MIAC – Page 44 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Can Gophers Scare Dukies?

Posted on November 20, 2012November 21, 2012 by David Shama

Will the 4-0 Gophers scare top 10 ranked Duke enough on Thursday to pull off an upset?

At first it might seem a stretch to think the unranked Gophers could defeat the Associated Press No. 5 ranked team in the country, but maybe not. The game will be played on a neutral court, part of the Battle4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. Minnesota, under head coach Tubby Smith, has defeated other nationally revered programs during past nonconference schedules—Louisville in 2008 and North Carolina in 2010.

The blueprint for a Gophers win Thursday is probably forcing Duke (3-0) out of its offense with Minnesota pressuring Blue Devil players in both full and half court situations. The Gophers are capable of playing intimidating defense, trapping dribblers, forcing them away from the basket and blocking shots attempted inside the lane. The defense can create turnovers, potentially leading to dunks and other easy Minnesota baskets.

In two exhibitions and four nonconference games the Gophers have at times shown they know how to execute the blueprint. It’s a plan that works because of the exceptional athleticism, length and jumping ability of Minnesota’s players. The individual parts sometimes add up to an octopus-like whole with Gophers swarming all over the court creating havoc.

And all that physical talent can result in easy baskets for the Gophers when running the offense too. The team’s inside offense with forwards Rodney Williams, Trevor Mbakwe, Joe Coleman and center Elliott Eliason can result in a dunk-a-thon and other easy baskets. Scoring has been made easier this year by the steady outside shooting of guard Austin Hollins (another rangy defensive player) and the playmaking of guard Andre Hollins.

A snapshot of the Gophers’ M.O. in their four nonconference wins so far was their first half performance against Toledo. Minnesota led 48-22 at halftime against the Rockets, a team considered a contender to win the West Division in the Mid-American Conference.

After the game Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk, a Minnesota-Duluth grad, told Sports Headliners how impressed he was with Minnesota including the Gophers’ dominant first half performance: “We probably played scared, tentative in the first half. …”

What frightened the Rockets about the Gophers? “I think their length and I think their athletic ability, and just how fast they are in transition,” Kowalczyk said. “They are a very good basketball team.

“I’ve seen Minnesota play for several years, and this is the best team I think Tubby has had. They’re really good defensively. Their guards can really shoot the ball. …”

Kowalczyk said the Gophers belong in the top 25 rankings and he wouldn’t be surprised if they could play with any team in America. Can they defeat Duke?

“I think they can,” Kowalczyk said. “Certainly can talent wise.”

Austin Hollins, who scored 10 of the Gophers first 15 points against Toledo and was credited by Kowalczyk with shutting down the Rockets’ point guard, said he expects Minnesota to win every game and Duke is no different. He too believes Minnesota’s length and athleticism defines this team. “I would be a little scared going up against us,” Hollins told Sports Headliners.

Beating the Blue Devils will not be a stroll on a Caribbean beach. Duke already has a win over top 10 ranked and defending national champion Kentucky. The Blue Devils rely on experienced upperclassmen including seniors Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee, all of whom averaged double figure scoring last season. And then there’s legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski who has won four national championships and last summer led the U.S. Olympic team to the gold medal.

Duke will try to pressure the Gophers into turnovers like Minnesota committed on Sunday night in a 73-57 win over a competitive Richmond team. The Gophers had 11 turnovers in the first 4:44 of the game and the Spiders made 10 steals.

Minnesota’s inconsistency on offense is something Kowalczyk observed. “I think they obviously have to get a little bit more disciplined offensively. Certainly defensively they create a lot of havoc. They can really rebound the ball (at) both ends. They’re so good in transition. If they need any work, it’s probably in their half court execution but this time of year everybody knows your defense should be ahead of your offense at this point in time.”

The Blue Devils have so much resume it’s easy to think the Gophers won’t win but Minnesota is motivated after suffering a run of injuries in recent seasons, having consecutive 6-12 seasons in the Big Ten and not making the NCAA tournament.

“You win a big game like that, you know what you’re capable of, definitely,” Coleman said.

“That’s a good basketball team (Minnesota),” Kowalczyk said. “They will have a very good season at some point here. I’d say fairly soon (they will) get some national respect.”

Play with anybody in the country? “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Kowalczyk said.

Worth Noting

The Gophers-Duke game on Thanksgiving begins at 2:30 p.m. Minneapolis time and will be televised by AXS TV (channel 420 on Comcast). The earlier Battle 4 Atlantis game on Thursday between Missouri and Stanford will also be on AXS TV. Night games between Memphis-VCU and Louisville-Northern Iowa will be on NBC Sports Network.

