NCAA – Page 109 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

NCAA Tourney Looks Iffy for U Now

Posted on February 7, 2019February 7, 2019 by David Shama

Today’s column analyzes the Golden Gophers’ likelihood of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, and also reports on how things are coming together for the 2019 Minneapolis Final Four.

Coach Richard Pitino’s Gophers are 16-7 overall and 6-6 in Big Ten games after losing last night to No. 19 ranked Wisconsin. Now it’s iffy whether Minnesota will earn its way into the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament. With eight regular season games remaining, plus at least one in next month’s Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers probably have to hope media authorities who have been speculating that eight, nine or even 10 Big Ten teams will make the tournament are correct.

Kenpom.com now ranks Minnesota No. 52 in the country, a nod of optimism for making the NCAA field from the college basketball expert. The Gophers sit in seventh place in the Big Ten standings, a bit of a positive, too, regarding tournament hopes. The Gophers have played some quality games this season including wins over top 20 ranked teams, but at a minimum they probably need to win five more games.

Even winning a few more games will be challenging. Minnesota is 1-4 so far in league road games, and five of the remaining eight regular season games are away from Williams Arena. Three of the last four are out of town including at Maryland versus a Terps team that could be the league’s most talented.

With a cautious perspective, where do five more wins come from? Well, defeat Indiana at home on February 16, get road wins at Rutgers and Northwestern later in the month, and win two neutral court games in the Big Ten Tournament. Rutgers and Northwestern are conference bottom feeders with records of 4-8 and 3-8.

That speculative path to the NCAA field would give Minnesota a 21-13 final record. Good enough? Perhaps, but 22-12 sounds better so maybe the Gophers can pull off a big upset against teams now ahead of them in the league standings, or win at Nebraska next week against a Cornhuskers group that has been a big disappointment to their fans.

The Gophers have their strengths including double-double machine and senior forward Jordan Murphy. Freshman center Daniel Oturu has been developing in multiple ways and will probably be a star by next season. Junior guard-forward Amir Coffey is among the league’s most versatile players and when at his best can carry the team.

But Minnesota struggles to score points. Consecutive losses this week to Big Ten powers Purdue and against Wisconsin showed that yet again, with totals of 63 and 51 against the Boilermakers and Badgers.

The most evident flaw offensively is the team’s woeful three-point shooting. Last night Minnesota made one of 13 three-point attempts. Senior guard Dupree McBrayer exemplifies the frustration. He converted one of nine field goal attempts, including zero of four three-pointers, against Wisconsin. His season three-point percentage is 29.

For the season Minnesota is making 30 percent of its three-point attempts. The Gophers rank last among Big Ten teams in total three-point shots made with 119. If the Gophers can dramatically improve their three point shooting, the prediction here of just three more wins will ratchet upward.

Want to work as a volunteer for activities involved with the 2019 Minneapolis Final Four? Well, 3,000 other potential helpers are already on a wait list for volunteer assignments.

Kate Mortenson, the executive responsible for executing things for the Minneapolis Final Four Local Organizing Committee, told Sports Headliners that 2,000 volunteer jobs were filled in one day back in December. To Mortenson, that speaks to the can-do spirit of Minnesotans. She said it seems like “everyone” asks how they can help. The attitude exemplifies the commitment of local residents to make sure things happen the right way.

Mortenson has been paid to lead the Minneapolis Final Four effort since January of 2015. The 2019 NCAA men’s basketball title game will be on Monday, April 8 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Two days earlier four teams matchup in semi-final games to determine the championship entrants.

Mortenson describes the Final Four as a multiple days event and emphasizes there is a lot more going on besides the games. The day before the semifinals the public will be admitted without charge to U.S. Bank Stadium to watch the teams practice. A fanfest takes place at the Minneapolis Convention Center from Friday through Monday. There will be interactive basketball games and clinics, a batting cage, climbing wall and other attractions, with kids 12 and under admitted free. The Minneapolis Armory will be turned into a music venue and the Nicollet Mall will feature entertainment to help celebrate the Final Four which is returning to the city for the fourth time and first time since 2001.

Mortenson has attended four previous Final Fours and she is a convert to the family atmosphere and fun surrounding college basketball’s showcase weekend. “Now I understand why people go every year,” she said.

