnny Flynn is really, really good. Sweet name too. Sounds like an extreme sports kind of name.

6:38 - I can't believe I'm typing this, but Spencer Tollackson is UNSTOPPABLE!!!!111!

6:42 - UNSTOPPABLE. He's getting the Gophers more second chances than Lindsay Lohan!

6:51 - 47-33 at half, Gophers lead. And this is with the Wildcats shooting 50%. They should easily be able to slam this one shut in the second half. See, idiots? This is what happens when you make free throws. 15-17 in the half.

7:04 - So, yeah. The whole "not play Tollackson alot" thing. Well, I was wrong. And speaking of Tollackson, that Shaq trade for Marion is really bizarre. Now, their Player Efficiency Rating is really quite close. Marion is 20.25 and Shaq is 18.16. Two points, which is about the difference between Garnett and Nowitzki. So Shaq is still playing at a fairly high level. Marion has been bitching for a long time about wanting to be the alpha dog on a team, which he won't be with Wade in Miami, so I don't get why he's all excited to go from a championship quality team to a bottom dweller. And I don't get why Phoenix would want Shaq. You have to change your entire offensive scheme to get him to fit. He can't run, he can't execute a pick and roll. His whole game is posting up, which isn't Phoenix's preferred style of play, because it takes the ball away from Nash. Very interesting. But Shaq is still good enough to be 16th in the league in offensive rebound rating, which means the Suns should get more second chances than Lindsay Lohan.

7:11 - Shamala just owns Evanston, hitting another three to open the half giving him 13 so far, after dropping 19 on them there last year and 15 as a freshman. He's just like me balling at the Y. You can't leave me open, cuz I'm gonna hit it every time.

7:21 - Shamala's career at Evanston: 12-16 from three.

7:25 - Duquesne is up 24 on St. Joes? Jesus, how does that happen?

7:26 - Lack of intensity setting in with 13 to play. 8 straight for the Wildcats to cut the lead to 15. Let's get Busch in there to spark some fire.

7:27 - I'm totally kidding. Busch should never be in, under any circumstances.

7:32- If Shamala and Tollackson were teamed up on NBA Jam, they'd be the Shaq and Penny of the college game. If Shamala ever missed, Tollackson would get him more second chances than Lindsay Lohan.

7:33 - Sweet, Big Ten Network reads Down with Goldy. They just put up the graphic showing Shamala's career three point shooting in Evanston. Only took them 14 minutes to steal my shit. Mike Judge used to steal my bits for Beavis and Butthead when I was in high school too.

7:37 - In case you're unaware, the Gopher football team's recruiting class has been ranked as highly as 16th in the nation. If you care about that kind of thing, and I do in a "I should probably care" kind of way, and you haven't been to Gopher Nation to read all about it, go now.

7:56 - And there it is, 92-72 Gopher win, in a completely dominating performance that also managed to be extremely boring. Now onto UNC/Duke and Iowa/Wisconsin.

7:57 - Holy shit. I wish I had a picture of some guy interviewing Hasheem Thabeet from UCONN. Thabeet is 7-3, and this guy must have been 5-5, and they had a perfect camera angle to show the difference. I literally laughed out loud.

8:01 - Comments in the comments section below from From the Barn about the quality of the radio announcers reminded me of when I was driving home from the debacle of Wisconsin v. Gophers on Sunday, and Lynch started talking about how surprised he was Wisconsin didn't play Kevin Gullikson. The dude who got kicked off the team or suspended or is in rehab or something for getting a bunch of alcohol citations. Nice research, Lynch.

8:12 - If you're watching Wisconsin/Iowa instead of Duke/UNC, you are making a HUGE mistake.

8:18 - I was just thinking about the post I did on Rivalry Week, and I guess you could include Illinois/Indiana in there too. Since the whole Eric Gordon thing I'm thinking they don't like each other much.

8:28 - Duke raining threes at a 7-10 clip so far. It's like a whole team of Shamalas out there.

8:29 - Want to know who is really going to win at Pebble this weekend? Kevin Sutherland. Book it. He's 45-1 to win. Easy money.

8:34 - Or 4-1 to finish in the top 10. That's like giving money away.

8:37 - UNC = not the same team without Lawson. It's really too bad he got hurt. He should probably not be such a giant pussy.

8:40 - Singler dominating Hansbrough. What started as a great game is threatening to turn ugly in Duke's favor.

8:43 - Sideline reporter let's us know that Duke and UNC are located close together. Thanks for that. Also, I really don't find Dickie V annoying at all. Am I weird?

8:55 - Duke 42, UNC 39 at half. This game makes me hate the Big Ten.

FIN

L-Dub 4 Eva

Excellent win for the Gophers last night, knocking off Michigan in Ann Arbor 77-65, in a game that wasn't that close. The Gophers came out intense and ready to play, took control early, and never let up (except for the last 3 minutes, when it was already too late for the Wolverines).

As PJS reported and From the Barn predicted, Tubby shortened the bench, going with basically a six man rotation. Shamala (6 min), Williams (6), and Busch (4) saw limited time, Payton never got off the bench, and most surprisingly, Hoffbauer only played two minutes - although he did manage to turn it over. I like this idea, because the other six guys are clearly the most talented right now. This won't work every game, particularly against teams like Wisconsin with more size where Williams will be needed, but it is an excellent strategy when it can be used. I wouldn't mind finding more time for Hoffarber's offense, but his defense is so suspect right now (worse than Shamala?) that it's hard to find a place for him sometimes.

