From The Barn

The Worst: Michigan 83 – Gophers 55

Posted on 03. Mar, 2010 by Face.

Pathetic.  Embarrassing.  Unbelievable.  What ever negative word someone wants to use to describe the Gophers effortless, aloof performance against the Michigan Wolverines would probably be deserved.  At a time when Minnesota needed to come out firing against a team with nothing to play for, a time that called for nothing more than a solid performance [...]

Continue Reading

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 [...]

Continue Reading

It’s a Blowout!: Gophers 81 – Indiana 58

Posted on 21. Feb, 2010 by Face.

Two days after ripping Wisconsin with the season on the line at Williams Arena, the Gophers once again came back ready to play and dumped the Indiana Hoosiers by 23 points.  The Gophers held Indiana to 32% shooting from the field and, perhaps more important, didn’t allow them to get anything going from beyond the [...]

Continue Reading

Bubble burst(ing) Michigan 71 – Gophers 63

Posted on 12. Feb, 2010 by Face.

I came into yesterday’s game with above-average expectations for a team that, for the most part, has underachieved all season.  They’d been up and down for the better part of the last month but were coming off a stretch where they had won two of three and seemed to have been gaining some momentum after [...]

Continue Reading

Ugly: Ohio State 85 – Gophers 63

Posted on 01. Feb, 2010 by Face.

After an encouraging victory at home over a legitimate Northwestern team, the Gophers went on the road to Ohio State in hopes of building on their glimmer of success.  What we saw, though, was perhaps the worst performance of the year from Minnesota at a point in the season where you’d like to see quite [...]

Continue Reading

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 [...]

Continue Reading

Turnaround Time: Gophers 65 – Northwestern 61

Posted on 27. Jan, 2010 by Face.

The Gophers came into their contest against Northwestern sitting squarely on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament and desperately in need of stopping a three-game slide that had included meltdowns and upsets.  A loss against Northwestern would have meant an almost insurmountable road to the Big Dance and another “should’ve” miss that has plagued the [...]

Continue Reading

Quick thoughts: Gophers 73 – Ohio State 62

Posted on 09. Jan, 2010 by JF.

The Gophers move to 3-1 in the Big Ten with an excellent performance against Ohio State who was finally at full strength. There will be a more in-depth review after I re-watch the game and overcome my post exciting game amnesia.

Blake Hoffarber has finally, definitively, shut up his critics. After every great game he has [...]

Continue Reading

Game 16 Preview: Gophers vs. Ohio State

Posted on 09. Jan, 2010 by JF.

Golden Gophers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

2:30 pm (CST) at Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Radio: WCCO 830 AM
TV: Big Ten Network

Tickets: Best available- Row 11, upper deck, baseline (obstructed)

Evan Turner has had this game circled for a while. As early as December 19th, 2009, only two weeks after an ugly and scary back injury that easily [...]

Continue Reading

Game 15 Preview: Gophers vs. #4 Purdue Boilermakers

Posted on 04. Jan, 2010 by JF.

Golden Gophers vs. Purdue Boilermakers

6:00 pm (CST) at Mackey  Arena (West Lafayette Indiana)
Radio: WCCO 830 AM
TV: ESPN

College basketball is the most forgiving of all sports. There is not a set number of teams in each conference that advance to the NCAA tournament. One bad game won’t spoil a season. The season is long enough to [...]

Continue Reading

Quick thoughts: Gophers 86-74

Posted on 03. Jan, 2010 by JF.

Ten hours in the car over two days and one night in Iowa City in a motel room pushing 80 degrees aren’t conducive to writing a coherent article (just ask Marcus Fuller who thinks the Gophers almost lost to Iowa). So instead, add your own transition sentences, or enjoy the bullets.

My journey to Iowa was [...]

Continue Reading

Game 13 Review: Gophers get on Westbrook’s back, beat Penn State

Posted on 31. Dec, 2009 by JF.

Everyone knew which player would get the ball, and everyone knew he would shoot at the first opportunity. No one could stop the shots, or the ball from hitting nothing but the bottom of the net. No, I’m not talking about Talor Battle, who did have quite the game. Instead it was Lawrence Westbrook that [...]

Continue Reading

Blake Hoffarber is Big Ten Player of the Week

Posted on 21. Dec, 2009 by JF.

Not bad…not bad at all…
The conference office announced on Monday the sixth weekly men’s basketball award for games played Dec.14-20. Minnesota junior Blake Hoffarber collects his first weekly award after helping the Gophers improve their win streak to four with a win over Northern Illinois last week.
Player of the Week:
Blake Hoffarber, Minnesota
6-4 – G – [...]

Continue Reading

Quick Thoughts: Gophers 89 – Northern Illinois

Posted on 15. Dec, 2009 by JF.

It is always a pleasant surprise when a boring non-conference game is not only interesting, but worth talking about for days (years?) to come.

Blake Hoffarber set a school record with 8 three pointers, and scored 26 points on 11 shots in only 22 minutes.  He made four threes in a row in the first half, [...]

Continue Reading

Game 10 Review: Gophers step it up even if the competition doesn’t

Posted on 13. Dec, 2009 by JF.

St. Joe’s is the best opponent to set foot in The Barn this season, by far, but after a close opening few minutes, the Gophers took over, and the only question about the game’s outcome by half time was the final score. Even though Minnesota’s 97-74 victory was their closest home win of the season, [...]

Continue Reading

Game 9 Review: If you were stuck in traffic you didn’t miss much

Posted on 09. Dec, 2009 by JF.

So much for Morgan State presenting a potential challenge. The Gophers jumped out to an 18-0 lead, and were up 9-0 before the Bears even attempted a shot. Morgan State essentially played the Gophers even for the middle 30 minutes of the game, but still lost 94-64.
This may have been the most meaningless of a [...]