Talk to Mortenson for a few minutes and you hear not only the professionalism with which she approaches her work, but also the enthusiasm for the Final Four experience. “The student-athlete and the collegiate feel is undeniable, and infectious,” she said. “It is paired with a coach’s convention of coaches from all over the country, from middle school through college, D-I, D-II, D-III coaches.

“So you’ve got thousands of them (coaches) walking around downtown Minneapolis, mixed in with groups of students (and) with graduates of those (Final) Four institutions who have come back for the world’s biggest college reunion feel. …”

A consulting company estimates 94,000 visitors will be in town for the Final Four. A visitor is defined as a person who comes through the MSP Airport, or travels more than an hour by car and stays in local hotels. The 2019 Final Four has a projected economic impact of $142 million. Mortenson said the figure includes $23 million in taxes and doesn’t include consumer spending that otherwise occurs during the time of the Final Four.

Economic impact estimates of major sports events are frequently viewed with skepticism. Mortenson acknowledged that, and then provided her perspective. “I feel like at that time in April, (regardless) if it’s $150 million, or if it’s $50 million, it’s $50 million more than would be there otherwise.”

Mortenson worked in news for Hubbard Broadcasting before first taking the assignment to coordinate the Minneapolis bid to the NCAA to host the Final Four, and then later being named president and CEO for the local committee’s effort to stage the mega event. She and her 14 member staff have had their share of challenges along the way in counting down to championship Monday (she can tell you it’s 59 days away), but it’s also been a rewarding experience and impressive addition to her resume.

What’s next for Mortenson after April 8? “I am going to get to know my husband again,” she said. “I am going to see one of my kids graduate from high school, and one of my kids graduate from college. We’ll have a nice respite and then—I am kind of an antsy person—there’ll be something else, I think, at some point, too.”

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Fleck Likely to Sign One Player Weds.

Posted on February 5, 2019February 5, 2019 by David Shama

Ryan Burns, the college football recruiting authority from Gopherillustrated.com, believes Minnesota will sign one player tomorrow to a National Letter of Intent. Wednesday, February 6 is the second of two National Signing Days for high school and junior college players. The Gophers received commitments from almost their entire 2019 recruiting class back in December on the first National Signing Day.

Head coach P.J. Fleck and his assistants compiled a promising class months ago, rather than put themselves in a hole scrambling to fill needs tomorrow. “It’s a pretty boring day (February 6), which is exactly the way they want it,” Burns told Sports Headliners in a telephone interview on Monday. “I don’t think it’s going to be a very important day for them either, which is exactly the way they want it.”

Burns said Minnesota appears ready to sign junior college defensive back Gervarrius Owens from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Owens is a junior college All-American who was recruited to Northeastern Oklahoma when Gophers tight end coach Clay Patterson was head coach there.

Since the first Signing Day on December 19, the Gophers have also added former Notre Dame defensive lineman Micah-Dew Treadway who played in 11 games for the Irish last season. He’s on the roster now as a graduate transfer and in June will be joined by ex-USC wide receiver Randall Grimes.

Treadway is expected to be eligible this fall, while Grimes not until 2020. Grimes was a promising 2017 USC recruit who has yet to establish himself in college football after redshirting last fall.

Probably the most important development since December Signing Day is offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca staying with Fleck. Ciarrocca turned down an opportunity last month to join new West Virginia head coach Neal Brown as offensive coordinator for the Mountaineers. After the 2017 season Cirarrocca was pursued by Auburn.

“Any time you have an SEC team trying to poach your offensive coordinator, then a Big 12-team trying to poach your offensive coordinator, I think you’re probably doing something right,” Burns said about Ciarrocca, who also worked for Fleck at Western Michigan.

Burns believes Ciarrocca having his best offensive personnel in three seasons at Minnesota likely was a factor in the coach’s decision to remain with the Gophers. Minnesota returns nine of 11 starters including potential All-Big Ten receivers Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman, and three of five players on the offensive line, a unit that at times was dominant toward the end of last season. The Gophers could have their top offensive line in years and certainly rank with the Big Ten’s best at running back with proven standouts in Shannon Brooks, Mohamed Ibrahim and Rodney Smith.

The Gophers have experienced too much change among assistant and head coaches in recent years, but the situation is stabilizing including with offensive line coach Brian Callahan returning for a second season in charge. Fleck has often praised Callahan, and Burns agrees the offensive line will be among Minnesota’s strengths in the fall.