Once again, very impressed with the defense. Tubby has really changed this teams mentality, and they don't just play defense, they attack with it. Michigan only had 16 turnovers, but it felt like a lot more. At least two or three of those were straight picks of a Michigan guard while he was dribbling, leading to easy baskets. Also held the Wolverines to 39% shooting and 24% from three. I can't get over the change to this part of the team.

I'm going to break this down player by player, with apologies to From the Barn:

Dan Coleman: Actually finally asserted himself. Scoring with his back to the basket and driving into the lane, was legitimately difficult to stop. Ended up with 17 points (7-15) and 11 rebounds, and this game you knew he had good numbers, and knew he was there. Had some trouble with his hands, as at least three passes went through them and out of bounds for turnovers, but overall one of his best games of the year. I would love to see him continue like this and play this way against a top tier team, say, like, Wisconsin on Sunday. We also learned that Tubby compares him to Tayshaun Prince. Not sure I agree, but ok.

Spencer Tollackson: Scored a couple of buckets early to really set the tone. Had no problems with Udoh on either end. Is really solid when he's not the focal point of the offense, which he wasn't last night. When he has limited touches and is more of a garbage guy, he can thrive like he did last night (14 points on 6-8 shooting). Really like his new free throw style - get the ball, bend kness, shoot. No messing around with dribbling or anything, he was 2-3 yesterday and the ball looks a lot better coming off his hands. Also managed five steals, as Michigan wasn't strong with the ball.

Damian Johnson: Continues to impress with his defense, and is starting to add a little more offense to his game here and there. Clearly the best athlete on the team, had a very nice tip dunk in the first half, as well as a blocked shot and a steal. If he continues to play defense and rebound like he is, and just adds little pieces on the offensive end without doing too much, he's going to end up having a very good career.

Lawrence McKenzie: Eighteen second half points after zero in the first half. Really exploded and showed what he's capable of, seeming to remember that he is a scorer. Once he really got going he did try to do a little too much here and there, as evidenced by his five turnovers, but this is the McKenzie the Gophers need if they're going to do any damage in the Big Ten. Hit a turnaround three with the shot clock expiring that really seemed to ignite him and remind him of what he's capable of. Played excellent defense all game, and ran the point well without being passive. Probably his best overall game of the year. Hopefully this McKenzie stays, and both the passive one and the reckless one stay away.

Lawrence Westbrook: Without question my new favorite Gopher. Had a season high 15 points last night, both from the perimeter and driving to the lane, where he is undersized but fearless. The most impressive part of last night was his defense. He was all over the Wolverines leading scorer Manny Harris the entire game, harrassing him into bad shots and turnovers all night. But wait, WWWWWWW, sure Harris had 5 turnovers, but he scored 19 points, how good a job could L-Dub have done? Well, Harris scored 2 of his points against Westbrook. That's right, 2. He hit a three against McKenzie and had five against Nolen. He hit a three on the break, two fast break dunks and two free throws after a foul on the break. That's 17. He had two against Westbrook, and those were both free throws. He was something like 0-5 against Westbrook with 2 points and four turnovers. Just a tremendous job by L-Dub. Hopefully Tubby will put him on Hughes against the evil Badgers.

Al Nolen: Played only 13 minutes, the fewest this season, as this was pretty much a five man team last night. Seemed to struggle a bit against the pressure D once the Wolverines put it on. Still very impressed with him as a freshman point guard, but he does have a ways to go. Still have faith in him for next year.

Tubby Smith: Between the shortened bench, attacking defense, constant switching of defenses, and in the game coaching he earned his 400th victory. Mid-way through the second half, Michigan switched to a full court trap. As soon as he saw it, before the guards even got into a trap, he called a timeout to talk it over. That alone tells me how much better he is than Monson. Congrats on the 400th Tubby!

Overall, a very good win. They should have won the game, and they needed to win the game, but to do it in such a convincing fashion speaks volumes. Small concern about the way they panicked in the last three minutes or so and coughed up about 10 points, but I'll chalk it up to an understandable loss of focus with a twenty point lead. I'm sure Tubby will take that up the team in practice. Additionally, 11-19 is not good enough when it comes to the free throws. It didn't kill them this time, but it has before and will again if they don't fix it.

Back to the Barn, and a huge game against Wisconsin. The Gophers have five "should wins" left (@ Northwestern, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Penn State). If they manage to win all of those, that is 8 wins. I'll go ahead and call @ Wisconsin and @ Indiana as losses. That would put the Gophers at 8-6. Leaving Wisconsin, Ohio State, @ Purdue, and @ Illinois. Winning two of those four puts them at 10-8, 20-10 overall. Probably in the bubble conversation, needed a bit of a run in the Big Ten tournament. Winning three puts them in a different, much better place. It will be very hard to win at both Illinois and Purdue, so these home games are crucial. Additionally, it would be nice to get a signature win to go along with the victory at Iowa State. I'm still believing a NCAA tournament bid is possible, but without a win this Sunday, it's going to be extremely difficult.

I made it!

I made it back for the game. The Superpit is not very impressive, and those teams suck. I would rank the Superpit as better than UIC's arena, DePaul's Dumpster Arena, and Weber State's arena, and that's it.

