In a week that could put the Gophers on the high road in the Big Ten Conference title chase, Minnesota plays Michigan State on Wednesday morning and then Ohio State on Saturday in league opening games at Williams Arena. Last night at home the Gophers moved their nonconference record to 12-0 with an easy 82-56 win over High Point, Minnesota coach Tubby Smith’s North Carolina based alma mater.
With an undefeated record and No. 23 national ranking, the Gophers haven’t had to rebound from defeat so far this season. But rebounding, as in effective board work, figures to be important this week against Michigan State, a favorite to win the conference title, and Ohio State, a threat to finish in the first division and possibly push Minnesota back in the final standings. In the always physical Big Ten the Gophers hope to do better than they did in nonconference play when opponents have gathered almost as many rebounds as Minnesota (402 versus 431). Last night against High Point the Gophers had a 36-35 rebounding edge, but the Panthers had 15 offensive rebounds, the Gophers 12.
Smith acknowledged that Michigan State deserves its reputation for annually being an outstanding rebounding team and talked about that aspect for the Gophers. “Well, that’s been a big concern of ours all year long,” he said. “We only won by what, one on the boards today? Michigan State is much more physical, much more gifted athletically, and they’re always one of the top rebounding teams in the country. So we’ll spend some time working on rebounding the next couple of days. That’s for sure.”
Much of the rebounding responsibility is likely to belong to freshmen big men Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson. They both started the High Point game and seem probable to be in the opening lineup again along with Damian Johnson, Lawrence Westbrook and Al Nolen. The 6-10 Iverson and 6-11 Sampson have progressed quickly in their transition from high school to college and Smith is pleased with how “coachable” and responsive they have been.
Iverson leads the team in rebounds at 4.3 per game. Sampson and the 6-1 Nolen are second at 4.0.
No doubt the Gophers and their fans are excited for Wednesday and the beginning of the Big Ten season. “We can’t wait for it to start,” Gopher junior Devron Bostick said last night.
The nonconference schedule was soft but did include a neutral court win over then No. 9 ranked Louisville. The schedule helped develop confidence in a young Gopher team and was a coach’s dream. With its lengthy list of unappealing opponents, the schedule was more like a fan’s nightmare but it will be remembered with a lot more fondness if the Gophers start 2-0 this week in the Big Ten.