Gophers coach Tubby Smith talking earlier this month about the willingness of his players to dive for loose balls on the court: “Even our big guys getting on the floor. ….That’s impressive and important that guys are diving for loose balls, saving balls (for) one another. That tells me about the teamwork that we have right now.”

Gophers with size include 6-8 Trevor Mbakwe, 6-7 Rodney Williams and 6-11 Elliott Eliason but the biggest player on the roster is 6-10, 295-pound forward-center Maurice Walker. His minutes have been more limited than the other three as he works his way back from a season of inactivity during 2011-12. Walker told Sports Headliners Smith wants him to lose “seven to 10 pounds.”

Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk said Gophers sophomore guard Joe Coleman is “the most underrated player in the Big Ten.” The 6-4 Coleman has become a regular this season, making a difference in Minnesota’s full court pressure, chasing loose balls, driving to the basket and shooting better outside. Coleman is averaging 10 points per game after last season’s 5.8.

After watching the football Gophers lose 38-14 to Nebraska last Saturday, I couldn’t remember a more dismal performance by Minnesota’s pass receivers. Focus, effort and discipline appeared absent on too many plays.

Minnesota (6-5 overall, 2-5 in the Big Ten) should be about a touchdown underdog against Michigan State (5-6, 2-5) on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. The guess here is the Gophers have about a 30 percent chance of winning the game, playing against a much more talented Spartans roster. Four of the MSU losses are by a total of 10 points.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill said today 21 of his players are on the injured list. Certain not to play on Saturday is defensive tackle Roland Johnson who tore his ACL at practice last week in a noncontact situation. Because of physical concerns about his players, Kill said practice will focus on developing “fresh legs” for Saturday’s game.

After seeing reserves MarQueis Gray and Max Shortell in the same backfield late in the Nebraska game, the Spartans are probably preparing to face three different Gophers’ quarterbacks on Saturday. Philip Nelson, the No. 1 quarterback since October 20, may start but don’t be surprised to see Gray at quarterback, a senior playing his last game at home.

Expect an announcement on the site for the Gophers’ bowl appearance shortly after the Big Ten championship game on December 1.

Undefeated St. Thomas (11-0) plays Elmhurst College(10-1) in a second round Division III football game starting at noon Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul. Tommies coach Glenn Caruso said Elmhurst is in the playoffs for the first time in school history but playing with a lot of confidence after defeating previously unbeaten Coe.

He said Elmhurst has an experienced team, particularly on defense. The Blue Jays have 5-6, 170 running back Scottie Williams, a 1,928 yards rusher. Caruso said Elmhurst’s running game is focused inside, not on the perimeter. “They run the ball like the Steelers,” Caruso said.

The Tommies coach admires the resolve of his team. Players wear bracelets with the word “family”—an acronym for “forget about me, I love you.”

Caruso, who has had three consecutive undefeated regular seasons, said his Tommies are “winning the war of attrition.” St. Thomas graduated five All-Americans off last season’s team and some observers had lower expectations for the Tommies in 2012 even before injuries hit the team hard. “This is as cohesive a unit (team) as we’ve ever had,” Caruso said.

Caruso said on offense his top six receivers, two leading runners and two starting tackles are all freshmen.

The MIAC’s other football playoff team is Bethel (9-2) and a 24-23 winner over Concordia-Chicago last Saturday. Bethel plays at Wisconsin-Oshkosh (11-0) on Saturday.

Baseball’s winter meetings will be December 3-6 in Nashville. News of a Twins trade that includes a move or two to improve the pitching staff could surface about that time.

The annual TwinsFest will be January 25-27, 2013 at the Metrodome.

Gophers baseball coach John Anderson said players and staff laid 4,000 square feet of sod earlier this month for the new Siebert Field, and tomorrow a final 500 feet or so will be put in place for the on campus facility that will seat 1,500 and cost about $7.2 million. The sod efforts of players and staff will save about $8,000.00.

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A&M’s Sumlin Didn’t Pursue U

Posted on November 16, 2012 by David Shama

On the college football beat including the Gophers:

Kevin Sumlin is the biggest name in college football coaching this week after his Texas A&M team upset undefeated and No. 1 ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa last Saturday. Although Sumlin has Minnesota and Big Ten connections, the first-year A&M head coach reportedly wasn’t interested in coaching the Gophers before Minnesota hired Jerry Kill in December of 2010.

