Tag Archives: Damian Johnson

It’s A Wrap

Posted on 21. Mar, 2010 by zipsofakron.

2

We laughed in disbelief, cried at Ed Hightower’s injustices, scratched our heads, threw pillows and even cheered wildly at times, but the roller coaster that was the 2009-10 season mercifully came to an end in a 65-54 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to the Xavier Musketeers. The specifics of the game [...]

Continue Reading

Xavier Preview Part 4: Putting it all together

Posted on 18. Mar, 2010 by JF.

1

If you haven’t had enough previewing of tomorrow’s first round NCAA tournament game, why not a look at the keys to the game and a prediction? 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 [...]

Continue Reading

The Worst: Michigan 83 – Gophers 55

The Worst: Michigan 83 – Gophers 55

Posted on 03. Mar, 2010 by zipsofakron.

4

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

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

Posted on 21. Feb, 2010 by zipsofakron.

0

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

Buzzed! Gophers 68 – Wisconsin 52

Buzzed! Gophers 68 – Wisconsin 52

Posted on 19. Feb, 2010 by zipsofakron.

1

Well I’ll be….where in the name of Clem Haskins has this team been all season.  Intensity, concentration, EXECUTION.  If all it takes is a shaved head to win in this business, than maybe Joel Maturi should consider bringing Andre Agassi on board as a consultant. Not that it even comes close to making up for [...]

Continue Reading

Bubble burst(ing) Michigan 71 – Gophers 63

Bubble burst(ing) Michigan 71 – Gophers 63

Posted on 12. Feb, 2010 by zipsofakron.

1

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

Quick Thoughts: Its not over!

Posted on 06. Feb, 2010 by JF.

0

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 [...]

Continue Reading

Part 1: The Lost Season

Part 1: The Lost Season

Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by JF.

0

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 [...]

Continue Reading

Game 21 Preview: Gophers at Ohio State

Game 21 Preview: Gophers at Ohio State

Posted on 30. Jan, 2010 by JF.

1

 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 [...]

Continue Reading

Game 19 Preview: Gophers vs. Michigan State

Game 19 Preview: Gophers vs. Michigan State

Posted on 22. Jan, 2010 by JF.

1

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 [...]

Continue Reading

Respectable at least: Gophers 53 – Michigan State 60

Respectable at least: Gophers 53 – Michigan State 60

Posted on 13. Jan, 2010 by JF.

2

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, [...]

Continue Reading

Game 16 Preview: Gophers vs. Ohio State

Game 16 Preview: Gophers vs. Ohio State

Posted on 09. Jan, 2010 by JF.

0

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 [...]

Continue Reading

Quick thoughts: Gophers 86-74

Posted on 03. Jan, 2010 by JF.

1

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 [...]

Continue Reading

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

Posted on 09. Dec, 2009 by JF.

0

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 [...]

Continue Reading

Quick thoughts: Gophers 94- Morgan State 64

Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by JF.

1

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 [...]

Continue Reading

Game 7 Preview: Gophers vs. Miami Hurricanes

Game 7 Preview: Gophers vs. Miami Hurricanes

Posted on 01. Dec, 2009 by JF.

1

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Miami Hurricanes 6:15 pm (CST) at the BankUnited Center Radio: WCCO 830 AM TV: ESPN U Liveblog: Redemption is only just a game away, and the Gophers have a chance to not just end their early season slide, but also to make a statement, represent their conference, and vault themselves back [...]

Continue Reading

Game 4 Review: Iverson crashes boards, Butler

Game 4 Review: Iverson crashes boards, Butler

Posted on 27. Nov, 2009 by JF.

7

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

Back by popular demand: “On Giving Thanks”

Posted on 26. Nov, 2009 by JF.

0

I originally wrote this last Thanksgiving. My fiance thought I should resurrect it for today. She is in charge of the sweet potatoes today, which includes, of course, marshmallow distribution. Needless to say, this is a small sacrifice to make, infinitely smaller than giving up marshmallows on the sweet potatoes. Luckily, everything that I wrote [...]

Continue Reading

Game 4 Preview: Gophers vs. Butler

Game 4 Preview: Gophers vs. Butler

Posted on 25. Nov, 2009 by JF.

1

University of Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Butler University Bulldogs 7:30 pm (CST) at the Anaheim Convention Center Radio: WCCO 830 AM TV: ESPN 2 And now the season really begins. Sure those three other games count, but the outcomes were never in doubt and the results would have only mattered had the Gophers lost, and [...]

