Minnesota GDT

[zooropa]

Re: Minnesota GDT

Is anyone else surprised the Gophers are playing this well considering they lost 2 players (I think) to off the court issues earlier in the year? Or maybe they got them reinstated and I never saw that.

Also, lets see how the rest of the season plays out. Last year the Gophers had a great non-conference season playing their way into a top-25 ranking. The Big 10 season they were 9-9 and T-7th. I would have to say their non-conferenece schedule was weaker than it was this year.

Just my thoughts.

A couple things--

1) the Gophs matched up really really well against the Jacks. They're tall and they're very deep in the post. Conversely, the Jacks are still a bit shorthanded in the post and their post defense isn't that fantastic.

2) the Jacks scored with impunity from the perimeter, and they were able to get the ball inside, even if they couldn't drive the lane. They were at a height disadvantage inside, but they were able to get the ball into the paint pretty consistently.

Methinks that a taller team than the Jacks with good perimeter shooters will eat the Gophs alive. And the Big Ten is well stocked with such teams.

[bub94]

Re: Minnesota GDT

Is anyone else surprised the Gophers are playing this well considering they lost 2 players (I think) to off the court issues earlier in the year? Or maybe they got them reinstated and I never saw that.

One guy was the freshman recruit they were pretty high on. He ended up leaving the team a couple weeks ago, due to some troubles with the law.

Reading the article in the Argus regarding the game, they made reference to the 22-4 run Minnesota had in the first half. That was what killed the Jacks. They started off the game so good, and then turnovers and missed defensive plays started happening. The inbounds lob is similar to a play the Jacks run. Minnesota played pretty good too, I won't take that away from them. The Jacks need to play an entire 40 minute game (by that I mean keep their heads in the game). I liked Michael's ball handling, but the drives down the lane against the long armed defenders are killing me. AC needs to speed up his post move. The Gophers were able to double team and cause turnovers. Need to either go up with the ball faster or recognize the double team coming and pass out faster.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Minnesota GDT

I have been advocating for Engen to be more part of the rotation for a while and once again last night he was productive in the "garbage time" he recieved at the end of the game with 3 block shots including an absolute in your face block on Ralph Sampson. Our other post players Fiegen and Cordova were powerless to make any stops or provide help defense. The most mind boggling quote in the post game interview came from Nagy when Imming asked him about Engen's productivity and Nagy responded yes we thought Mark matched up well with their post players? So why then was he not put into the game until under 5 minutes left and then pulled before the horn sounded? I get the fact Mark is not going to be the answer on the offensive end, but I think he can provide some shot blocking and better matchups with the taller post players we face. IMHO it's a disgrace the way this senior is being treated. To his credit he seems to be an absolute team player who cheers for his teamates and makes the most of the limited opportunities he gets and always with a postive demeanor.

[GopherHole]

Re: Minnesota GDT

Effort was good tonight, but defense execution was lousy after the first 10 minutes of play. Our defense allowed the Gophers to drive the middle of the lane too much, and when that happens team defense breaks down and easy baskets are made. They definitely have a speed and height advantage on us, but we weren't out classed that bad that we couldn't have made it a close game (as shown in the first half of the first half, which was probably our best stint of defense all year).

The biggest positive was the play of Nate Wolters, as I thought he physically matched up well against the Gopher players on both ends of the court.

After attending my first Jacks game in a couple of years, I have to echo Kemo's perspective on defense. Offensively, we were fine as long as we could spread the court with the three. If we would have struggled from the perimeter, it would have been a tough night.

I hope the Nagy and the boys learned something about tough defense by watching how the Gophers played. Yes, the boys in maroon and white are more athletic, but they also played defense with more effort and used their feet better. When defending, you have to be active with your feet and get in tight when you are attempting to shut them down. Often, I would see our guys taking a step back, when their opponent was making a move. By moving laterally, you force your opponent to move wide instead of towards the bucket. We didn't do that and with their superior speed, they were able to attack the basket. We were constantly trying to provide help on defense and they were able to find the unguarded player going to the hole or open for the easy jumper.