And, yeah, those teams aren't good. Guess how many points Bo McCalebb scored while I was there? Not a god damn one in the 16 minutes I was there for. This is the guy who's lowest scoring average in his four year career is 19 ppg, and the only reason I was at all excited about this game. Thanks Bo.

If you can't make out the picture, it's a man in his forties, wearing a full UNT uniform, with his long shaggy hair dyed green, as well as his fu manchu mustache, and a green sailor's cap to top it off. That guy said good bye to his dignity a long time ago.

If Vandy would just give up already, we could get to the game.

8:10 - Finally. And Minnesota leads 4-3 with 17:42 left.

8:11 - Gordon called for a charge, and it seems that's his second foul. That'll help. Barn sounds loud tonight.

8:12 - Three offensive rebounds with a Tollackson put back in the end. Energy is high. Will be interesting to see if they can sustain it all game.

8:12 - McKenzie attacking. I'm loving everything about this so far. I can't believe how fired up I am. I missed this. Thanks Monson, you jackass. I hope his house burns down.

8:16 - Oof. Williams should not try to attack DJ White. Talk about your all-time mismatches.

8:19 - This is brilliant. A high-pressure, attacking, man-to-man actually seems to be causing issues for Indiana. With all good guards, I would have guessed they'd eat it up. Nope, 7 Hoosier turnovers in 6 minutes. Hell, yes.

8:21 - Apparently Minnesota is concerned about Jamarcus Ellis' great length. I know it's immature, but it makes me giggle.

8:22 - Blake still hot. $nake thinks he's "hot" if you know what I mean. I'm not even making that up.

8:25 - Spencer shouldn't take it at White either. He's just swatting shots left and right. Spencer should also give up that jumping hip bump celebration thing or whatever that is.

8:29 - Gordon back on the floor and already making a difference. I hate that guy.

8:32 - One thing that makes me nervous, besides Eric Gordon and DJ White, is the fact that it seems every gambling person in the world is on the Gophers. That usually never works. Also, note to fans: just because a guy is on his back with the ball, it's not automatically a travel.

8:37 - They're making a Saw 4? I didn't even know they made third one. Isn't that about enough? The only series of movies that could sustain excellence throughout a run that long or longer were the Friday the 13ths - Jason X (in space) and Jason goes to hell not included. Also, Freddy Krueger was kind of a fairy.

8:41 - Foul number three on Gordon, and it's a dumb one. Way to not be coordinated Kevin Payton, you're a contributor now. Indiana is very different without him.

8:42 - Naturally, Payton misses the free throw

8:44 - White might be hurt. Do not want. Even though it would make this an easier win, obviously, nobody will care if the Gophers beat Indiana without White. That would be like beating the Hickory High team without Jimmy Chitwood.

8:49 - Indiana up 11 and I'm getting nervous. I'm afraid what I was afraid of might be happening (17-0 Indiana run) - That the Gophers are a tough team, and a good defensive team, but just don't have the players to keep up - even with White and Gordon on the bench.

8:56 - Halftime, Indiana up 40-32, mostly due to the 17-0 run by the Hoosiers led by Jordan Crawford, who the Gophers had zero answers for. Thoughts:

1. Keep up the energy, keep up the toughness. Yes, the Hoosiers have 40 points at the half, but the defensive pressure is making them make mistakes. I think the last stat I saw was 14 turnovers by Indiana. They're shooting 56% right now, and 58% from three. That won't last. Nobody stays that hot forever.

2. Keep hitting the boards, and keep running in transition. I don't have rebounding stats, but it seems like the Gophers are doing an excellent job, particularly on the offensive boards, this must continue. And keep running, whether off a turnover or a rebound, keep running.

3. More Blake? We haven't seen all that much of Hoffbauer or Shamala, but Hoff has seven points on four attempts. They aren't good defenders, but it's worked. Tubby has clearly identified Jamarcus Ellis (he of great length) as the offensive weak link of the Hoosiers as whenever either of the white shooters are in, they're matched up on Ellis. It's working, as he has zero points so far. Ellis averages 8.6 a game, and can put up double-digits in a hurry, but it might be worth seeing if instant offense Hoff can get a little something going.

4. McKenzie aggressiveness - Keep it up. Six shots at the half, and the Gophers are going to need him to have any shot to win this game. Unless White is hurt.

9:14 - Also, it's not good to go 3-10 from the line. At least McKenzie can make them. Five straight to start the half. Good start.

9:16 - Getting out and running after a missed free throw, and McKenzie has two attempts already in the half. I bet they read DWG at halftime of the games to figure out what to do. Hi Tubby!

9:17 - Pressure is also still working, as Indiana with three turnovers in the first two minutes. If Indiana was shooting at a normal percentage, or the Gophers were, Minnesota would be on top. One point game. Keep it up.

9:20 - Did you know the guy who played Clue Haywood in Major League was former big league pitcher Pete Vuckovich, AL Cy Young winner in 1982? Learn something new everyday.

9:22 - Here's what's going to happen: Minnesota will be down by 1-5 for the rest of the half until about 3-4 minutes left, when McKenzie gets hot, and the Gophers win by 5.

9:24 - Tollackson 0-6 on free throws tonight. That would make a pretty big difference. If I'm Tubby, I tell him to stop missing those.

