I’ll let others get out their tarot cards and crystal balls in the hope of sorting predicting which number the coaching carousel/roulette wheel will eventually land on. Instead, do what I do. Ignore it all and let things play out.

Naturally, there will be speculation about coaching changes this time of year. There are plenty of open coaching positions. All those positions will be filled in the next few weeks. Fans want to know what to expect next season. However, right now there is more heat than light, and what little light exists is surrounded by a thick fog of nonsense that makes it nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction and rumor from reality.

Like the political silly season, the college basketball season if fueled by, above all else, media boredom. There just isn’t much happening in the world of college basketball. Sure the final four gets started in a few days, but there are only three games of consequence left. On the average Saturday during the college basketball season there were 140 games. Stories abound during the height of the season. Stories about upsets, collapses, injuries, bubble teams, coaches on the hot seat, and conference championship races are ripe for the picking. Now, reporters can write about the few very early NBA entrants, something about Butler apparently being a small school from Indiana that plays in the same arena where the final scenes of Hoosiers were filmed, or they can spend all day on twitter commenting on every rumor on the Internet. Marcus Fuller of the Pioneer Press may be a much better reporter than a certain cross town rival, but he needs to lock up the lap top for a while. Exhibit A: “Tubby is laying low. Not talking to anybody. Wonder what that means? Calm before the storm maybe.” Exhibit B: “St. John’s is talking to Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt. If Hewitt leaves, then the Jackets will be hard for Tubby Smith to turn down.” Exhibit C, Parts 1 and 2: “Oregon T.V. station reports Tubby is not a candidate.” “Oregon offers job to Tubby.” :Exhibit D: “All this Tom Izzo-Oregon interest talk seems like a smokescreen. The Ducks are waiting for Tubby to decide if he wants the job or not.” Exhibit E: “I’m hearing that Tubby has to make a decision on Oregon in next couple days or Ducks are moving on, possibly to Butler’s Stevens “ Did you follow that logic? I’m pretty sure there wasn’t any to follow.

Bored reporters with nothing better to do start the rumors. Unfortunately there isn’t much to hold them in check. Schools looking to hire a coach will offer just about anyone with a big name, regardless of whether they have a realistic chance of hiring that program changing coach. I have no doubt that DePaul offered Ben Howland. I also have no doubt that Howland graciously declined, until he hung up the phone and laughed hysterically for several minutes. Ditto for Izzo to Oregon, Billy Donavan and Rick Pitino to St. John’s, and Tubby Smith to Auburn. By offering the power coach, the program making a hire can raise the spirits of alumni and fans and show that they are serious about winning. It also enables them to show that they made a real effort for a game changer, so when they hire that up and coming mid-major coach, they can at least say they tried. They can also blame the lack of the big hire on a lack of cash, and use the less than desirable hire as a fund raising mechanism. In short, don’t be surprised if a lot of these rumors begin with a jilted athletic department at the end of a failed courtship.

Colleges seeking coaches aren’t the only rumor originator and perpetuator. Opposing recruiters are thrilled when coaching uncertainty enters their arsenal, if only to raise a few lingering doubts and delay a decision. It may not be a successful strategy, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t used. The rumors likely would be much less if the Gophers weren’t still in the running for all-everything point guard Cory Joseph. Coincidentally, two of Joseph’s other suitors also face considerable coaching uncertainty. Jim Calhoun of Connecticut has missed several games over the last few years and it is uncertain how many years of coaching he has left. Jay Wright of Villanova has been linked to several open jobs including St. John’s and Oregon. Why wouldn’t a coach dealing with his own rumors blame another coach surrounded by rumors.

The last levy preventing the flood of coaching rumor craziness is the coaches themselves, but they are too often unwilling or simply unable to do anything about them. Rumors translate to leverage, and leverage is something every coach wants. The rumors surrounding Tubby Smith may lead to the expedited construction of a practice facility. Other coaches have secured raises and contract extensions from their employer to keep them from heading to greener pastures. Flat out denials don’t calm the chaos either. Tubby Smith has said he is perfectly happy where he is, just like he did last year when he didn’t leave, but that wasn’t good enough. Tom Izzo summed up the insanity of it all succinctly today, “”I’ve commented on (rumors), and it’s gotten me in trouble.I’ve not commented on them, and it’s gotten me in trouble.”

So what are you, the powerless fan, supposed to do when the rumors swirl in a great vortex of angst? I choose to believe the coach. I don’t believe them because I think coaches are incapable of dishonesty. I believe them because they are the most trustworthy option, more so than bored reporters, jilted athletic departments, or sleazy recruiters.

