Quick thoughts: Gophers 94- Morgan State 64

Posted on December 8, 2009 by JF in 2009-2010

I’ll be back tomorrow for a complete recap, weather and traffic permitting. Until then:

• Damian Johnson left the game in the second half with an injured wrist. He went briefly to the locker room, and then returned to the bench. With the game out of hand, there wasn’t really any reason to put him back in the game.  The injury hopefully isn’t serious, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he misses this Saturday’s game, especially if the Gophers have an early lead.

• Never in all my years of watching basketball have I seen a team as foul-happy as Morgan State. I knew they fouled a lot, but 32 fouls in a game that is completely out of hand? Poor coaching?

• Rebounding margin is worse than meaningless. True story. Yes, the Gophers only outrebounded Morgan State by four, and they were outrebounded by 4 on the offensive end, but don’t begin to worry. The Bears missed 21 more field goal attempts than the Gophers. They were bound to have more offensive rebounds with so many more opportunities.

• Early season games breed lazy play. The Gophers were up 18 after five minutes, and didn’t need to play particularly well to win easily. Close games should encourage better execution. Close games also lead to possible losses. Wins are more important at this point, regardless of how ugly they are.

• Blake Hoffarber scores 18 points, and 12 of those were two point shots. Who saw that coming?

Related posts:

1. Morgan State added to schedule
2. Game 9 Preview: Gophers vs. Morgan State
3. Quick thoughts: Gophers 86-74
4. Quick Thoughts: Gophers 75 – Penn State 70
5. Quick thoughts: Gophers 73 – Ohio State 62

Tags: Blake Hoffarber, Damian Johnson, Game Review, injury, Morgan State Bears