9:29 - I'm probably a racist, but I really don't like female announcers. They should be on the sidelines and be hot like Erin Andrews.

9:32 - Coleman guarding White. Not sure I like this one bit.

9:33 - They go right to him. Turned it over on a double team from Damian Johnson (I REALLY like him), but the next time he abuses Coleman for an easy 2. TV Timeout. Hopefully they put in one of the fatter guys to guard him.

9:35 - Sportscenter after the game will be showing The Best of Brett Favre. Set your Tivo for the Pete Rose of football!

9:43 - 7:27 left and the Gophers take the lead. Tubby switched to a zone, and even though the Hoosiers are getting open shots, they've cooled off. The zone is also taking White away, can't remember the last time he attempted a shot. If Sampson's smart, he'll get White attacking from the high post instead of distributing.

9:47 - Back to man-to-man after the TV timeout. Tubby = genius.

9:48 - Coleman coming up huge with a three point play, and 15 on the game. I take back everything bad I ever said about him.

9:51 - Four fouls on White, over the back on a great rebound by Coleman. This is good stuff.

9:52 - Spencer misses ANOTHER free throw, making him 0-7. Indiana should just foul him everytime the Gophers have the ball.

9:54 - Nolen almost being too passive in not looking for a shot and just looking to dish.

9:56 - Final TV timeout, Gophers up 2 with Gordon going to the line. I'm going to assume he makes both. The Gophers NEED to score on the following possession.

9:58 - Indiana only has 14 points this half? Wow. The defensive change from Monson to Tubby is off the charts. I mean, we knew it would be, but still. Wow. F off Monson.

9:59 - Horrible, horrible turnover by McKenzie. I'm scared right now.

10:01 - Son of a whore. Indiana leads by 2.

10:02 - Idiotic foul by Great Length. McKenzie, not Tollackson at the line. Makes both. Tie game. Team just 11-21 from the line.

10:03 - Tollackson with the reverse for the lead on a great pass by Nolen. He loves that move, but as long as it keeps working, keep doing it. Also, the announcers mention The Barn is 80 years old for the 8 millionth time tonight.

10:06 - White guy wide open from three and buries it for a Hoosier lead with 1:10 left.

10:08 - They get no shot, coming out of a timeout with under a minute left. Completely unacceptable.

SON OF A BITCH

GOD DAMMIT

10:09 - McKenzie misses a wide open three pointer for the hundredth time tonight. Jesus fucking christ. What is wrong with him this year? This sucks. I hate basketball. I hate indiana. I hate all of you. I quit this blog.

Big Monday

1. Awesome, awesome win for the Gophers. Usually, I'd write something like, "If it wasn't for Blake Hoffbauer's crazy hot shooting, and the completel inepitude of the Nittany Lions at the free throw line (17-36) there's no way the Gophers can win this game." Today, however, I'm in a good mood, so I won't even bother going in that direction.

That they were down 16 at one point in the second half, and came all the way back to win, on the road, shows just how much Tubby has changed this team. That toughness, and their defense, gives them a chance to make it to the NCAA tournament. Hoffs four three-pointers in three minutes or whatever was the most fun I've had watching a game in a while. And Nolen's key steal and pressure free throws more than make up for his shakiest game as a Gopher (5 TOs).

I still hate that they use Spencer as the key to the offense. Yes, he scored 19 points, but I don't think it's the best way to go. He also took two three-pointers, so I'm not sure what that's all about. He works out, no doubt. It will be interesting to see how he fares against the Hoosiers this week.

Lastly, it seemed McKenzie finally stepped up a bit on offense, hitting a huge three pointer towards the end of the game, on a somewhat poor decision. But that's what I want to see from him a little more often. Some of that aggressiveness from last season, even if it leads to some bad shots once in a while. I really, truly believe he is the key to how far this team can go. And Coleman. Who had nice stats, but once again I didn't really notice him that much.

Anyway, great, great win. With Indiana and Michigan State coming up, this week is going to be big. Win just one of those games, and the team is looking pretty.

2. I never, ever in a million years thought I'd be typing this, but on team that is really under the radar this season is Duke. Watching them this week against Temple and Virginia (ok, not the best competition, but they killed them) they are a really good team. They're ranked 9th and their only loss is by 1 at Pittsburgh, but you don't hear much about them. With North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA, and Kansas looking like locks for #1 seeds already, I haven't heard much about Duke.

Henderson and Nelson are two of the best inside/outside type guys in the country. Singler and Taylor King are two excellent freshmen, and even Paulus is having a good season - somehow. Their biggest weakness is a lack of size, with only Singler being over 6-6 amongst the main contributors, and he has a tendency to wander outside once in a while. Duke ranks 11th out of the twelve ACC teams in rebounding, and that could hurt, but with four guys shooting over 42% from three, they could beat anybody.

3. Make sure to stay up to watch the big Gonzaga at Pepperdine tilt on ESPN tonight at 11pm. Expect Rico Tucker domination.

4. I am now part of the Big Ten Bloggers poll, posted over at Gopher Nation. Here are my rankings:

1. Indiana
2. Wisconsin
3. Purdue
4. Minnesota
5. Michigan State
6. Ohio State
7. Penn State
8. Illinois
9. Iowa
10. Michigan
11. Northwestern

5. If we end up with a Green Bay vs. New England Superbowl, I'm going to have to root for Green Bay, and I don't like that one bit. Or blow up the stadium.

