From The Barn

Gophers trying to continue success while the Longhorns hope to salvage their season

Posted on 18. Mar, 2009 by JF in 2008-2009

#10 Golden Gophers vs. #7 Texas Longhorns

6:10 pm (CDT) at Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina)

Radio: WCCO 830 AM

TV: CBS

Liveblog: Starting half an hour before the game

At approximately 6:1o central time on Thursday, March 19, Minnesota’s 2008-2009 basketball season will officially become a success. This was supposed to a rebuilding year, with five new players and several other returning role players. Instead, it has resulted in Minnesota’s first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2005. None of the current Gophers have played a single minute in the Big Dance (though Jonathan Williams was redshirted last time), and with only Williams and Jamal Abu-Shamala leaving the team in the off-season, the Gophers have already laid a solid foundation for the future. This season was about making the tournament. Next season is about winning games in the tournament. That being said, the undisputed underdog Gophers have a very real chance to win a game, and then have their faces kicked in by Duke.

The Texas Longhorns have had a season paralleling the Gophers, and have faced many of the issues that the Gophers have this season. They started great, but their quality of play slipped as the season went on. It was successful in the sense that they too made the tournament. However, the Longhorns were in line for a top seed as late as January. That late-season swoon was due to their poor offensive play. Like the Gophers, they score from the inside and often struggle from the outside.

This won’t be the first time in the tournament for the Longhorns, and this may be their biggest advantage. Texas has won at least one game in the tournament the last three years, and their biggest contributors are all veterans. In the famous scene in “Hoosiers”, coach Norman Dale has his team measure the height of the basket and the length of the court to show his players that even though the stage is bigger, the court is the same. The Gophers need to remember this. A team as young as the Gophers might panic in the biggest game of their lives, or they may be too naive to know they should be scared. As inconsistent as Texas has been this season, they at least know what to expect from themselves. The same can not be said of the Gophers.

Regardless of what happens on Thursday, the Gophers are playing meaningful post-season basketball on a national stage. Just two short years ago the team was coachless, in turmoil, and coming off the worst season in program history. Not even a blow out loss in the first round can spoil this season now.

Keys for the Gophers

1. Stay calm. If the Gophers want to be competitive or even beat the Longhorns, they’ll need to maintain their composure, particularly in the early going and at the end of the game. The early meltdown at Michigan State seems like a distant memory, as the Gophers got off to good starts in road games against Ohio State and Illinois and most recently in the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan State. If the Gophers can keep it close in the first eight minutes, they will also need to avoid or minimize their traditional rough patch around the eight minute mark in the second half. All teams go through these rough stretches, but mature teams work their way out of them. On Thursday we find out if the Gophers have grown up.

2. Pound the ball inside. The Gophers not only need to get the ball to Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson to score, but they also need to get Texas in foul trouble early. The points won’t necessarily come easy, and the Gophers will need to be persistent. All too often they abandon the inside game at the first sign of resistance. If that happens, producers at the CBS studio will be scrambling to find the nearest upset.

3. Make a few outside shots. Easier said than done, right? The Gophers don’t need to set any shooting records, but they need to keep the Longhorns honest. The last thing this team needs is Texas settling into a 2-3 zone, forcing the Gophers to shoot exclusively from the outside, and the interior Longhorn players sitting back and relaxing.

Keys for the Longhorns

1. Slow the game down. No one plays as slow as the Big Ten, though Texas may want to. The Gophers still don’t have a half-court offense, and letting Minnesota score in transition could lead to the upset.

2. Force turnovers. Minnesota usually makes this easy. Texas doesn’t force many turnovers, and anything they can do to get extra possessions will be helpful.

3. Use the experience. The Longhorns have no excuse to come out flat or frazzled, and should be able to stay calm if the Gophers make a run.

Key Players for the Gophers

1. Al Nolen needs to remember how he played against Louisville, and then play like that again. In a game as big as this, there is no room for indecisiveness and frayed nerves.

2. Devron Bostick has provided much needed offense, and saw his minutes jump in the Big Ten Tournament. He’ll need to continue to score, and play defense good enough to stay on the court.

3. Lawrence Westbrook needs to find that fine line between uncontrolled and unstoppable.

Key Players for the Longhorns

1. Dexter Pittman has become the focal point of the newly interior-focused Texas offense. He needs to stay on the court and out of foul trouble to make a difference.

2. A.J. Abrams needs to make his shots. He can be streaky, and isn’t good for much other than three pointers.

3. Dogus Balbay will need to handle the Gophers’ pressure and convince someone that they need to guard him.

Prediction: It’ll be close, but a slow start will put the Gophers in a hole that they can’t quite burrow out of. Texas wins 70-65.

Related posts:

1. Gophers lose in the first round, and the season ends as expected
2. #20 Minnesota vs. #18 Purdue: Gophers trying to repeat Boilermakers’ success
3. #24 Minnesota vs. #20 Illinois: Gophers hope to end “Krushing” streak like its 1999.
4. Here Comes Treble- The Cornell Fighting Andy Bernards hope to make the Gophers blush
5. Texas as a team

Tags: A. J. Abrams, Al Nolen, Devron Bostick, Dogus Balbay, Game Preview, Lawrence Westbrook, NCAA Tournament