Continue Reading

Game 3 Review: Another lop-sided win, at least on the scoreboard

Game 3 Review: Another lop-sided win, at least on the scoreboard

Posted on 21. Nov, 2009 by JF.

0

Thursday’s 76-51 win against Utah Valley came in Minnesota’s third game of the young season, and was also their last true tune-up of the young season. On Thanksgiving night, and two days thereafter, the Gophers begin what could potentially be their most difficult stretch of the season at the 76 Classic in Anaheim California. There [...]

Continue Reading

Game 3 Preview: Gophers vs. Utah Valley Wolverines

Game 3 Preview: Gophers vs. Utah Valley Wolverines

Posted on 18. Nov, 2009 by JF.

0

Golden Gophers vs. Utah Valley Wolverines 7:00 pm (CST) at Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Radio: WCCO 830 AM TV: Big Ten Network (actual live TV!) Tickets: Best available- Row 11 upper deck, center court Naming a college basketball conference is an exercise  in redundancy. There are really only three ingredients in a conference name; a [...]

Continue Reading

Game 1 Review: A little rust, but Gophers roll past Tennessee Tech

Game 1 Review: A little rust, but Gophers roll past Tennessee Tech

Posted on 14. Nov, 2009 by JF.

1

Even good shooting teams have bad shooting nights.  What often separates good shooting teams from bad shooting teams is shot selection. Open shots won’t always fall, but they have a much better chance of going in than well covered, rushed or reckless shots. All too often last season, most possessions for the Gophers  seemed to [...]

Continue Reading

And finally a positive distraction

And finally a positive distraction

Posted on 04. Nov, 2009 by JF.

0

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 [...]

Continue Reading

Barn Blurbs 3/10/09

Posted on 10. Mar, 2009 by JF.

0

Gopher hoops: Tense bubble watch Michael Thompson gets added to NU’s “Big Two” but we all know Moore and Coble are the real threat. Breaking down the Big Ten Tournament bracket Northwestern in a blow out? Minnesota Gophers men not out of hunt for an NCAA tournament berth Florida, Miami, and Maryland are on your [...]

Continue Reading

Tubby, time out, turnovers, put tournament in doubt

Posted on 08. Mar, 2009 by JF.

8

And now the waiting, the worrying, and the wondering can begin in earnest. With a chance to jump off the bubble and land comfortably in the NCAA tournament, season long problems persisted and the Gophers dropped their heartbreaking and winnable Big Ten finale to Michigan. The regular season loss was a microcosm of a roller [...]

Continue Reading

A win to get in

Posted on 06. Mar, 2009 by JF.

1

Golden Gophers vs. Michigan Wolverines 11:00 am (CST) at Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Radio: WCCO 830 AM TV: ESPN Tickets: Long gone Chatroom: Yes, chat early and often The Michigan Perspective: UMHoops.com It has been five months and thirty games since the season started. After twists, turns, peaks, valleys, miracle comebacks, epic failures, injuries, shocking [...]

Continue Reading

Badgers beat, sweep complete!

Posted on 05. Mar, 2009 by JF.

1

As anyone who has participated in a live blog here can tell you, I check my objective blogger persona at the door when the Gophers are in a close game. This is especially the case at The Barn when Wisconsin comes to town.  While comparisons to past games and various statistics are still floating around [...]

Continue Reading

Badgers in town for a Border Bubble Battle

Posted on 03. Mar, 2009 by JF.

3

#17 Golden Gophers vs.Wisconsin Badgers Golden Gophers vs. Wisconsin Badgers 7:30 (CST) at Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Radio: WCCO 830 AM TV: BTN Tickets: Long gone Chatroom: Yes, as long as I remember to set it up Meaningful March basketball will finally make its return to The Barn on Wednesday when the Gophers take on [...]

Continue Reading

The mind is willing but the offense is weak

Posted on 28. Feb, 2009 by JF.

1

Winning on the road in the Big Ten isn’t easy. Winning at Illinois has been impossible for 30 years for the Gophers. Winning anywhere without an offense, especially at #20 Illinois where the Gophers haven’t won since 1978 (officially) was probably too much to ask. They put up a fight though, and if effort counts [...]

Continue Reading

Bubbles to be busted at Bryce Jordan

Posted on 13. Feb, 2009 by JF.

0

Golden Gophers vs.  Penn State Nittany Lions 12:30 pm (CST) at Bryce Jordan Center Radio: WCCO 830 AM Tv: Big Ten Network Chatroom: Yup And now things get serious. After struggling to lose at home against Indiana on Tuesday night (that had to be the Gophers’ goal, right?) the Gophers travel to Penn State for [...]

Continue Reading