Second thing on defense that I noticed was that when they double teamed they had two players in tight and often trapped on the baseline or sideline. They effectively shut down the passing lanes and were able to deflect passes and make steals which led to many fast break opportunities. When they went on their run in the middle of the first half, they did it with defensive pressure. When we attempted to double team, we did not get in tight and it left room open in the passing lanes.

The third thing I noticed on defense was the pressure they put on us by denying the inbound pass. It was getting so difficult for awhile that even with Palarca's quickness, they were able to prevent us from getting the ball in. (I was also surprised that we did not attempt to set screens to get the ball in, we only relied on spreading the court with two inbounds players.) Once we got the ball in, it often took 8 seconds to advance the ball across midcourt. That is 8 seconds less on the shot clock. They then denied many passes inside the three point arc, which prevented us from attacking the hoop and working an inside out game. We had numerous times where we had to force a shot with little time on the shot clock. I noticed when the game was in control, that Tubby would allow us to inbound the ball, but would still make us work hard to move the ball up court or inside.

If we could learn to work hard on our defense for 40 minutes per game like the Gophers do, I believe we would see more W's. If I had to make a few positive comments on our defense, it was actually some of our D in the paint. While Fiegen was seriously undersized both physically and height wise, he worked hard for position and used a wide base with his legs to keep position. Engen fought hard when he got in there, but Iverson was able to push him around much more because Engen didn't use his lower body like Fiegen. AC was strong enough to match up, but he failed to work hard consistently when he was in there.

A final observation that I had that you can't get when watching a game on TV is the coaching/teaching. When Nagy had to call timeouts and yelled to get his point across, I often found players looking at their feet. Not Fiegen. When coach addressed him, Tony would either look at him or to where coach was pointing on the court. The same thing happened after every time Tony was pulled from the game. Coach would put his arm around him and explain what he wanted out of him and you could tell that Tony was listening. I don't think Tony corrected everything that was told him as evidenced by the number of missed opportunities he had on the offensive end, but he was listening. As a youth coach, that is so important having players willing to listen to you.

Finally, a couple of real positives. Garrett is a stud on perimeter offense. He finds the holes, sets up to receive the ball in position, and is quick with the release and methodical on the follow through. That is why he caused so many problems on the perimeter. Wolters played very well and within himself. He is going to be an outstanding point guard in the Summitt. I hope he can become a vocal leader for the team as he plays even keeled and moves the ball effectively. Palarca handled himself and the ball very well against some very tough defenders. While Westrbook defended him often early in the game, Nolen is one of the top perimeter defenders in college basketball. Palarca was able to move the ball up court while protecting the ball.

I'm glad the Jacks won't have to face this quality of a team in conference. There was just too many athletes that could do it all for the Gophers. They are also very well coached. I was impressed that Tubby always had one of his big men covering Tony on the perimeter. That is one of the strengths to Fiegen, he can shoot from the arc and drive with the ball - but Tubby had his big men shutting down all facets of that game.

Good luck Jacks, and I hope I don't have to wait years again to see you.

[BernieBierman=5NC's]

Re: Minnesota GDT

A couple things--

1) the Gophs matched up really really well against the Jacks. They're tall and they're very deep in the post. Conversely, the Jacks are still a bit shorthanded in the post and their post defense isn't that fantastic.

2) the Jacks scored with impunity from the perimeter, and they were able to get the ball inside, even if they couldn't drive the lane. They were at a height disadvantage inside, but they were able to get the ball into the paint pretty consistently.

Methinks that a taller team than the Jacks with good perimeter shooters will eat the Gophs alive. And the Big Ten is well stocked with such teams.

ha! the gophers ARE the tallest/longest team in the big ten. do your research next time bud.

[zooropa]

Re: Minnesota GDT

ha! the gophers ARE the tallest/longest team in the big ten. do your research next time bud.

I said a taller team than the Jacks, not a taller team than the Goofs.

Do your reading next time, bud.

[BernieBierman=5NC's]

Re: Minnesota GDT

I said a taller team than the Jacks, not a taller team than the Goofs.