Related posts:

1. Gophers win round one of the Tubby sweepstakes
2. Barn Blurbs 3/17/09 is voting for Goldy
3. Barn Blurbs for 1/28/09

The specifics of the game are pretty unimportant as the same stories that accompany most Gopher losses manifested themselves on Friday.  Poor shooting, lack of rebounding presence, a suspect half-court offense and little intensity; the Gopher team that took down Penn State, Michigan State and Purdue in the Big Ten tournament did not show up in the Big Dance.

With the loss came the termination of an endlessly frustrating season – one that saw Minnesota begin the season ranked #16 in the nation with initial hopes of making a deep postseason run.  Tubby Smith was returning most of his 2008-09 team, adding two ultra-talented players in Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe and the Gophers looked to be well-positioned to stay near the top of the conference for most of the season.  Even when legal issues initially kept both recruits off the court the team looked talented enough to handle their absences, taking down Butler in the 66 Classic in a November holiday tournament.

Unfortunately the Butler win was arguably the peak of the season.  From there the Gophers would lose three winnable games to Portland, Texas A&M and Miami, losses that would expose the team’s inability to finish close games and nearly put a nail the team’s at-large chances when all was said and done.

After going 9-3 in non-conference play, the Gophers started Big Ten play with two solid victories over conference doormats Penn State and Iowa.  Even with an 11-point win over Ohio State (Evan Turner’s first game back from a broken vertebrae) losses to Purdue and Michigan State  began to solidify Minnesota’s position as a tier 2 Big Ten team.

The situation became even more bleak when the Gophers dropped an inexcusable contest at Indiana  before Al Nolen, perhaps the conference’s best lock-down defensive player, became academically ineligible.  Suddenly, a season that had received so much hype and began with such promise had curdled into mediocrity.

With the exception of two ugly losses to Michigan, the Gophers held their own against the teams they should have beaten and even stole a game from the hated Badgers at home, helping propel a late season surge that put them in a position to make the NCAA Tournament.  Defying all expectations, Minnesota put together a three-game run in the Big Ten tournament, taking down two nationally ranked teams in the process and securing an at-large berth in the Big Dance.  What had seemed like a given in the beginning felt like a small victory in the end.  Such was the 2009-10 season.

One of the ongoing annoyances of the season was the fact that Minnesota was in position to win eight of its 12 losses and even gave up double digit leads in a few games, most notably in home losses to Michigan State and Purdue.  It wasn’t the fact that they lost, but it was how they lost.  Poor execution down the stretch almost always marred Gopher losses and made the roller coaster season even  more frustrating.  Losing a close game on your own terms stings more than getting outplayed, and the Gophers oftentimes had trouble just overcoming themselves.

But while it’s easy to trash the team for often losing focus and not achieving expectations, it’s important to realize the adversity that this year’s squad had to overcome.  It’s true that they returned several players from the previous season, but the loss of Al Nolen in the middle of the year was a huge blow.  After his ineligibility the team’s defensive presence, their identity and calling card, was dealt a significant blow.  Their full-court press was much less effective and Devoe Joseph, a natural shooting guard, was forced to step in and handle the play-calling duties.  After Nolen’s benching, the 2009-10 Gophers were basically the 2008-09 Gophers without Al Nolen.

So let’s ask the question before pointing fingers.  Who are the Gophers without Royce White, Trevor Mbakwe and Al Nolen?  They certainly aren’t a top-20 team.  They probably even aren’t a top-30 team.  In fact, they are almost certainly a  bubble team,  much like the 08-09 team was. The only major difference was that the 09-10 team didn’t have their best defensive player and veteran starting point guard.  I would argue that their 11th-seed, first round loss was pretty much what should have been expected considering the on-court product that was put together.  Sure, expectations were high to begin, but they should have been modified after two big-time recruits didn’t show up and a solid veteran was put to pasture.

In a later post I plan to build on that argument and defend Tubby Smith in the wake of people demanding better performance, but for now I think it’s fair to say that, considering the off-court issues that happened this year, the 09-10 season should be viewed as a slight success.

