U of Minnesota Game Thread

[SDSUJack3031]

Since it hasn't been started and I wanted to post this....

A couple players won't be playing Wednesday because of injuries according to the Star Tribune. Seems to me SDSU may be overlooked quite a bit as they are looking forward to Louisville.

http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/...D3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

[Jacked_Up]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

The Jackrabbits played the Gophers very tough last year and were just a couple of clutch plays short of a victory. The Jacks will have to play an even better game this year (and stop Colton Iverson) to stay in it this year and have a shot at the upset. Go, Jacks.

[JackrabbitGuy]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

Star Tribune Game Preview and full preview story

Preview Facts:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/go...KUnciaec8O7EyU

Full Preview Story:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/go...KUnciaec8O7EyU

[2002jack]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

Does anybody know if Cubbies will get this game?

[BTownJack]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

Does anybody know if Cubbies will get this game?

For sure...it is on the Big 10 Network which I know Cubbys has.

[filbert]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

Maybe it's just a hangover from last night's women's bb win, but I've got a bit of a good feeling about tonight's game . . .

Minnesota just might be looking ahead to Louisville . . . the team (and especially Kai) was pretty upset I think with how they played against Oral Roberts and will be looking to erase that bad taste. I think Minnesota will get the Rabbits' best shot. We'll just have to see if that's good enough.

Jacks fans . . . allow yourself the guilty pleasure of imagining a Jackrabbit win tonight . . . it will be a sizeable upset, but (and I'm not really a new-age kinda guy) it couldn't hurt to start sending out the good vibes towards the guys for tonight.

Om . . . . Om . . . . Om . . . .

[SoDakJack]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

I think that the Jacks will play well this evening. Will it be enough to win? That is hard to say. But, I think that they do play a little more loose on the road. I think that the pressure that they, especially Kai, put on themselves at home is immense. Especially considering the DII success and the successes of WBB, soccer, volleyball, and the football team.

Heck, a win tonight would go a long way to improving relations at the reabbit den I think.

[jackmd]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

I'd like to see us compete tonight. Minnesota will look to push and has a lot more talent inside than we do. I think our swing guys can hang with theres. The Gophs will miss Hofarber and we need to take advantage of his absence.

Jacks are going to have to shoot the lights out and keep the turnovers under 15 to have a chance.

[sfjacksfan99]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

I watched the Gophers game they played in the Big Ten/ACC challenge and a couple of things I noticed in that game. They seem to score their points in bunches, so stop them from going on 10-0 runs is key. The other thing is that they don't stop playing hard-nosed defense. Definately their best attribute from what I saw.

Low scoring, in the 50's/low 60's, by the Jacks defense would be a good recipe for an upset.

[TubbyTown]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

Gopher fan here, I like all of your takes. Gophers definitely thrive off of in your face press defense. Al Nolen and Damien Johnson are probably our quickest defenders. Johnson is a blast too watch and is an exceptional shot blocker, but not much of a scoring threat. Al Nolen is really the glue to this team at the point. Our big men, Iverson and Ralph Sampson III have been fun to watch as Freshmen as last year's center has been hurt for most of the season. With Hoffarber and Carter out, a lot of the scoring pressure will be on Westbrook, our SG, shoulders.


I'm fan of SDSU and NDSU when they aren't playing the Gophers. Who should I look for on the Jackrabbits tonight to impress me? Hopefully it is a good game with no injuries and a different result then what the SDSU women did last night!

[bballfan54]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

Looking forward to seeing this game on TV we have a friend who has a dish so Jamal and I are going over there to watch, hope the dish doesn't go down

GO BIG
GO BLUE
GO JACKS....

[filbert]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

Gopher fan here, I like all of your takes. Gophers definitely thrive off of in your face press defense. Al Nolen and Damien Johnson are probably our quickest defenders. Johnson is a blast too watch and is an exceptional shot blocker, but not much of a scoring threat. Al Nolen is really the glue to this team at the point. Our big men, Iverson and Ralph Sampson III have been fun to watch as Freshmen as last year's center has been hurt for most of the season. With Hoffarber and Carter out, a lot of the scoring pressure will be on Westbrook, our SG, shoulders.


I'm fan of SDSU and NDSU when they aren't playing the Gophers. Who should I look for on the Jackrabbits tonight to impress me? Hopefully it is a good game with no injuries and a different result then what the SDSU women did last night!

I'll take a shot at describing who the Jackrabbits are right now:

The team usually goes eight deep, depending on the matchups on the floor.

The scoring leader is Garrett Callahan (Jr)--he rarely sees a shot he won't take, but he's shooting 45% for the season from the small forward/3rd guard spot. The best athlete is Kai Williams (Jr) at the strong forward position--he's a double-double threat in any game he plays. Mackenzie Casey (Sr) is a gritty, determined point guard who's probably slightly under-talented for a D-I team (but I absolutely love to watch him play). Anthony Cordova (So) has made huge strides from his freshman year last year, but you can't coach height and he's undersized at 6'7' for a D-I center--he's got some athletic ability too and is learning to use that ability properly down low. Clint Sargent (So) at the off-guard is (it is said) the team's best shooter, but we haven't always seen that shot this year.

Off the bench, Michael Palarca (So) is a fairly quick but undersized point guard; Dale Moss (So)can jump out of the building as maybe the first off-guard off the bench; Josh Cassaday (RS-Fr) was hurt all last year but has a very nice shot and good moves as first forward off the bench. If the team goes nine deep rather than eight, Mark Engen (Jr) is a 6'10 stringbean, but had some very good minutes off the bench in our last game, and might see more time at the center for a change of pace from the smaller, more athletic Cordova.

All in all, a fairly young team who are still in the process of finding their roles individually and their identity as a team.

I guess that's my capsule analysis of the Jacks right now . . .

[jackmd]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

Gopher fan here, I like all of your takes. Gophers definitely thrive off of in your face press defense. Al Nolen and Damien Johnson are probably our quickest defenders. Johnson is a blast too watch and is an exceptional shot blocker, but not much of a scoring threat. Al Nolen is really the glue to this team at the point. Our big men, Iverson and Ralph Sampson III have been fun to watch as Freshmen as last year's center has been hurt for most of the season. With Hoffarber and Carter out, a lot of the scoring pressure will be on Westbrook, our SG, shoulders.


I'm fan of SDSU and NDSU when they aren't playing the Gophers. Who should I look for on the Jackrabbits tonight to impress me? Hopefully it is a good game with no injuries and a different result then what the SDSU women did last night!

Kai Williams is the guy who has the most potential to impress. When he wants to he can own almost anyone who is trying to defend him. Callahan and Sargent are both wirey but hard-nosed guards who won't back down. They aren't the quickest but both can shoot well. Fact is we aren't talented enough or deep enough to hang with the Gophers for 40 minutes. If you just look at stats and compare the teams on paper Minnesota should win this easily. That is why you play the game, anything can happen.

[JacksFroshFan]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

Will be interesting to see how the starting lineup shake up will affect us.

Hopefully we aren't in a hole before Sargent and Kai get into the game.

We will struggle to score to start off, I think, with those to sitting.

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: U of Minnesota Game Thread

I agree with MD. Watched the Gophers a couple times this year and they are much improved over last year. You never know what can happen, and they have a couple guys out, and have a big game against Louisville next. Pulling this one of would be one of, if not the, biggest win since making the move to D1.