Do your reading next time, bud.

goof? what is a goof? never heard of them before. is it like a jack?

p.s. how come you seem to be so antagonistic towards minnesota? why do you seem to have an attitude towards anything minnesota? what is your problem? are you not a happy person? it is christmas time in the city, bud!

p.s.s. please name off ALL OF THOSE "well-stocked" big ten teams you spoke of.......you know the ones who are both as tall as the gophers AND are great 3pt shooting teams. because the last i checked the gophers are also a pretty good 3pt shooting team........and they actually are tall.

[zooropa]

Re: Minnesota GDT

Dude. Minnesota scored like 60 points in the paint and let the Jacks shoot 36% from behind the arc.

You won't score 60 points in the paint against Purdue, Michigan State, or Ohio State, and if SDSU can hit better than one for three behind the 3 point line (and that factoring in some incredibly bad shots taken late in the game), well.... about half the teams in the Big Ten are averaging 36% or better from the 3 point line.

And there's no excuse for such poor perimeter defense. It's not like the Jacks were killing the Goofs inside.

Oh, and one more thing: when did I ever say there were Big Ten teams as tall as the Goofs? And when did I ever say that there was an issue with 3 point production by the Goofs.

[1bunnies]

Re: Minnesota GDT

Dude. Minnesota scored like 60 points in the paint and let the Jacks shoot 36% from behind the arc.

You won't score 60 points in the paint against Purdue, Michigan State, or Ohio State, and if SDSU can hit better than one for three behind the 3 point line (and that factoring in some incredibly bad shots taken late in the game), well.... about half the teams in the Big Ten are averaging 36% or better from the 3 point line.

And there's no excuse for such poor perimeter defense. It's not like the Jacks were killing the Goofs inside.

Oh, and one more thing: when did I ever say there were Big Ten teams as tall as the Goofs? And when did I ever say that there was an issue with 3 point production by the Goofs.

Cant we all just get along. Merry Xmas.

[Nidaros]

Re: Minnesota GDT

Cant we all just get along. Merry Xmas.

meh!!!!!! I dont like Minnesota either, or its 10 thousand lakes. I think zoo made some good points and if Mr Beirman cant handle it go back to one of your 10,000 lakes and do some ice fishing. I am trying to be nice since it is Christmas.

[BernieBierman=5NC's]

Re: Minnesota GDT

meh!!!!!! I dont like Minnesota either, or its 10 thousand lakes. I think zoo made some good points and if Mr Beirman cant handle it go back to one of your 10,000 lakes and do some ice fishing. I am trying to be nice since it is Christmas.

pathetic.

btw - what is ice fishing?

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

p.s. it is bierman, not beirman.

[Nidaros]

Re: Minnesota GDT

pathetic.

btw - what is ice fishing?

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

p.s. it is bierman, not beirman.

Whatever.

[bub94]

Re: Minnesota GDT

goof? what is a goof? never heard of them before. is it like a jack?

p.s. how come you seem to be so antagonistic towards minnesota? why do you seem to have an attitude towards anything minnesota? what is your problem? are you not a happy person? it is christmas time in the city, bud!

p.s.s. please name off ALL OF THOSE "well-stocked" big ten teams you spoke of.......you know the ones who are both as tall as the gophers AND are great 3pt shooting teams. because the last i checked the gophers are also a pretty good 3pt shooting team........and they actually are tall.

He should have spelled it goph.

p.s. It actually seems like after the win, you got really defensive towards the gophers. What zooropa said is actually pretty true. The Jacks did score most of their points from the outside and didn't really score in the paint. If the other team has good outside shooting plus has a threat down low, better hope that team isn't shooting lights out from the three point line.

p.s.s. Please re-read his post. I understood it the first time when he was talking about comparing the other Big 10 team's size and outside shooting to the Jacks, not the gophers.

Happy Holidays everyone!

[SturgisJeff]

Re: Minnesota GDT

speaking of in the paint. AC needs to speed it up a little in there. Too many times he held the ball with just one defender on him. Then after a sec or two of deciding what to do the shot was taken from him and another defender moved in on him and they forced the ball from him in a bad throw or steal.

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: Minnesota GDT

Only a minor quibble with Zoo's post: in a 30 pt loss I don't think we scored with impunity from any part of the court.

I also understood that his comparison was to the Jacks, and I will be anxious to see how this Gophers team handles the conference games.