6. The most awesomest thing yesterday, was right before the first quarter of the Indy/San Diego game. They were introducing the winners of the punt, pass, kick contest in different age groups, and one of the winners was a 15 year old girl who was "representing the New England Patriots" and the crowd booed her. That was awesome.

7. I added a donkload of links over on the right. Basically, just a whole bunch of other nerdy bloggers, representing the other Big Ten teams. If you want to know anything about any of the other teams, go ahead and check them out. I pretty much just make up whatever I write about other teams anyway.

8. I will be in Denton, Texas starting tomorrow evening for three nights. Expect drunken ramblings - well, moreso than usual.


Georgetown -2.5 @ Pitt
Oklahoma +15.5 @ Kansas

Yesterday: 5-2
Season: 218-189

Pick Your Score

The Gophers beat Northwestern last night 82-63, in a game that wasn't even that close. Northwestern was completely outclassed and outplayed - it was pretty much like playing one of the cupcakes on the non-conference schedule, and the Gophers could have pretty much picked the score.

Which makes this 19 point win less awesome than it sounds. Every time it looked like the Gophers were about to put Northwestern away, they lost focus and gave up a couple of layups, or had some horrible turnovers or took bad shots and let them creep in a little bit. The Wildcats had it down to single digits a couple of times in the second half, and that never should have happened. The Gophers were never in any danger of losing the game, and that is what makes a 19 point win a little tiny bit disappointing - if they would have kept their focus the entire game, they would have won by thirty.

That being said, it was an excellent win, and a great way to kick of Tubby's home Big Ten career. Some individual comments:

- Dan Coleman led the way with 19 points and 14 rebounds, and it was one of the quietest 19 and 14s ever. It would be nice to see him have a game anywhere near this against a quality opponent, but at least this time it was a conference game. It was also announced that DC got his 500th career rebound. I was going to make a joke here, but instead I'll be nice and just say congrats DC. Hopefully he can stay tough against Penn State on Saturday.

- Blakob Hoffbauer knocked down five threes in the first half, on red hot 5-5 shooting - a shining example of Tubby having solved the Monson-boggling 1-3-1 of the Wildcats. Hoffarber didn't score in the second half, taking only three shots because he can't really create his own shot. I still think he should have chucked one up from thirty feet Jake Sullivan style since he was so hot in the first half, but, whatever, go ahead and be boring and "play within the offense."

- McKenzie continues to be a mystery, scoring five points on six shots - with all five points coming in the final few minutes. He did contribute with six assists, but it still baffles me that he seemingly has no interest in scoring anymore. The only thing I can figure at this point is that he decided to be more of a true point to increase his chances of getting drafted. Well, you aren't getting drafted, and it's not working. With Nolen playing as well as he is, the team would be better off with more scoring from him.

- Spencer had three steals, and they all came in a five minute span. He's quick like cat. Spencer "The Ninja" Tollackson.

- Free Throws are going to be a problem. Again. 16-28 last night, led by Damian Johnson's 3-8. It didn't matter last night, but you know damn well it will at some point.

- Travis Busch scored. Yeah.

- The Tubby towels were a complete failure. We got there a little late, and were still each able to get one, so I know they didn't run out. I waved mine a few times, and I saw maybe four other people in the entire building take their's out. Completel failure. I figured at the very least the student section would be using them, but it was not meant to be.

All in all, a good win, but it could have been better and there is a little disappointment that they didn't just put the screws to NW and blow them out of the building. The Penn State game this weekend is going to go a long way in telling us how the Gophers season will go.

Louisville -2.5 vs. West Virginia (W)
Arkansas -7 @ Auburn (L)
Cal +5.5 @ Oregon (L)
Illinois +12 @ Wisconsin (W)
Washington +16 @ UCLA
North Texas -1.5 @ Arkansas State (W)
Boise St -6 vs. New Mex State (L)
Portland St PK @ Weber State (L)
UNC-Wilmington -6.5 vs. Hofstra (L)
USC -2 vs. Washington State

Yesterday: 6-5
Season: 203-173

Well that was Closer than I Thought

I wasn't able to watch the Gophers' Big Ten opener live, seeing as I was too busy pissing all my money away to the assholes at the Casino, but I did get a chance to watch it via the wonderful magic of TiVo and the fact that I get the Big Ten Network at home. Thank you DirectTV. Anyway, watching it using fast forward at the slow parts and in a few different seatings left me with some impressions:

1. Obviously, it was a hell of a game. As I said in my game preview, I was expecting a 25 point blowout win for the Spartans. I really underestimated how far the Gopher defense and intensity has come since Tubby took over. They looked like a completely different team compared to the FSU game. I'm just hopeful they can keep it up the rest of the season, and that this was a trend, not an aberration. Easily the best game I've seen them play in two years, maybe longer.

2. Gopher offense still needs a lot of work, but not sure the right players are in place on this roster to make it happen. Tollackson seemed to be the focal point of the offense Saturday, and his role should be complementary. Ended up 5-14, with several of his shots blocked. I like Tollackson as a rebounder, dirty work doer, and dropping in some shots when they're there. I don't like him as a main offensive component, taking fade away twelve footers.