Season notes/observations:

• Yes he was the team’s leading scorer and yes he often was instrumental in keeping the Gophers in some games, but I am not sad to see Lawrence Westbrook move on.  I’ll always be thankful for his game winning shot at Wisconsin in 2008, but the divisive, prima donna attitude and Superman impressions began to get old.  Towards the end of this season it was actually refreshing to see him on the bench at times.  This season he led the team in turnovers and field goals attempted and only had one more assist (75) than TOs (74).
• Blake Hoffarber is  back!  After an awful sophomore slump, Hoffarber rebounded to become one of the team’s more dangerous scorers and was frequently recognized by the other team as a force to be reckoned with.  While his stats didn’t reflect it in the final month of the season, Hoffarber received significant on-court attention from opposing teams, allowing the rest of the offense an opportunity to open up.
• One of the biggest travesties of the season was Damian Johnson’s failure to be included in the Big Ten All-Defensive team.  Not only did he lead the conference in steals, but he was a force down low, blocking 67 shots during the season.  Unbelievable.  Johnson was arguably the team MVP and, unlike Westbrook, will be sorely missed next season.
• Devoe Joseph looked like he was in way over his head when he first took over for the ineligible Nolen, but after a few weeks running the offense, he began to take off.  Scoring in double digits in eight of the final 12 games, Joseph began to look like the scorer that people expected him to be going into the season.
• Invisible for  much of the season, Colton Iverson unexpectedly reappeared in final two weeks to partially redeem himself, which begs the question:  Did he figure it out?  With an unimpressive final two games, the answer is still unclear and with someone like Elliott Eliason coming to town, Iverson needs to get his game in order sooner rather than later.
• Ralph Sampson still has a ways to go before he can be considered a respectable Big Ten center.  Unable to battle physically down low, he constantly had to settle for hook shots and 15 foot jumpers.  In fact, it’s safe to say that Damian Johnson was twice the post player that Sampson was.  The good news was that Sampson added size to his frame from his freshman year.  The bad news was that he doesn’t know what to do with it.
• Two newcomers, Rodney Williams and Justin Cobbs, didn’t make huge splashes, but also didn’t disappoint.  With one year under his belt, Williams should see his playing time increase and will hopefully become a more-athletic version of Damian Johnson.  Cobbs, on the other hand, might find extra PT hard to come by with Nolen and Joseph sharing time at the point.  Cobbs made no indication that he was capable of handling Big Ten point guard duties in 09-10.

Related posts:

1. The Worst: Michigan 83 – Gophers 55
2. Bubble burst(ing) Michigan 71 – Gophers 63
3. Game 19 Preview: Gophers vs. Michigan State

Keys for the Gophers

1. Establish an inside presence. Ralph Sampson will need to be strong with the ball, and Colton Iverson will need to be strong with his body. Sampson has been very hit and miss over the last two weeks, and if he continues to give up bad turnovers, Xavier could end up looking a lot like Ohio State in the second half of the Big Ten championship game. Colton Iverson will need to move some bodies out of the post. He is the only Gopher who can match the mass of Xavier’s front court, and if doesn’t play physical, no one will.

2. Find looks for Blake Hoffarber. If Hoffarber is getting open looks, soon everyone will get open looks. Xavier will be reluctant to double the post. Lawrence Westbrook will have room to drive. Damian Johnson will inevitably be guarded by a weaker defender. If Hoffarber disappears, the Gophers could find themselves essentially playing four on five on both ends of the court.

3. Slow the game down. I was a big fan of Minnesota’s press and run style earlier in the season, but after the loss of Al Nolen, the personnel just aren’t there. Instead, the Gophers have been running down the shot clock and have relied on excellent shooting. Xavier will want to pick up the pace and get the Gophers to run. To follow the Musketeers’ lead would be a mistake. A slow game is out of Xavier’s comfort zone (they average four more possessions per game than the Gophers) and a slow game should lead to some frustration.

Keys for the Musketeers

1. Shoot the Gophers out of the zone. Xavier makes just over 37% of their three point attempts. If they don’t shoot better than that from the outside, the Gophers will be content to pack in the zone, cut down on driving lanes, and take their chances. If Xavier can shoot closer to 45%, the Gophers will be forced to change their defensive strategy. If that happens, not only will driving be that much easier, but Xavier’s big bodies should have plenty of room to operate. Remember when the Gophers played Michigan, and DeShawn Sims was guarded one on one and Manny Harris had all the room in the world to get to the basket? I thought so.

2. Get Damian Johnson in foul trouble. The most underrated defender in the country will have his hands full, and will most likely get Jordan Crawford as his assignment. This  could be a good match-up for the Gophers as long as Johnson stays on the floor.  He is susceptible to fouls, especially of the cheap variety. If Johnson is in foul trouble, the Gophers will either have to put a much shorter quick player on Crawford, most likely Lawrence Westbrook, or will have to go with size but not necessarily speed, Paul Carter. Johnson may also be the most important cog in the Gopher offense with his passing ability. If he is on the bench, the Gophers are in trouble.

