Golden Gophers – Page 418 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Looks for Answers Tonight in Champaign

Posted on December 27, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Although the Gophers are prompting speculation they can be a 2012 NCAA tournament team, Minnesota has plenty to prove starting tonight against Illinois in the Big Ten Conference opening game for both teams.

The Gophers, 12-1 during non-conference play, will need at least a few upset wins over nationally ranked Big Ten teams to persuade the NCAA invite committee they deserve to be in the field of 68. Minnesota defeated major conference schools DePaul, Virginia Tech and USC during a whoopie pie non-league schedule but has no wins over top 25 clubs.

Illinois, after recent losses to UNLV and Missouri, has dropped out of the top 25 since last week but a Minnesota victory in Champaign tonight against the 11-2 Illini will perk up the Gophers resume. A win would also be a surprise.

Not only is Illinois favored, but the Gophers are 10-25 in conference road games during the Tubby Smith era. Road woes in four seasons under Smith is why the coach has a losing record in Big Ten games. He’s 32-40 overall in league play and none of his teams have played .500 basketball in conference away games.

The 2010-11 team for awhile was his best at Minnesota and even climbed to a No. 13 national ranking, but the transfer of guard Devoe Joseph and a season-ending injury to guard Al Nolen ruined the season. Minnesota went 2-7 in Big Ten road games, finished 6-12 overall in the conference and didn’t even earn an NIT invite.

The Gophers completed nonconference play last week with a 63-59 win over North Dakota State, a solid team that lost at Arizona State by three points and will be a contender in the Summit League. Bison coach Saul Phillips saw his team lead 16-5 with nine minutes to play in the first half before the Gophers defensive pressure and offensive togetherness pushed Minnesota ahead by halftime.

“I think they will win their fair share,” Phillips said about the Gophers. “They play solid. They have their roles (and) they play them well. They’ve got a chance to be an NCAA tournament team.

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Unselfish Gophers Show Composure (So Far)

Posted on December 27, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Smith attributed the Gophers’ sluggishness against the Bison to a “nine day layoff” but Minnesota has a habit of slow starts. “We gotta play a lot better,” Smith said when asked about being ready for the Big Ten.

This isn’t Smith’s most talented team but may well be his most unselfish. He often praises the character of these players and they have shown competitiveness and composure including in close wins.

Still, Minnesota enters tonight’s game truly as a mystery team. The starting lineup has only two players, forward Rodney Williams and center Ralph Sampson III, who have been regular starters in past conference games. That’s a test sure to challenge the Gophers and so, too, will be playing away from Williams Arena. During the non-conference schedule Minnesota played 10 games at home, three on a neutral court and none in an opponent’s home arena.

Tonight’s game could be a bit ugly to watch. Neither Illinois nor Minnesota will remind anyone of the old show-time Lakers. The Gophers have struggled to not only make outside shots, including three pointers, but defending shots beyond the arc has been a problem. The good news is Illinois has been among the poorest shooting teams in the Big Ten during non-conference play including from three point range.

Minnesota will have to control leading Illinois scorer D.J. Richardson, a junior guard averaging 14.3 points per game, and 7-foot-1 sophomore center Meyers Leonard who is among the Big Ten leaders in points and rebounds. The Gophers, if they are to win, will probably have to find their own go-to guy for leadership and points, particularly late in the game.

But if they don’t hold their poise against a good Illinois team and loud Illini crowd early in the game, the Gophers won’t need anyone to play hero in the closing minutes. And then Minnesota’s road problems will continue on.

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Worth Noting

Posted on December 27, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Minnesota starters tonight are expected to be forwards Julian Welch and Rodney Williams, center Ralph Sampson III, guards Austin Hollins and Maverick Ahanmisi. Williams will be one of the Big Ten’s best solo defenders.

The Gophers and North Dakota State have played each other six of the last seven seasons, and are scheduled again in 2012. All games have been in Minneapolis and Bison coach Saul Phillips has invited the Gophers to play in Fargo, but so far no promises from Minnesota. “I’ll (even) cook for them,” Phillips joked.

Tom Wistrcill, the former Gophers senior associate athletic director and now athletic director at Akron, made headlines last week with his hire of Terry Bowden as the new Zips football coach.

The December issue of Sporting News Magazine ranks new Ohio State hire Urban Meyer as the No. 1 coach in college football. Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald and Wisconsin’s Brett Bielema were the two other Big Ten coaches who made the list.

In the same issue, USC coach Lane Kiffin claims his father Monte, the Trojans defensive coordinator, starts his day in the office by 5:30 a.m. and works until 2 a.m.

Rumors that Vikings defensive coordinator Fred Pagac will be let go after the season lead to speculation that linebackers coach Mike Singletary will succeed him.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier was asked this question yesterday about quarterback Joe Webb: “Is Joe best used in a role where he takes a series or two here and there? If he starts and defensive coordinators can game plan for him, is the impact of how he plays gone?”

“That does factor in when you’re not preparing for him and all of a sudden he comes in the ball game,” Frazier answered. “It definitely makes a difference from a coordinator standpoint because they (Webb and Christian Ponder) are similar quarterbacks but dissimilar in so many ways. You almost have to have two game plans if you think Joe is going to play, and people do.

“They (opposing coaches) have a Joe Webb package because they know we use him for certain snaps and they have a defensive package for when he is on the field. It’s a little bit different when he starts or he comes into the ball game and he’s a true quarterback for a number of snaps. Those are some of things we’ll talk about as we go forward.”

“America’s Team” is nearby, Vikings fans. The Packers have replaced the Cowboys for that title, according to a story on NFL.com. The Public Policy Polling’s national survey reported 22 percent of voters regard the Packers as their favorite NFL team, followed by 11 percent for the Cowboys and eight percent for the Bears, Giants and Steelers.

Eden Prairie Class 5A state championship football coach Mike Grant will be the speaker on Thursday, January 12 at the C.O.R.E.S. luncheon in Bloomington. C.O.R.E.S. members can contact Jim Dotseth for more information, dotsethj@comcast.net.

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