From The Barn

Two straight has Gopher Nation buzzing

Posted on 16. Jan, 2012 by zipsofakron.

It’s amazing what four days can do to a Big Ten program. Little more than 96 hours ago the Minnesota Golden Gophers basketball team had been left for dead by much of its fan base as well as the local media. Going 0-4 to begin conference play does little to inspire confidence in a team, [...]

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Gophers go for two on the road at Penn State

Posted on 14. Jan, 2012 by JF.

Momentum, if it even exists, is extremely fleeting. It can be neither created nor destroyed. It just happens, and then leaves as quickly as it appeared. A bad break combined with a bad bounce can turn around a game. A fifteen footer from a bad shooter can save a season. If momentum exists, the Golden Gophers have it after their still stunning win in Indiana, the best road win in the hundred plus year history of Gopher basketball. Now the young Gophers must use it before it is gone.

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Big Ten Tournament Preview: The Bottom Six

Posted on 09. Mar, 2011 by JF.

With Gopher basketball mired in meaningless land with the late season collapse, it will take a miracle, the likes of which has never happened for any team in Minnesota, to make the NCAA tournament. Knowing that the season has spun hopelessly out of control shouldn’t take away from the great basketball that takes place during [...]

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Mission unaccomplished: Loss to Penn State closes out regular season

Posted on 06. Mar, 2011 by zipsofakron.

I guess I’m not sure if I actually expected a loss to cap the final regular season game in a season that has mutated from happy, fun-filled, high-expectation laden experience into an ugly, nightmarish collapse into the bottom of the Big Ten standings, but at the end of the 66-63 finale that left the Gophers [...]

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PSU’s Battle sends Gophers packing

Posted on 18. Feb, 2011 by zipsofakron.

Are we officially in free-fall mode yet?  The Gophers went into Happy Valley in a huge conference matchup to take on Penn State and try to help lock down a win to bolster their NCAA Tournament chances.  Instead, Minnesota dropped yet another winnable game against a beatable team, coughing up a late three-point lead in [...]

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Game 26: Gophers at Penn State Nittany Lions

Posted on 16. Feb, 2011 by JF.

Golden Gophers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions 6:00 pm (CST) at Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, PA) TV: ESPN We have now entered the every game counts portion of the season. With five games left, the Gophers must win three of their remaining games to be reasonably certain that they can make the NCAA tournament. [...]

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Big Ten Roundtable: Players to Watch

Posted on 10. Nov, 2010 by zipsofakron.

Recently, FTB thought it would be fun to preview the season by connecting with our fellow Big Ten bloggers to get their thoughts on various topics, both Big Ten-related and not.  This is the fourth in a series of five preview discussions that include input from 10 of the 11 Big Ten teams.  Northwestern was unavailable for [...]

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Big Ten Roundtable: Must-See Games

Posted on 04. Nov, 2010 by zipsofakron.

Recently, FTB thought it would be fun to preview the season by connecting with our fellow Big Ten bloggers to get their thoughts on various topics, both Big Ten-related and not.  This is the second in a series of five preview discussions that include input from 10 of the 11 Big Ten teams.  Northwestern was unavailable for [...]

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What a weekend!

Posted on 14. Mar, 2010 by JF.

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 [...]

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A chance to dance, but it will take two to tango

Posted on 10. Mar, 2010 by JF.

Last year I wrote that March is the season of redemption. This year, the Gophers need some redemption and then some. Even though they finished with the same Big Ten record and higher in the conference standings, they find themselves in a much worse position in terms of reaching the NCAA tournament. Coming into this [...]

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The Penn State Game: Plus/Minus

Posted on 08. Feb, 2010 by JF.

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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Westbrooked

Posted on 07. Feb, 2010 by JF.

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Quick Thoughts: Its not over!

Posted on 06. Feb, 2010 by JF.

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 [...]

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Gophers at Penn State: Much needed changes for a Must Win Game

Posted on 05. Feb, 2010 by JF.

Golden Gophers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions 1:00 pm (CST) at Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, PA) Radio: WCCO 830 AM TV: Big Ten Network For the better part of a month, I’ve been claiming each upcoming game was not a must win. Those games were important, and every conference game ultimately will have some [...]

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By the Numbers: Nine to Go

Posted on 04. Feb, 2010 by zipsofakron.

Gophers: 13-8, 4-5 in the Big Ten.  Nine games to go.  Lost four of their last five.  Can things look bleaker? It’s hard not to be discouraged after a season in which such high hopes have disintegrated into an abysmal pool of mediocrity.  Results have fallen miles short of expectations, players have walked away from [...]

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