3. Is this what we can expect from Dan Coleman? He's the leading scorer on the team, but against the three best teams the Gophers have faced he's scored 7, 10, and 6 points. We've seen him have good games against good teams in the past, but maybe the problem is McKenzie has seemingly stopped scoring this season. He's on pace to take almost a hundred less shots this season compared to last. I was hoping he'd be more in control this year, and force less bad shots, but I didn't want him to lose his edge completely. Hopefully he can get more aggressive, and hopefully Coleman's game will improve with another scorer on the court.

4. Travis Busch played three minutes in the first half. I don't know why. He looked like a little kid. He'd didn't do anything glaringly wrong (that I noticed), but physically he looks like he's the ball boy.

5. Al Nolen had his ups and downs, but overall for a freshman point guard playing his first Big Ten game, on the road no less, I was very impressed. 7 assists, 1 turnover, and four steals is a hell of a game. He made some mistakes, and took at least one blazingly stupid shot, but going into next season with him our #1 point guard is no longer a worry.

6. The lack of winning experience amongst the Gopher players was obvious at the end of the game. They had it down to a point deficit, and made huge mistakes to let their chance slip away. Turnovers, dumb shots, and giving up easy baskets to the Spartans was pretty much all that happened in the last few minutes. And not fouling down six with twenty seconds left, instead letting MSU dribble out fourteen seconds and them giving up an uncontested layup. That wasn't good.

7. Overall, awesome game. I couldn't be happier. If they can play like that the entire Big Ten Season, they might steal some games.

8. Illinois sucks bad.

9. Raymar Morgan is awesome. Additionally, both freshmen Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers look to be very good.

Colorado -3.5 vs. Tulsa
Manhattan +8 @ Marist
North Texas -9.5 vs. UL-Monroe
Loyola-Chicago +12.5 vs. Butler

Weekend: 10-6
Season: 191-161

Minnesota 84, Army 52

Great start to the season this afternoon. We got there a little late and had to leave a little early because my dad had to get to his big Brats & Shrimp dinner, so I missed some parts of the game, but got most of it. My thoughts:

- Holy Damian freakin' Johnson. Twelve points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks in just twenty minutes, and he seemed to be everywhere. He even knocked down two of the three three-pointers he attempted. I don't think I remember seeing him even attempt a three pointer last season [note: looked it up, he took 13]. If he keeps this up, we won't have to worry about the whole lack of depth in the frontcourt thing.

- Spencer looks like he got into better shape and lost a bunch of weight. Seems to pretty much have the same awkward post up moves, and should have no problem leading the team in rebounding this year. I really would have liked to see him be more aggressive against an undersized Army team, but he only took six shots. Also, he looks just like The Todd.

- It was awesome to see signs for Devoe Joseph in the student section. Joseph was allegedly there, but we couldn't find him. Maddog even went over behind the Gophers' bench at halftime on a scouting mission, but was unable to locate him. I can't remember ever seeing signs for a recruit in the student section, or anywhere in the arena for that matter. Either fans are getting smarter, there is more information out there, or we actually are recruiting players that are worth getting excited about. Maybe some of all three.

- I saw Dan Coleman get a defensive rebound in traffic, tip dunk an offensive rebound (with authority), and post up a defender. I still haven't seen him play defense.

- Speaking of defense, I love Tubby's strategy this year. The running offense coupled with a half court press is a great idea on an undersized team. Hopefully this will still work in the Big Ten season. I don't think the press will be quite as effective against Michigan State as it was against Army.

- Army is freakin' terrible. Just brutal. That hot chick in that one section that Snacks talked about was there again, and she brought a friend. I miss the curly haired stat girl from two or three years ago, personally.

- McKenzie scored just two points and took just five shots, but I consider this a positive. We all know he can score, and will almost certainly lead the team in scoring this season, but as I wrote before, I was nervous he was in "showcase myself" mode. Today he looked like he was completely playing in the flow of the offense, just didn't many looks and didn't force it, which is a change from last season.

- Lawrence Westbrook, if he could only get the ball to actually go in, could be a dynamic scorer. He can get to the rim almost at will - yes, again it was against Army, but still. He just struggled getting anything to go down today.

- I know he has an injury, but Blake Hoffarber does not look good. He's injured, which could account for his Shamala level defense out there, but he looks lost, which can't be explained away by the injury. Watching him I was reminded of a middle school kid trying to play high school ball. He just seemed like he wasn't sure of what to do or where to go. I hope it was just because it was his first game, but Snacks continues to tell me that he just plain sucks. It looks like he hit a couple of threes after we left, but since I didn't see it, it doesn't count. Also, my Dad kept calling him Hoffbauer, so until he earns his real name back, I'm going to continue to call him Hoffbauer.

- Speaking of Hoffbauer, a couple of different times I saw him in the game at the same time as Abu Shamala. This cannot happen. I don't think either of those guys can guard anybody, at all, ever. Having one of them in makes the defense bad enough, both in is just begging to get your doors blown off.

- Hey, speaking of getting your doors blown off, Dan Monson had a stellar debut coaching Long Beach State. BYU rolled them 84-34, and they were at home. Fans gotta love that. Funny thing is, BYU isn't even good this year. Yikes. I tried to find reaction on a Long Beach State message board, but shockingly, it's hard to find one that's very busy. I think they need Luscious Harris back.