A trusted source with knowledge about Sumlin told Sports Headliners the then University of Houston coach didn’t want to be considered as a replacement for Gophers coach Tim Brewster. The source didn’t offer an explanation but it’s believed Sumlin was waiting for a head coaching opportunity at a program better positioned to win on the national stage.

Sumlin played college football at Purdue and his assistant coaching positions included five seasons with the Gophers, working for head coaches Jim Wacker and Glen Mason from 1993 to 1997. Sumlin met his wife Charlene in Minnesota, and now they have four children.

At Houston, Sumlin became the first African-American head coach of a major college football program in the state of Texas. In four seasons at Houston, Sumlin developed a reputation as an offensive wiz while leading the Cougars to a 35-17 record and three bowl games. Twice he was a finalist for national coach of the year before taking the A&M job where the Aggies are in their first season playing in the SEC. Texas A&M, 8-2, is No. 8 in the BCS rankings after defeating Alabama, 29-24.

The No. 1 team in the BCS rankings is Kansas State. The amazing history of Wildcats football under 73-year-old coach Bill Snyder should be a source of encouragement to Gophers fans that have seen Minnesota absent from national prominence since the 1960s.

Snyder’s record at Kansas State is 169-82-1 and in several weeks he could have the Wildcats playing in their first national championship game. His first season as Kansas State coach was in 1989 and in the previous 27 games the Wildcats were 0-26-1. From 1938-1988 Kansas State won only 130 games, an average of about 2.5 wins per season. For decades the Wildcats were quickly mentioned in any discussion of college football’s worst programs.

Snyder, who had been an assistant coach for Hayden Fry at Iowa before taking the Kansas State job, retired after the 2005 season only to become head coach again in 2009.

Gophers freshman quarterback Philip Nelson said “nobody expects” Minnesota, 6-4 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten games, to win tomorrow’s game in Lincoln against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers, 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten, could finish the season after two more league games as Legends Division champions, advance to the conference championship game and eventually land in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl.

If that weren’t enough incentive to win, Nebraska has 29 seniors to be recognized tomorrow in the team’s last home game for 2012. And legendary former coach Tom Osborne, who is retiring as athletic director on January 1, 2013, will be honored at the game.

But Nelson said the Gophers, who defeated Illinois last Saturday for their first conference road win since 2010, are gaining confidence. “I think it’s a confidence builder knowing that we could go into somebody else’s place and pull out a victory. This is something (at Nebraska) where nobody expects us to win this game, and we’re back to where we always have been (underdog). It’s something that this team has to prove some people wrong…and in a big game like this we feel like we can surprise some people on the road.”

Nelson said the Illini “were catching on” to some of the Gophers’ offensive hand signals. The Gophers adjusted in mid-game but for awhile there was some confusion among Minnesota players, according to Nelson. “We have to switch up some things from game to game so film doesn’t give away too much what we’re trying to do,” he said.

Because of injuries, Zac Epping was the only center available to the Gophers in last Saturday’s game. Kill said earlier in the week a non-center will be taught the position to backup Epping. The major adjustment for a novice?

“Just being consistent, always getting the ball perfectly back there (on the snap) wherever it needs to be,” Epping said.

Worth Noting

Tartan High School defensive back Keelon Brookins, perhaps the best Division I senior prospect in the state, signed his letter of intent this week to attend Wisconsin. Brookins emailed he will be enrolled and attending classes in Madison in January.

The Gophers, 6-4, have only one win over a team with a better than .500 record—a victory against Division I FCS New Hampshire (8-2). Minnesota’s other wins are over UNLV (2-9), Western Michigan (4-7), Syracuse (5-5), Purdue (4-6) and Illinois (2-8). Syracuse impressively defeated then No. 9 ranked Louisville last Saturday, 45-26.

The Vikings, 6-4, have six games remaining on the regular season schedule (two games each against the Bears and Packers, plus games with the Texans and Rams). In their first 10 games the Vikings have played nine different teams (twice defeating the Lions), and those clubs have a combined record of 39-43-1. Minnesota’s remaining opponents have a total record of 24-11-1.

The Vikings are playing three of the top six teams in espn.com’s NFL power rankings starting November 25 versus the Bears (7-2) in Chicago, and ending against the Packers (6-3) on December 30 in Minneapolis. The Bears are No. 3 in the rankings, the Packers No. 6. The Vikings play in Houston on December 23 versus the No. 1 ranked Texans (8-1). The Rams (3-5-1) are ranked No. 23.

