From The Barn

The Blogosphere Previews the Big Ten

Posted on 19. Nov, 2008 by JF.

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A few of you may remember what can only be described, in the words of the kids these days, my “Epic Fail” of a Big Ten Preview last year. Not only did I begin my preview half way through the season, but I started with the worst teams first, and didn’t bother finishing it. While [...]

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25% chance to beat Louisville

Posted on 18. Nov, 2008 by JF.

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The folks at Big Ten Geeks, god love ‘em, have broken down the non-conference schedules of all the Big Ten teams, complete with odds of winning. Things look bleak against Louisville, but we have the same chance of beating the Cardinals as Northwestern does beating the truely depleted Stanford Cardinal. You can read the entire Gopher [...]

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Ralph Sampson III: Another Twin Tower

Posted on 13. Nov, 2008 by JF.

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Ralph Sampson III was born to be a twin tower. His father, Ralph Sampson II, was the lesser known half of the original “Twin Towers” when he played along side Akeem (at the time) Olajuwon with the Houston Rockets. Colton Iverson probably won’t impact the game of basketball like Olajuwon unless he has his own [...]

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Colton Iverson goes to the big city

Posted on 12. Nov, 2008 by JF.

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If everyone in Yankton, South Dakota wanted to come to Williams Arena to watch Colton Iverson play, they could, and 1,000 of them could bring a friends. The entire city of Yankton could fit on the University of Minnesota campus. Its first college, Yankton College, is now a federal prison. But Colton Iverson is not [...]

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What’s the matter with Devron?

Posted on 09. Nov, 2008 by JF.

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Devron Bostick was supposed to be the player to put the Gophers over the top. He was the supposed to be instant offense, able to take over a game, or even a season. He was supposed to be the guy we always needed, and would be lucky to keep for more than 1 year. However, [...]

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Saturday’s open practice

Posted on 02. Nov, 2008 by JF.

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A few pictures from yesterday: Nothing particularly newsworthy happened. Damian Johnson’s recovery is well underway, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he came back a week later. He didn’t really participate in a low of the practice, but is able to shoot. His knee also looks much better and he was not wearing a brace [...]

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Al Nolen: Little Al brings more than Big D

Posted on 25. Oct, 2008 by JF.

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From the start of last season, it was obvious that Al Nolen would be pleasent surprise. He was clearly an above average defensive player, and didn’t take too much away from the offense. At least that was the conventional wisdom until the Michigan State home game last January. A Gopher team that nearly won in [...]

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Free-lancing

Posted on 22. Oct, 2008 by JF.

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A not completely thorough season preview I wrote for UM Hoops, can be viewed here. Check it out, and check them out for all your Michigan needs. Their football team, God love ‘em, isn’t doing so well, so the basketball team might get a boost.

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Jonathan Williams: Being big is not good enough

Posted on 21. Oct, 2008 by JF.

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In football there is “SEC Speed”. In basketball there is “Big Ten size”. Both of these have been mentioned so often as the keys to success, that regardless of their accuracy, they are viewed as truisms. Of course, there is speed outside the SEC, and supposedly slow Big Ten teams can embarrass speedy southerners. Unfortunately [...]

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Damian Johnson: The year after the breakout

Posted on 16. Oct, 2008 by JF.

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I remember sitting at Williams arena one year ago tonight during Tubby’s Tip-off, wondering who the tall skinny kid was. He looked incredibly athletic, though lanky. He could get off the floor incredibly quickly, had long, long arms, and moved like a player a foot shorter than him. But no one knew who he was, [...]

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Lawrence Westbrook: Mr. Consistency

Posted on 14. Oct, 2008 by JF.

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Despite beings arguably the best player on the Gopher roster last year, Lawrence Westbrook some how flew under the radar. Even though he started every game, was the team’s 4th leading scorer, 3rd in assists, second in steals, and 4th in rebounds, a certain member of the media predicted he would transfer because he couldn’t [...]

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Blake Hoffarber: If only there were always two seconds left

Posted on 13. Oct, 2008 by JF.

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You may have heard that Blake Hoffarber is clutch. Whether it is skill, luck, divine providence, or he made a deal with the devil, Blake Hoffarber is responsible for the two most difficult and important shots in recent Minnesota basketball history. While much has been made of him making these spectacular shots, more impressive is [...]

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Jamal Abu-Shamala: New teammates bring new opportunities

Posted on 11. Oct, 2008 by JF.

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Jamal Abu-Shamala wishes every game could be against Northwestern. The occasional starter and moderately used reserve who has averaged about five points per game has found a way to excel against the Wildcats. During his Freshman year, he scored 15 points on 4-4 three point shooting. The following year he scored 17 points on 5-8 [...]

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Kevin Payton, the Anti-Busch

Posted on 07. Oct, 2008 by JF.

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Everything that Travis Busch needs, Kevin Payton has. Everything that Kevin Payton needs, Travis Busch has. And for this reason, instead of the Gophers having two solid contributors, they have two players that just can’t seem to fit in. Kevin Payton has received more grief than any player on the current roster. He has been [...]

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Travis Busch: From the long pass to a long shot at playing time

Posted on 06. Oct, 2008 by JF.

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Travis Busch’s first season with the Gopher was a bit rough. Early on in the season he was out with a thigh injury, and didn’t even dress for six of the non-conference games. When he was on the court, and actually in the game, he struggled mightily, but not for lack of effort. Among the [...]

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Previewing the Preview

Posted on 06. Oct, 2008 by JF.

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Believe it or not, and I’m not sure I am ready to believe it, the basketball season gets underway in less than two weeks with Tubby’s Tip-Off at Williams Arena on October 17 at 9:00 pm. A couple weeks later, the exhibition season starts, and before you know it, drunken students will hopefully be counting [...]

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Way too early predictions

Posted on 10. Sep, 2008 by JF.

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Considering that I have never seen any members of the Gophers’ heralded recruiting class play more than a half of basketball, and that what I did see was either on youtube or during an allstar game, I really have no idea of what to expect this year. Will the Gophers be this years “Baby Boilers” [...]