- A much less satisfying loss would be Pepperdine falling to Oregon 100-70. They tied them in the second half though, so that's something. Rico struggled shooting, going only 1-9, but chipped in with 8 rebounds and 5 assists, showing what an awesome all around player he truly is. If he were a baseball player, he'd be a five-tool guy.

- All in all, despite being actually kind of a boring game, it was a good start to the Tubby era. The team generally looked good, and even though it was just Army, I came away impressed.

Golden Gopher Basketball Preview

Well the big day is tomorrow, as the Gophers take on heated rival Army, and I couldn't be more excited. And also very angry at myself. A few months ago, I was saying that an NIT bid was likely out of reach, and it would be a very successful season if the Gophers made the NIT. Now I find myself thinking that they have an outside shot at a NCAA bid. I hate stupid, groundless, homerrific thinking, and it's exactly what is happening to me. Damn you Tubby Smith.

Anyway, here are 10 biggest issues going into this season:

1. The improvement of Dan Coleman and Spencer Tollackson:
I almost wrote this as "The continued improvement" but then I started to realize these guys really haven't improved all that much. I mean, sure, the numbers have improved, and there have been baby steps here and there, but there's still a lot of work to be done. Think about it, the knock on Spencer as a freshman was that he was unrefined and somewhat clumsy, with a propensity to get into foul trouble, and Coleman had a nice offensive game inside and out, but was soft, didn't spend enough time in the paint, and was weak defensively. You could write this same paragraph about these guys going into this season.

It's no secret that the big dogs this season are going to be these two guys and McKenzie (more on him later). If Coleman can finally play some defense to go with his scoring, and Tollackson can stay out of foul trouble and has maybe added a little more polish to his offense, it will go a long way towards success this year.

2. Who is playing Point Guard?
Going into a basketball season with your point guard options being a freshman, two shooting guards, and a small forward is never a good idea, but that's where the Gophers stand. Ideally, Al Nolen is as good as he's looked in the exhibitions, and is able to be the starter and log most of the minutes, leaving the Payton/Westbrook/McKenzie rotation to play backup, not starter.

If Nolen is unable to handle playing the point, a definite possibility given that many knowledgeable people have questioned if he's Big Ten material, then that ugly mongrel rotation would have to step in and take all the minutes. Not only are none of those guys point guards, but forcing them to play major minutes there takes them away from what they are good at. Nolen may very well be the key to this season, and that's simply terrifying.

3. What's up with Kevin Payton?
Coming in, Payton was regarded as a 3-star swingman, but out of necessity he ended up being the starting point guard. While this showed excellent versatility, and although he did have some good games, it's pretty clear PG is not his natural position (1-1 Assist to TO ratio). He should be a scoring swingman, as evidenced by his 26.1 ppg as a high school senior. There's only one problem, he showed almost zero offensive skills last season.

He averaged just 2 points per game last season, and managed a high game of only 12, despite averaging over twenty minutes per game. Now, maybe he was deferring too much to the three juniors last year, and if that's the case hopefully Tubby can get him to be a little more aggressive on offense. The other problem might be he's just not very good. Keep in mind this is a Dan Monson recruit we're talking about here. If that's the case, I expect him to see fewer and fewer minutes, and end up transferring out at the end of the season.

4. How good can Lawrence Westbrook be?
I'm very interested to find this out. Westbrook scored 41 points per game as a junior in high school, so you know he knows how to score, but can he do it against college talent? I think so, and we're going to find out if he gets minutes. Westbrook, despite playing only 10 minutes per game last season, still managed to put up 73 shots, and was fifth on the team in three pointers attempted.

He is an undersized shooting guard, and I don't see him learning point anytime soon, so he's limited by that. The good news is that this is college not the NBA, and you can get away with having two small guards in at the same time. If he's given the minutes, which didn't happen under Monson or Molinari, he should find himself approaching double digits in scoring this season, and taking a big step forward in his development. He is the Gopher I am most excited to watch this season.

5. Abu-Shamala shouldn't be starting, right?
If you disagree with this, you don't know basketball. Shamala clearly has a role he can play on this team. He needs to be coming off the bench, maybe 5-15 minutes per game depending on the opponent and situation. He would be perfect coming in to help bust a zone or keep a defense honest if they are leaving people to double team (although I don't really know who they would need to double on this team.)

I'm sorry, I know people like white boys who hustle and are from Minnesota, but he's a terrible, terrible, terrible defender. He can't stay with players on the perimeter, because everybody is quicker than him, and he can't defend a post up player, because he isn't strong enough. He is also a poor off-the-ball defender, who can't keep up with quick cuts or get through or around screens. If you want more, he also can't create his own shot or anybody elses, can't put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, and is not good in transition. He's a shooter, plain and simple and that's it. He's good at it, but that is all he is. There is no way he should be starting, and if he is, this season is basically a failure because nobody was able to step up to take away his job (I'm looking at you Hoffarber - maybe Payton).

6. Lawrence McKenzie's Motivation:
When I heard McKenzie was transferring from a successful Oklahoma program back to his hometown Minnesota, my first question was "What the hell? Why?" But after watching him play, I figured it out. He's going with the Kris Humphries "This team sucks so I can go ahead and showcase myself for the NBA scouts and nobody will care because they're so bad" route, a Dan Monson favorite.

