From The Barn

What a weekend!

Posted on 14. Mar, 2010 by JF.

The reaction:
“We all jumped together,” point guard Devoe Joseph said. “I think we might have damaged the couch in there.”
Damaged would be putting it mildly.
“We did break the couch,” shooting guard Lawrence Westbrook confirmed. “We were excited to see our name.”
“I honestly had no clue,” said Joseph, who made the All-Tournament team. “I didn’t [...]

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The Gophers are dancing…in Milwaukee!!!

Posted on 14. Mar, 2010 by JF.

Interstate 94 should be pretty crowded on Thursday night. The Gophers, the 11th seed,  will take on #6 Xavier. More later on the match-up and the crazy weekend that made it all possible.

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Are you kidding me? Gophers win!

Posted on 12. Mar, 2010 by JF.

Let me try this, but don’t expect much in the way of complete sentences or proper punctuation. We are officially in uncharted territory and I am as close to being at a loss for words as possible. It is a very good thing this is in writing, the facial cramp resulting from a giant smile [...]

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A chance to dance, but it will take two to tango

Posted on 10. Mar, 2010 by JF.

Last year I wrote that March is the season of redemption. This year, the Gophers need some redemption and then some. Even though they finished with the same Big Ten record and higher in the conference standings, they find themselves in a much worse position in terms of reaching the NCAA tournament.
Coming into this week, [...]

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Simple changes, simply stunning results

Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by JF.

Three weeks ago I was cursing Michigan for ruining the Gophers’ season. Now I should be thanking them, profusely. Minnesota’s embarrassing home loss to the Wolverines may be the final nails in the NCAA tournament coffin, but it also awoke a struggling Gopher team that was threatening to sleep walk its way through the rest [...]

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Streaks this long don’t end easily

Posted on 28. Feb, 2010 by JF.

A ten point half time lead was surprising. A seemingly insurmountable 19 point lead with just over seven minutes left was shocking. The final score, a 62-60 victory for the Gophers was only unexpected because the Gophers won.
Assembly Hall has been a house of horrors for the Gophers for decades. The last win at Illinois [...]

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Gophers win at Illinois for the first time since 1996!

Posted on 27. Feb, 2010 by JF.

More later, but now, belt it out with me!

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Next Year’s Nucleus

Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by JF.

I hope you’ll excuse me for not delving into the finer details of Minnesota’s latest blown lead and missed buzzer beater. If you saw last season’s Michigan game, or this year’s games against Michigan State or at Indiana and Northwestern you know how the story goes. This team is as formulaic as any of the [...]

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A little perspective has taken the Gophers a long way

Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by JF.

On his first field goal attempt of his college basketball career, punt returner/point guard rolled in a three pointer. Moments later he hit Justin Cobbs on a three-quarter court bounce pass that led to a thunderous dunk. A second later it was Rodney Williams streaking to the basket, too contested to dunk but not for [...]

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Gophers vs. Indiana: Out for revenge

Posted on 20. Feb, 2010 by JF.

With one tongue wagging push off and an obvious travel, Minnesota’s season fell apart. Verdell Jones, on track to become one of the least likeable player in the Big Ten was giddy, not because his fall away jumper knocked off the Gophers, but because he knew he got away with another one on a day [...]

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As long as they beat the Badgers

Posted on 17. Feb, 2010 by JF.

In the darker days of Gopher basketball, and for the last 40 years or so in Gopher football, there was always a saving grace to even the most atrocious season. Beating the Badgers has a way of making up for countless losses and blown opportunities, and can make even the darkest off season tolerable.
This season [...]

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Gophers vs. Northwestern: Playing for pride, if the Gophers have any left

Posted on 13. Feb, 2010 by JF.

A week ago this looked like it could be quite a game. The Gopher would have been looking for a big road win to build momentum for an end of the season run that would include 3 wins over probably NCAA tournament teams, two easy home wins, and  a winnable game at Northwestern. That first [...]

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Gophers vs. Michigan Preview with an assist from UMHoops.com

Posted on 10. Feb, 2010 by JF.

Dylan from UMHoops.com generously agreed to answer a few questions about tomorrow night’s must win match-up between two of the more disappointing teams in the country. I also answered some questions of his. Fair warning, go elsewhere for boundless optimism.
FTB: I hate to start with the obvious question, but what the heck happened? Where [...]

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The Penn State Game: Plus/Minus

Posted on 08. Feb, 2010 by JF.

The Big Ten Geeks have once again generously calculated plus/minus statistics for a Gopher basketball game, this time for that epic (note the semi-sarcasm) win over Penn State. In blow-outs, plus/minus statistics can be pretty meaningless. The plus/minus statistics also often become just a function of playing time. If a player plays every second of [...]

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Westbrooked

Posted on 07. Feb, 2010 by JF.

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Quick Thoughts: Its not over!

Posted on 06. Feb, 2010 by JF.

What’s that? Something good finally happened to the Gopher basketball team. I don’t care who you are playing, the circumstances, or the pre-game predictions, a road win in the Big Ten is huge. Minnesota needed to win to keep the season alive, and they got the job done!