Continue Reading

Quick thoughts: Gophers 94- Morgan State 64

Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by JF.

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 [...]

Continue Reading

Game 9 Preview: Gophers vs. Morgan State

Posted on 07. Dec, 2009 by JF.

Golden Gophers vs. Morgan State Bears

6:00 pm (CST) at Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Radio: WCCO 830 AM

TV: ESPNU
Tickets: Best available- Row 12 upper deck, center court
The bubble isn’t usually mentioned until the end of January, but that is where the Gophers find themselves, and it is only December. Williams Arena is not likely to be raucous [...]

Continue Reading

Blake’s Boards Bash Brown

Posted on 06. Dec, 2009 by JF.

After three straight losses, the Gophers needed a confidence building spark, and they got it from the most methodical and least exciting player on the team, Blake Hoffarber. The junior guard formerly known as the three point specialist led all players in scoring and rebounding to record the first double double of his career, leading [...]

Continue Reading

Game 4 Review: Iverson crashes boards, Butler

Posted on 27. Nov, 2009 by JF.

It was awkward, disjointed, often sloppy, but it was a win. In a game that featured more whistles than an Andrew Bird and Bobby Mcferrin duet, the Gophers beat the Butler Bulldogs by a score of 82-73. This was Minnesota’s second non-conference top ten win in the last two seasons, and this win over Butler [...]

Continue Reading

The threes finally fall as the Gophers win again

Posted on 10. Nov, 2009 by JF.

Another exhibition game, another big win, and another positive development that may only be  result of an exhibition game. After last season’s atrocious three-point shooting, the Gophers may have broken out of their funk last night during their 98-49 victory over the Minnesota-Moorhead Dragons.
Last year the Gophers made less than 33% of their three pointers, [...]

Continue Reading

And finally a positive distraction

Posted on 04. Nov, 2009 by JF.

Golden Gophers vs. University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs

7:00 pm (CST) at Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Radio: WCCO 830 AM
TV: Bigtennetwork.com (Streaming for $2.99)

Tickets: Best available- Row 11, upper deck, center court

It has been pointed out many times here and by many others elsewhere that Gopher basketball is the perfect distraction from the cold dark winters that embrace [...]

Continue Reading

Struggling Hoosiers bring chance to experiment

Posted on 09. Feb, 2009 by JF.

Golden Gophers vs. Indiana Hoosiers

8:00 (CST) at Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Radio: WCCO 830 AM
TV: BTN

Tickets: Still a few obstructed seats left

Chatroom: I won’t be here, but if you are, stop by and discuss the game
As cruel as the Big Ten schedulers have been this season, giving the Gophers back to back games at Michigan [...]

Continue Reading

Buckeyes beat Gophers, but this is a loss to build on

Posted on 08. Feb, 2009 by JF.

Winning wasn’t the biggest concern when the Gophers played at Ohio State on Saturday night. A win would have been nice, but the real concern was how the Gophers would respond to one of their worst losses in recent  years. Though the outcome was not what was desired, the Gophers played  a competitive game that [...]

Continue Reading

Barn Blurbs 1/29/09: Pre-game reading edition

Posted on 29. Jan, 2009 by JF.

We’ll have the chatroom up around 5 pm. For your pre-game reading pleasure:
Hoffarber still looking for any sign of missing shot
Time to put it on a milk carton
Gophers basketball: Swishes in short supply for Hoffarber
Maybe this streak will end too.
Rise and Fire with Gus Johnson
The esteemed and excitable announcer is looking forward to his first [...]

Continue Reading

#19 Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Penn State: Another small opponent, and more big problems?

Posted on 10. Jan, 2009 by JF.

#19  Golden Gophers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions

2:30 (CST) at Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Radio: WCCO 830 AM
TV: Big Ten Network
Tickets: Still a few obstructed seats left

Chatroom: I won’t be here, but if you are, stop by and discuss the game
It is not a coincidence that the Gophers seem to struggled the most against small teams. [...]

Continue Reading

#21 Gophers vs. #23 Buckeyes: Two teams trying to find their footing

Posted on 02. Jan, 2009 by JF.

#21  Golden Gophers vs. #23 Ohio State Buckeyes

11:00 am (CST) at Williams Arena

Radio: WCCO 830 AM
Tv: Big Ten Network
Tickets: A few obstructed seats scattered around
Chatroom: Yes. Check in a couple of hours before the game.

About two weeks ago, a game that seemed to be a standard early Big Ten match-up suddenly took on national significance. [...]

Continue Reading

That 8 year old who sang the national anthem

Posted on 21. Dec, 2008 by JF.

So, you may have heard about a little kid that sang the national anthem before the St. Cloud State game. It was bound to show up on youtube, and it finally has. This kid and his voice on the eve of an historic election couldn’t have been more serendipitous.
This should also give you at least [...]

Continue Reading

For real! Minnesota beats Louisville for first top ten win in eight years

Posted on 21. Dec, 2008 by JF.

If the Gophers don’t make the NCAA tournament, don’t blame the non-conference schedule. Minnesota passed their big non-conference test on Saturday afternoon in Glendale Arizona by beating the #9 team in the country, and a pre-season final four candidate 70-64 for their first top ten win since Joel Prysbilla led the Gophers to a victory [...]

Continue Reading

Gophers chew up, spit out Big Red with huge second half run

Posted on 07. Dec, 2008 by JF.

Four days after playing their most complete game of the still young season season, the Gophers were bound to have a bit of a let down, and did they every. Playing their worst half of basketball in almost two years, heavily favored Minnesota trailed by 12 points to Cornell. However, they used a 25-2 second [...]

Continue Reading