3. Get Crawford going. It goes without saying that a team’s success is dependent on the success of their leading scorer. This is especially the case for a team like Xavier in which the leading scorer shoots more than one third of his teams shots.  Crawford won’t stop shooting, even if his shots aren’t falling, and that could potentially be a lot of missed shots. There also aren’t other Xavier players accustomed to picking up the scoring slack.

Prediction:

This game could obviously go either way, and the match-ups will be intriguing. Ultimately, this game will come down to who these teams have played lately. Xavier has been playing well lately, but against inferior competition. The Big Ten conference season has prepared the Gophers better than the Atlantic 10 has for Xavier. Xavier may think they play physical, but they haven’t met Colton Iverson’s elbows. They also haven’t faced a team with the Gophers’ depth all season. Better experience and more bodies will be the difference in a grinder, with the Gophers winning 63-59.

Related posts:

1. Xavier Preview Part 3: The Players
2. Xavier Preview Part 2: Atlantic 10 at a glance
3. Xavier Preview Part 1: The Non-conference Schedule

Jordan Crawford should be familiar from his lone, scandal tainted season at Indiana. Back in 2008 he came off the bench, he came off the bench but still played over 25 minutes per game while averaging nearly 10 points and 3 rebounds. He, along with all but one Indiana player, headed elsewhere as the Hoosiers slipped into obscurity. Now the 6’4” shooting guard has re-emerged this season as Xavier’s leading scorer at nearly 20 points and five rebounds per game. He can get points in bunches, peaking at 30 in a double overtime loss to Wake Forest. He also really loves to shoot, really, with ten or more field goal attempts in every game. That is good enough for the 16th most shots taken in all of Division 1 basketball. From the outside he is a streaky shooter, and if the Gophers can contain him, they can contain Xavier’s entire offense.

Jason Love doesn’t get as much attention as Crawford, but he just might be a better offensive player. He doesn’t force things and takes only high percentage shots, making 57% of his attempts, all inside the three point line. He ranks 41st in the country in offensive rebounding and will be a load underneath for the Gophers. At 6’9” and 265 pounds, he is most reminiscent of the shorter and thicker Michigan State front court players in recent years. It’ll be important for Ralph Sampson to establish good position on both ends of the floor and for Colton Iverson to continue to play physical. Love averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game, with highs of 21 and 19 (twice) respectively .

Terrell Holloway is defined by his streakiness. When he is good he is very good. When he is bad, he shoots one of five against a horrible Miami of Ohio team. No one knows which Holloway will show up at a given time, and it certainly will be interesting how the Gophers adjust to defending him based on what kind game he is having. The one consistent part of his game is his ability to get to the free throw line. He has attempted 10 or more free throws five time this season. If he is having a rough shooting day, he tends to focus on getting to the line, which is pretty smart when you think about. At George Washington he managed to score 15 points despite shooting 1-11 for the game. Against Dayton he shot 2-6 but scored 17 in the game.

Jamel McLean is third of the occasionally big three Musketeers. He is another stellar rebounder, ranking 16th in the country on the offensive glass. He also adds eight points per game and scored in double figures 10 times. He is considerably skinnier than his front court counterpart at only 235 pounds. He’ll most likely match-up against Sampson III on both ends of the court, leaving Damian Johnson to chase around Crawford.

Mark Lyons is a 6’1” point guard who isn’t much of an outside shooting threat. He can make three pointers at a 35% clip, but just doesn’t seem to shoot them often enough to worry about, making only 22 the entire season. He is a ball hawk though, collecting a steal per game despite playing only 21 minutes per game.

Dante Jackson is one of two three point specialists the Musketeers have, with 124 of his 167 field goal attempts coming from behind the three point line. Considering that he shoots better from behind the three point line (40% vs 37%) he knows what he is doing. He also shoots better than 82% at the free throw line.

Brad Redford is another three point bomber, having attempted only seven shots inside the three point line and 107 from deep. When he is out there, it is to shoot it from deep. He made four three pointers three times during the season.

Kenny Frease brings the size off the bench. If Xavier is having trouble containing Iverson and Sampson III, expect to see a lot of him. At 7’0” 265 pounds he is by far their biggest player. He averages five points and four rebounds per game.