The seniors finally stepped up today. The team [...]

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Gophers at Penn State: Much needed changes for a Must Win Game

Posted on 05. Feb, 2010 by JF.

Golden Gophers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions

1:00 pm (CST) at Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, PA)
Radio: WCCO 830 AM
TV: Big Ten Network

For the better part of a month, I’ve been claiming each upcoming game was not a must win. Those games were important, and every conference game ultimately will have some impact on a potential [...]

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Part III: The Lost Season

Posted on 04. Feb, 2010 by JF.

Paul Carter as Desmond
Each a nomad, they finally found a home after years of traveling, though the destination may not have been what they were looking for. Desmond sailed around the world only to find himself on an abandoned island forced to push a button to keep the world from ending. Paul Carter traveled from [...]

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Part II: The Lost Season

Posted on 03. Feb, 2010 by JF.

When laughter and self-mockery are all that is left!
Bryant Allen as Dogen
Lost introduced Dogen last night during the season premiere of the final season. Apparently the Lost writers fail to recognize how preposterous it is that a giant temple and its caretakers would be hidden for so long on an island roughly the size [...]

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Part 1: The Lost Season

Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by JF.

The 2009-2010 Gopher basketball season hasn’t gone the way any expected or wanted. The string of close losses, catching Portland at absolutely the wrong time, a near epic comeback at Indiana, the epic anti-comeback against Michigan State, and the most lackluster defensive performance at Ohio State have been equal parts frustrating, confusing, and infuriating, and [...]

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Liveblog: Gophers at Ohio State

Posted on 31. Jan, 2010 by JF.

Gophers vs, Ohio State

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Game 21 Preview: Gophers at Ohio State

Posted on 30. Jan, 2010 by JF.


Golden Gophers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

12:00 pm (CST) at Value City Arena (Columbus, OH)

Radio: WCCO 830 AM
TV: CBS

Any conversation about the 2009-2010 Ohio State basketball team begins and ends with Evan Turner. Therefore, logically, any conversation about an opponent of the Buckeyes should at least begin with defending the national player of the year candidate.
Earlier [...]

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Game 20 Preview: Gophers vs. Northwestern Wildcats

Posted on 25. Jan, 2010 by JF.

Golden Gophers vs. Northwestern Wildcats

8:00 pm (CST) at Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Radio: WCCO 830 AM
TV: Big Ten Network

Tickets: Row 11, baseline, upper deck

For Tuesday’s preview, John Templon of Chicago College Basketball answers a few questions about the almost must-win game against Northwestern.
FTB: Who is the real NU? The team that beat Purdue and Illinois, [...]

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So Close: Minnesota 64 – Michigan State 65

Posted on 24. Jan, 2010 by JF.

A day later and I am still shaking my head. The Gophers had the perfect opportunity to get their season on track with a much needed win over #6 Michigan State, but let a 13 point lead slowly slip away, and eventually lost by one point.
The Gophers did just about everything they needed to do [...]

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Quick throughts: Gophers 64 – Michigan State 65

Posted on 23. Jan, 2010 by JF.

A familiar feeling huh?

This is Minnesota’s sixth singe digit loss, and the third that was decided on the last play of the game or in overtime. I don’t know how things could get more frustrating at this point, but I’m sure we will soon find out.

It is hard to say how Al Nolen would have [...]

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Game 19 Preview: Gophers vs. Michigan State

Posted on 22. Jan, 2010 by JF.

Golden Gophers vs. Michigan State Spartans

11:00 am (CST) at Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Radio: WCCO 830 AM
TV: CBS

Tickets: Gone

“As the Barn Turns,” “The Young and the Barnless,” “General Barnspital” (sorry, one too many)… whatever you want to call this season, it has seen more surprises and plot twists than the average soap opera, or so [...]

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Liveblog: Gophers at Indiana

Posted on 17. Jan, 2010 by JF.

Gophers at Indiana

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Game 18 Preview: Gophers at Indiana

Posted on 16. Jan, 2010 by JF.


Golden Gophers vs. Indiana Hoosiers

3:30 pm (CST) at Assembly Hall (Bloomington, IN)

Radio: WCCO 830 AM
TV: Big Ten Network

Welcome to the wacky world of Big Ten basketball, where with injuries, suspensions, and unbalanced schedules everything appears and is possible. At the beginning of the day, Illinois was tied for Michigan State in first place. Michigan State [...]

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Respectable at least: Gophers 53 – Michigan State 60

Posted on 13. Jan, 2010 by JF.

Well, that wasn’t too bad.
Any Gopher fan with any sort of memory dreads heading to the Breslin Center, which has been a house of horrors in recent years for the Gophers including last season’s disaster. The Gophers were run out of they gym that night. Tonight, they probably should have run some more.
Superficially, the goal [...]

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Liveblog: Gophers at Michigan State

Posted on 13. Jan, 2010 by JF.

Share your thoughts as you watch the game!
Gophers at Michigan State

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