From The Barn | Tag Archive

Are you kidding me? Gophers win!

Posted on 12. Mar, 2010 by JF.

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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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Streaks this long don’t end easily

Posted on 28. Feb, 2010 by JF.

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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 [...]

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The Penn State Game: Plus/Minus

Posted on 08. Feb, 2010 by JF.

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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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So Close: Minnesota 64 – Michigan State 65

Posted on 24. Jan, 2010 by JF.

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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 [...]

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Quick throughts: Gophers 64 – Michigan State 65

Posted on 23. Jan, 2010 by JF.

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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 [...]

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Respectable at least: Gophers 53 – Michigan State 60

Posted on 13. Jan, 2010 by JF.

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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, [...]

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Quick thoughts: Gophers 73 – Ohio State 62

Posted on 09. Jan, 2010 by JF.

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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 [...]

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Game 15 Review: Not too embarassing

Posted on 06. Jan, 2010 by JF.

2

Minnesota’s goal going into last night’s game at #4 Purdue was of course to win, and if not win, at least be competitive. That secondary goal was achieved, though the scoreboard may indicate otherwise. The scoreboard is not always a reliable narrator. The 12 point Gopher victory in Iowa City was more of a blow [...]

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Quick thoughts: Gophers 86-74

Posted on 03. Jan, 2010 by JF.

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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 [...]

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

Posted on 31. Dec, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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Quick Thoughts: Gophers 75 – Penn State 70

Posted on 29. Dec, 2009 by JF.

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That was closer than it should have been, but the Gophers took care of business when it matter most. A few quick thoughts before a full review tomorrow: This close win is probably more meaningful in the long run than any blow-out would have been. The Gophers needed a confidence boost, especially in a close [...]

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Quick Thoughts: Gophers 89 – Northern Illinois

Posted on 15. Dec, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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

Posted on 13. Dec, 2009 by JF.

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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, [...]

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

Posted on 09. Dec, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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Quick thoughts: Gophers 94- Morgan State 64

Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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Blake’s Boards Bash Brown

Posted on 06. Dec, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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Game 5 Mini-review, Game 6 Preview: Gophers vs. Texas A&M

Posted on 29. Nov, 2009 by JF.

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Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Texas A&M Aggies 4:00 pm (CST) at the Anaheim Convention Center Radio: WCCO 830 AM TV: ESPN 2 The score of a basketball game is not determined at the end of the year after all games have been played. The better team at the end of the season is not awarded [...]

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Game 4 Review: Iverson crashes boards, Butler

Posted on 27. Nov, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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

Posted on 21. Nov, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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Game 2 Review: A slow start, and then a slaughter

Posted on 17. Nov, 2009 by JF.

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I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to being a bit nervous throughout most of the first half of the Gophers 82-42 win over the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. Over the weekend Iowa lost to Southland Conference also-ran UT-San Antonio, and for a while at least it appeared that the Lumberjacks had an upset on [...]

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

Posted on 14. Nov, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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Gophers run past, soar over Bulldogs

Posted on 06. Nov, 2009 by JF.

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Down with Goldy is right. It was only an exhibition. It is entirely meaningless. It may have even been unfair. However, it doesn’t mean we can’t get a bit excited. In a game that wasn’t even really that (by definition a game involves competition, and I’m not sure what transpired can in any way be [...]

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Gophers lose in the first round, and the season ends as expected

Posted on 22. Mar, 2009 by JF.

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By now you that the Gophers trip to the NCAA tournament was a short one, and they lost to the Texas Longhorns by 14 points. You also know that I haven’t written anything about this game, because really, there isn’t much to say. Not only was the end result expected, but also how it came [...]

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Gophers defeat Northwestern 66-53: As it happened

Posted on 12. Mar, 2009 by JF.

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Like just about everyone else, I spent a good part of the lunch hour listening to the game on the radio while also trying to follow it on line. Thankfully, the Big Ten Network decided to replay the game, giving me a chance to see what happened without the Gopher radio announcers constantly badgering the [...]

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Badgers beat, sweep complete!

Posted on 05. Mar, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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The mind is willing but the offense is weak

Posted on 28. Feb, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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One down, two to go in “Operation get three, drama free”

Posted on 23. Feb, 2009 by JF.

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Get rid of your expectations and enjoy the ride. Trying to figure out how the Gophers will play on any given night will just give you a headache, and any Gopher fan will want to be pain and distraction free from what will surely be the most exciting last three Big Ten games that the [...]

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Generous Gophers give Nittany Lions Valentine’s Day gift

Posted on 15. Feb, 2009 by JF.

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Maybe you have seen a game like this before. The Gophers get out to a dreadful start that is matched by a just as pathetic effort by their opponents. The Gophers fall behind on a momentum swinging buzzer beater at the end of the first half. Turnovers, poor decisions, and embarrassing mistakes, give their opponents [...]

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Not losing is still winning

Posted on 12. Feb, 2009 by JF.

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I hope you can forgive me taking to long to write about Minnesota’s “win” over Indiana on Tuesday night. After watching the Gophers show little intensity or intuition on the offensive end against the worst defensive team in the Big Ten, my motivation was lacking, though apparently not as much as the Gophers’ motivation to [...]

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

Posted on 08. Feb, 2009 by JF.

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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 [...]

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