No other Musketeer averages more than 10 minutes or 2.2 points per game.

Related posts:

1. Xavier Preview Part 4: Putting it all together
2. Xavier Preview Part 2: Atlantic 10 at a glance
3. Xavier Preview Part 1: The Non-conference Schedule

Related posts:

1. Barn Blurbs 3.16.10
2. Barn Blurbs 11/03/09
3. Barn Blurbs 3/19/09: Embracing the madness

A few trends stand out. Xavier gets to the line, Jordan Crawford can score, and Jason Love can rebound. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the players that make up the Musketeers and we’ll put it all together so you’ll know what to watch for on Friday morning.

Related posts:

1. Xavier Preview Part 4: Putting it all together
2. Xavier Preview Part 3: The Players
3. Xavier Preview Part 1: The Non-conference Schedule

Related posts:

1. Barn Blurbs 11/03/09
2. Barn Blurbs 3/23/09
3. Barn Blurbs 3/17/09 is voting for Goldy

The Xavier Musketeers, the #6 seed in the West Region, earned an at-large bid after finishing second in the Atlantic 10 conference with 14-2 record  in conference and 24-8 overall.

Xavier, like everyone other than the lowest of the low-majors, started off the season on an easy note. They opened the season against eventual last place Horizon League finisher Youngstown State with an 83-57 victory.  The Musketeers held the Penguins to 33% shooting and five musketeers scored in double figures. They followed that win with an impressive performance over Bowling Green, the 9th place MAC. That 46 point victory featured 65% shooting by the Musketeers and a 22 rebound advantage. Once again five players scored in double figures. The 10th place team in the North East Conference wasn’t much competition either, as Xavier scored over 100 points for the second straight game. Jordan Crawford, Xavier’s leading scorer, had 26 points and the back-up center, scored 14 points in only 16 minutes.

Like the Gophers, the Musketeers played in one of the many exempt tournaments over Thanksgiving weekend, and it turned into a rough patch, like the Gophers. In the opening round of the Old Spice Classic, Xavier lost to Marquette 71-61. The game was closer than the final score suggests, and Xavier actually led by one with six minutes left. Marquette went on a 15-6 run to end the game. Jordan Crawford scored only 9 points on 4-20 shooting, and only three of those shots were from behind the three point line. As a team the Musketeers shot only 36% and turned the ball over 20 times. Despite the massive amount of turnovers, they still attempted 18 more shots than the Golden Eagles behind 21 offensive rebounds. Xavier bounced back against Creighton, the fourth place team in the MVC, behind hot shooting and their ability to get to the free throw line. They shot 53% from the field and made 13 free throws compared to only 11 free throw attempts by the Bluejays. In the final game of the weekend, Xavier had what has to be their best loss of the season, dropping a 65-69 decision against the Baylor Bears. The Bears hit a barrage of three pointers, 11 in all, to hold off a feisty come back attempt.

Unlike the Gophers, Xavier returned home right after their tournament for an easy win against Kent State, the regular season MAC champions.  Once again, shooting and free throws were the difference. It is hard to lose when shooting 67% behind the line and making five more free throws than the opponent attempts.

After the brief easier game interlude, Xavier faced three consecutive ranked or soon to be ranked teams. The Musketeers faced their toughest game of the season at Kansas State, and weren’t a match for the Wildcats, who won by 15.  Xavier made only 15 field goals during the entire game. They bounced back with a four point victory against cross town rival Cincinnati in a double overtime game  that featured 47 fouls, two technical fouls, two near brawls and 58 free throw attempts. Jason Love, Xavier’s starting center pulled down 19 points and Terrell Holloway replaced Jordan Crawford in the starting line-up to score 26 points and made all 11 of his free throw attempts. The next game, a one point loss against Butler, featured more bad blood when several Musketeers, including the coach, tried to attack the official time keeper who correctly denied them a desperation attempt to tie the game. The altercation spilled into the stands, but the real victim is the drinking fountain in the visitor’s locker room at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which was ripped out of the wall. The real source of the frustration should have been their 5-10 free throw shooting.

Desperately in need of a some good luck, the schedule provided it. Though it should have been an easy win, they barely beat Miami of Ohio who was 3-9 at the time. Perhaps it was a let down or maybe it was just one of those nights, but it took four free throws in the last 24 seconds by Jordan Crawford to secure a 3 point win. Free throws once again were a factor as Xavier made four more than Miami attempted.  Xavier beat LSU by 24 t0 wrap up the home non-conference season and held a 12 offensive rebound advantage and forced LSU into 1-14 three point shooting.