The Richmond Spiders, the Gophers basketball opponents at home on Sunday night, are 3-0 with nonconference wins over Liberty, UNCW and Hampton. Although the Spiders are off to their best start since 2006-2007, they look like another warm-up game for 3-0 Minnesota before next Thursday’s test against nationally ranked Duke (2-0) in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in the Bahamas.

The college basketball issue of Athlon Sports now on newsstands includes a list of the top 25 coaches in the country. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is No. 1 and other Big Ten coaches included are No. 9 Bo Ryan (Wisconsin), No. 14 Thad Matta (Ohio State), No. 17 Tom Crean (Indiana), No. 18 John Beilein (Michigan) and No. 24 Matt Painter (Purdue).

Kevin Love’s annual coat drive started earlier this week and continues until December 12. Partnering with the Salvation Army and Comcast, the public is invited to donate new and “gently used coats” at the Target Center box office, or at several Comcast service centers in the metro area. Coat donations can also be made on December 1 at the Best Buy in Inver Grove Heights when the Wolves’ All-Star forward will make an appearance and pose for photos. Call the store in late November for exact times.

There will be some grumbling coming from Mariucci Arena if the Gophers don’t sweep the Badgers tonight and tomorrow evening. Wisconsin, 1-4-1 overall and 1-2-1 in the WCHA, is off to a slow start and reportedly will be without the injured Mark Zengerle, a top point producer. Minnesota, ranked No. 3 in the nation in two different polls, is 6-2-1 and 3-2-1.

Wisconsin is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Badgers hockey this season. The Badgers have won six national championships. The Gophers, who started playing hockey in 1921, have five titles. However, the NCAA’s major college hockey tournament didn’t begin until 1948, according to wikipedia.org.

St. Thomas has 10 fall or winter teams included in top 25 rankings. Football is No. 3 and 4 in the two national polls; volleyball is No. 8; and women’s and men’s golf are both ranked in coaches’ polls. Women’s basketball is No. 3; women’s hockey No. 10; men’s hockey No. 12; men’s basketball No. 11; men’s swimming and diving is No. 18 and women’s S&D No. 23.

Dick Jonckowski, the Shakopee-based banquet emcee and public address announcer for Gophers basketball and baseball, was inducted recently into the Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. At the induction Jonckowski quipped: “Here’s a man who needs no introduction.”

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10 Wins Ahead for U Football?

Posted on November 2, 2012November 2, 2012 by David Shama

The Gophers might be working on a 10 wins season two years from now, according to J Leman. The former Illinois linebacker is a Big Ten Network sideline reporter and admires Gophers coach Jerry Kill.

Before Leman committed to Illinois, Kill tried to recruit him at Southern Illinois where he was then head coach. Leman has known about Kill not only for his work in turning around a horrible Southern Illinois program but also his success with other teams.

“I think he’s won everywhere he’s went,” Leman told Sports Headliners prior to last Saturday’s Minnesota win over Purdue. “I don’t think coach Kill is flashy but he’s blue-collar and he will win football games. That’s the way he wants it.

“Frankly, I think most college football fans are sick of flashy. They just want wins, and that’s what coach Kill does.”

The Gophers are 5-3 this season and 1-3 in Big Ten games. This is Kill’s second year coaching Minnesota and Leman described the program as making “sold progression” with a chance to qualify for a bowl game.

“I think next year seven or eight wins is definitely not out of the question, and I think in year four you’re going to see a team that is competing in the upper echelon of the Big Ten (Conference). I think eight to 10 wins during that year—year four—is not out of reach with the amount of freshmen and sophomores they have playing right now.”

Worth Noting

Redshirt freshman Jon Christenson started the season as a reserve but the former walk-on became a starter at guard and now is the Gophers center. He’s earned praise from coach Jerry Kill and new starting quarterback Philip Nelson.

“He’s one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever met,” Nelson said. “In the hotel (last) Friday night he’s snapping to me, making sure his snaps are perfect, exactly wherever I want them. He didn’t have any bad snaps throughout that whole game (Purdue last Saturday).”

Nelson expects the extra time spent snapping the ball at a hotel on Friday nights will continue. “John loves feeling confident the night before,” Nelson said. “I can see why. He wants to make sure he’s perfect and that’s something we all want to do. He cares so much that he’s always finding me trying to get more snaps in, and that’s a great thing as a quarterback.”