Well, first of all, he's dreaming if he thinks he's going to sniff the NBA. And second of all, I have to think Tubby isn't going to put up with that crap. McKenzie is a terrific shooter and scorer, that much is obvious. So was Humphries, and his agenda killed the team. McKenzie isn't to that level, so I think the combination of Tubby and a more successful team with pull him back a bit, but if he plays the same way he played last season, there's no chance at the postseason.

7. Big Man Depth:
This may very well be the biggest problem facing the Gophers this season. Bryce Webster left the team because, well, nobody really knows why, but the Gophers don't have much after Coleman and Tollackson. A lot of the minutes and pressure falls to junior Jonathan Williams, who I actually really like. I love the idea of having a shot blocking presence inside (I was in love with Antoine Broxsie too, I admit), but it would be nice if he developed some kind of ability to score as well.

It's inevitable that at some point, and hopefully not too often, both Williams and Tollackson will be in foul trouble at the same time because they're both the kind of player who gets into foul trouble a lot. You know, big, slow, overly aggressive and kind of dumb. When this happens, that's when the trouble begins. With Brandon Smith gone along with Webster, the only options are either slide Payton down or hope Damian Johnson is better than he's looked. He seems pretty athletic, and at 6-7 has the height to spend some time down low, if not the strength, but he hasn't shown any kind of basketball ability yet, and may very well be better suited in a mid-major conference. The only other option would be to use undersized Travis Busch, and I don't even want to get into the season implications if that happens.

8. Tubby's Influence:
This is the one thing that has me believing right now. First off, according to Snacks, the Gophers are playing an uptempo style right now. I think this is the right move for a team with basically only two traditional big men. Hopefully they are doing a lot of pressure and trapping on defense as well, another reason Shamala shouldn't be playing a ton of minutes.

Tubby has a proven track record, and there is some talent here, minute though it may be. I have full faith in him to squeeze everything out of this team, and make the same bunch who went 9-22 last season into a middle-tier Big Ten team.

9. Ongoing Recruiting Battles:
There are two really big targets still out there for next season, both guards in Devoe Joseph and Verdell Jones, who I would really love to see come to the U next season. There are plenty of other targets as well I'd be happy with, Haralson, Leslie, and even Faber spring to mind, but Joseph and Jones would really put this recruiting class towards the top. Jones is especially important if Nolen doesn't work out, although Joseph is the more exciting pick up. Stay tuned.

10. Just how awesome is Rico Tucker?
Well, he already won Pepperdine's dunk contest, so he still has the ridiculous athletic ability. In Pepperdine's only exhibition game, he started, but clearly the coach is another Monson because he only let him play 16 minutes and limited him to four shots. Of those he made two, including a three pointer, went 2-2 from the line, and dished out 3 assists to go with his seven points. I think it's clear that if this coach ever pulls his head out of his ass and unleashes the monster that is Rico, we're looking at All-American type potential.

FINAL VERDICT: NIT bid

As Expected

Gopher Juniors (or would they be seniors at this point?) Dan Coleman and Spencer Tollackson have withdrawn from the NBA Draft, as expected. The deadline to withdraw from the draft is June 18, and there are still a lot of guys entered who are likely to be late second rounders or undrafted.

Also as expected: The NBA Finals are boring.

This News is Shocking to Me!

As I mentioned previously, the Gophers' Dan Coleman and Spencer Tollackson put there names into the NBA Draft as early-entry candidates.

I have recently learned that somehow they were not invited to the NBA's Pre-Draft camp in Orlando, Florida, which began this week.

Travesty.

So you're telling me that Spencer and Coleman aren't among the top 100 or so prospects for the upcoming draft? They aren't even good enough to be alternates, along with JamesOn Curry, Joseph Jones, and Dominic James? I guess they aren't guarenteed to be drafted after all, and might want to consider pulling out before the June 18 deadline.

Seriously though, the fact that these two put their names in is either completely stupid or a pretty good joke.

I know that the theory is they put their names in to get more publicity, so people might pay attention to them and they might get drafted next season. That's just as ridiculous as thinking they'll get drafted this year. These guys are both mediocre players who wouldn't start for any Big Ten team other than Minnesota, Penn State, or Northwestern. So what's even the point. NBADraft.net has profiles of both of them, and for both under NBA COMPARISON it says "N/A".

Sure, they might improve. But Coleman has had three years to get tougher, get stronger, learn to play defense inside, learn to play defense on the perimeter, and get a post-up game. He hasn't done any of them, so why start now? And Tollackson is basically a poor man's Jeff Hagen.

The other possibility is that they have always wanted to put their names in and know they have no shot but wanted to do it for fun.

If that's the case, I think it's pretty cool. But I doubt it.

Gophers Going Pro

Dan Coleman and Spencer Tollackson have declared the NBA Draft. Seriously.

I know that they know they have no shot at being drafted, or at least I assume so. This is much more ridiculous than even Rick Rickert going pro was. If the NBA draft went seven rounds like the NBA draft, neither of these two would get drafted.

The Star Tribune says they are likely putting their names out there to get exposure and make sure people know who they are, and then will withdraw from the draft. That doesn't make much sense either because they suck. I'm going to assume they're doing it as a joke, knowing it would be hilarious to see their names on the early entry list. That has to be it.