Xavier’s final non-conference game was another two overtime thriller with the Musketeers on the losing end by four to Wake Forest. The emotional night was the first game of a 10 year series between the two schools to honor Skip Prosser, the former coach of both teams who died in 2007. Jordan Crawford scored 30 points, but it took him 25 shots, and his team shot only 37% for the game.

Things looked bleak heading into the conference season with an 8-5 record. They would need to turn things around to make it back to the NCAA tournament, and needless to say they did. Tomorrow we’ll look at Xavier’s romp through the Atlantic 10 into the NCAA tournament.

Related posts:

1. Xavier Preview Part 4: Putting it all together
2. Xavier Preview Part 3: The Players
3. Xavier Preview Part 2: Atlantic 10 at a glance

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 want to jinx it and say that we were out or whatever. I was just praying that we were in…. It’s been my dream since I was younger to play in the NCAA tournament,” he said. “Once I saw our name come up, I was super happy. It’s the same thing as last year. Maybe better this time.”"

The Gophers may have run out of gas halfway through the second half in their blow out loss to the Buckeyes, but they achieved something as close to impossible as any Minnesota team has in the last two decades. Out of almost nowhere, the Gophers have earned just the third back to back trip to the NCAA tournament in school history.

Heading into Thursday’s game against Penn State, the chattering class was picking the Nittany Lions to knock off the Gophers and to have another shot at Michigan State whom they nearly upset days earlier. Instead of succumbing to an upset minded last place team, the Gophers blew them out of the water, winning by 21 points behind 58% shooting. It was their second best offensive performance of the season, scoring 1.3 points per possession. Colton Iverson didn’t miss a shot, scoring 12 points in only 16 minutes. All those naysayers were suddenly quiet. Beating Penn State was merely the beginning, and because of their poor record, wasn’t going to secure an NCAA tournament bid.

The Gophers hadn’t beaten Michigan State since 2006, when the Spartans had what for them was a down year. Prior to that, they beat another “down” Spartans team in 2003. That is just two wins in seven years, with none against a “good” Michigan State team. The Gophers would need to beat one of the co-Big Ten champions, and they did just that. Even though they gave up a ten point lead, they bounced back in overtime and put the throttle to the floor. Devoe Joseph came up huge in overtime with two long three pointers, and once again Colton Iverson dominated in the paint with 12 points, out scoring the Big Ten sixth man of the year. Two wins in 48 hours had exceeded expectations, but the Gophers still weren’t satisfied.

Minnesota wasn’t just playing for their NCAA tournament lives this weekend, they were playing for the respect that they thought they deserved. Iowa had more players than the Gophers on the All Big Ten Honorable Mention team, despite the obvious discrepancy in talent on the court. Despite being the Big Ten’s most versatile defender, and being the only player in the conference to be in the top three in blocks and steals, Damian Johnson was left off the all defensive team and Chris Kramer “earned” the title of defensive player of the year. They had a chip on their shoulder.

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Chris Kramer’s team, the Purdue Boilermakers, would face the full force of the Gophers’ frustration. The degree of the dismantling was shocking. Purdue certainly didn’t play well, but they would have still easily beat a full strength Boilermaker team. This was just their day. Holding the number six team in the nation to 11 first half points may have never been done before. The lead was as big as 28 in the first half and 32 late in the game. Purdue’s leading scorer, E’twaun Moore, scored two points. Punt returner and occasional point guard Bryant Allen scored three points. Colton Iverson was in double figures again, along with Ralph Sampson III and Devoe Joseph.

For 27 minutes on Sunday it looked like the Gophers had a chance to pull off the unthinkable, if the previous few days hadn’t been unthinkable enough. Then the wheels, or more accurately the legs, fell off. Ohio State ran the Gophers off the court. Minnesota might not have been able to beat the Buckeyes on a neutral court anyway, and they certainly weren’t going to be able to in their fourth game in four days.

Less than two weeks ago the Gophers dropped out of the NCAA tournament conversation. Tonight they are an 11 seed playing six hours from home. It has been a magical March, and it isn’t over yet.

Related posts:

1. Xavier Preview Part 4: Putting it all together
2. A chance to dance, but it will take two to tango
3. Gophers at Penn State: Much needed changes for a Must Win Game

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.

Related posts:

1. Xavier Preview Part 4: Putting it all together
2. Xavier Preview Part 1: The Non-conference Schedule
3. And we’ll see you tomorrow night!