Nelson, a true freshman, makes his third start for the Gophers tomorrow at TCF Bank Stadium against Michigan. If Nelson were injured, MarQueis Gray told Sports Headliners he could switch from wide receiver to quarterback. “I feel like I am good enough health wise to go out there and play quarterback again,” Gray said.

Would Gray, who was the Gophers starter at quarterback before missing games because of a high ankle sprain and knee injury, be asked to replace Nelson? Or would the replacement be sophomore Max Shortell, leaving Gray at wide receiver?

“I really don’t know,” Gray said. “Most likely be Max—probably because he’s the No. 2 and I am strictly the receiver, but who knows? Time comes, and they need me to play quarterback, I’ll be ready.”

Gray was optimistic about beating Michigan for the first time in Minneapolis since 1977 and claiming the Little Brown Jug: “I know that’s going to be good for us—and plus, the alumni who hasn’t won it.”

Gophers senior Troy Stoudermire entered this season needing only 315 more kickoff return yards to set the NCAA record for total yardage. But with four games remaining, he is 129 yards short of the 315. “I feel I will crack it open,” said Stoudermire. He made it clear, though, that seeing the Gophers play in a bowl game is more important to him.

Here are Sports Headliners’ weekly Big Ten power rankings: Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Purdue and Illinois.

St. Thomas, 6-0 in the MIAC standings, heads to Concordia, Moorhead this morning for a game tomorrow afternoon against the 5-1 Cobbers. Concordia and Bethel are tied for second place in the league football standings.

The first place Tommies also have a game remaining against 4-2 St. Olaf. “It seems like every week is a big game,” St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso told Sports Headliners. “We know we get everybody’s ‘A’ game.”

Concordia sophomore quarterback Griffin Neal had almost 300 yards in total offense last week and accounted for five touchdowns in a 51-27 win over Carleton. “We knew he was good,” Caruso said. “We recruited him as well. He’s a nice combination passer and runner.”

Caruso likes the Cobbers’ defensive experience. “They return 10 starters and seven are seniors,” he said.

St. Thomas has been hit by injuries, particularly on offense where eight backups have stepped in as starters over the course of the season (five on defense). “It’s been a tumultuous year for injuries. We finished with our third string quarterback last Saturday,” Caruso said.

But the Tommies keep winning with amazing personnel balance. No St.Thomas player has more than 500 rushing or receiving yards. No Tommie is averaging more than five receptions per game. (See the St. Thomas football website for a more complete description of how so many players have contributed to the team’s success.)

Although the trip to Moorhead is the longest of the year, Caruso enjoys the outing. He met his wife in Fargo and the couple still has friends in the area. With a nationally ranked Division III team, and friends to see, not even the prospect of gloomy weather in the North Country can deter the coach’s enthusiasm.

Caruso has been checking weather forecasts since Sunday and has steadily seen predicted temps for Saturday go down and skies darken. Saturday could be a high of 36 degrees with snow. “I look at the weather about eight times per day,” he said. “I should stop looking.”

The American Hockey League announced yesterday that Aeros center Mikael Granlund is the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for October. The 20-year-old Granlund, the Wild’s No. 1 draft pick in 2010, had three goals and seven assists in seven games, along with a plus-five rating.

Maybe Adam Wilcox can record a second career shutout tonight at Mariucci Arena or Saturday evening in Mankato. The Gopher freshman shutout Canisius 1-0 last Sunday and could win the job as Minnesota’s regular goalie. Minnesota hosts Minnesota State, Mankato tonight before playing on the Mavericks’ home ice Saturday. The No. 2 ranked Gophers have 15 players on the roster who have been drafted by NHL teams.

USA Today columnist Michael Hiestand reported in Monday’s edition that the seven lowest television ratings for the World Series are the last seven years. Multiple sources reported the 2012 World Series drew record-low ratings.

If Twins manager Ron Gardenhire resigned or was fired next season, a guess is the leading candidates to replace him will be minor league manager Gene Glynn or Hall of Famer Paul Molitor.

Minnesotan Thomas Friedman, the Pulitzer Prize winning author and New York Times columnist, was in Minneapolis this week. Friedman said he and WCCO TV’s Mark Rosen attended journalism class together at St. Louis Park High School.

David Jones will speak to the C.O.R.E.S. group at a noon luncheon on Thursday, November 8 in Bloomington. Jones is known for his presentations on historical figures and will talk to C.O.R.E.S. about factors influencing ongoing discussion and debate of President John Kennedy’s assassination. Anyone interested in further information can contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

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