Who does Burns believe will be the starters on the offensive line? He answered the unit will consist of left tackle Jason Dickson, left guard Blaise Andries, center Connor Olson, right guard Curtis Dunlap Jr. and right tackle Daniel Faalele. All five will be expected back in 2020, too, with Olson as a redshirt junior the only upperclassman among the group.

The defensive line has only one full-time starter returning, senior end Carter Coughlin, but there is experience and talent available. There will be competition for starting assignments with Burns guessing Coughlin’s first team companions could be tackles Keonte Schad, Elijah Teague, and end Esezi Otomewo. In the annual spring game on April 13 fans will be particularly interested in seeing Schad who joins the Gophers this winter after ESPN ranked him the No. 2 junior college defensive tackle in the country.

Coughlin, linebacker Thomas Barber and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. lead the talent and experience parade for a defensive unit that gave up 35 total points in three of the last four games. Earlier in the season the defense was often a disaster including a debacle against Illinois when a poor Illini team put up 55 against Minnesota.

But that was before Joe Rossi took over as interim defensive coordinator. Since then Rossi has been given full-time authority after shutting down varied offenses in late year victories over Purdue, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech. Can Rossi work his magic for a full season?

“I don’t think it’s a flash in the pan considering you look at Minnesota’s final three wins,” Burns said. “They did it against three very different offenses.“

The Gophers finished with a 7-6 overall record including their Quick Lane Bowl victory against Georgia Tech. Their impressive close to the season, including reclaiming Paul Bunyan’s Axe in Madison, has caught the attention on the national scene. Minnesota is ranked in the top 25 of early listings by Sporting News and other college football authorities.

Burns believes the rosy forecasts could work out on the field if Minnesota can dodge the inconsistency that characterized Fleck’s teams his first two seasons leading the Gophers. No where will consistency be more needed, Burns said, then at the quarterback position where sophomores Tanner Morgan and Zack Annexstad, despite success last year, are still inexperienced. Morgan started seven games, Annexstad six.

Helping with expectations, too, is what appears to be a favorable schedule with Minnesota not playing Big Ten “bullies” Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. The Gophers have South Dakota State, Georgia Southern, Illinois, Nebraska, Maryland, Penn State and Wisconsin at home. They play Fresno State, Purdue, Rutgers, Iowa and Northwestern on the road. It’s no stretch right now to speculate the Gophers could be favored in more than half of their games.

It won’t hurt either that the Gophers are generating more interest among the public than a year ago. There’s a push by the Athletic Department to capitalize on last year’s excitement and to make some seats in TCF Bank Stadium more affordable than in 2018. Expectations are that when season ticket totals are finalized in the summer there will be an increase from a year ago.

Any success Minnesota has this fall will be looked on as a sign of even better things to come. The Gophers will lose Barber, Coughlin, Brooks, Smith and Johnson (he could be the first Gopher drafted by the NFL in 2020) to graduation but the roster is so young that Fleck has a lot to build with. As of this week that roster consisted of 16 seniors, 19 juniors, 39 sophomores and 41 freshmen.

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Murphy Earns a Spot with U Greats

Posted on January 30, 2019January 30, 2019 by David Shama

After last Sunday’s game against Iowa, Gophers senior Jordan Murphy is now the second leading career rebounder in Big Ten Conference history with 1,150 rebounds. As of Monday morning he was also the nation’s fourth leading rebounder while averaging a Big Ten best 12 rebounds per game.

In an upset win over No. 19 ranked Iowa Murphy had 23 points and 11 rebounds, a typical double-double performance for the power forward who ranks among the nation’s leaders in that category. He is Minnesota’s all-time leader in not only rebounding but double-doubles. He is closing fast on the end of his college career at Minnesota where he is the team’s leading rebounder each of the last four seasons and has moved into the top 10 for career points in Gopher history.

Where does Murphy rank with the program’s greatest players ever? Will he have his jersey number retired with Randy Breuer, Jim Brewer, Dick Garmaker, Lou Hudson, Kevin McHale, Chuck Mencel, Whitey Skoog, Mychal Thompson and Trent Tucker?

I watched all of those players except for Garmaker, Mencel and Skoog. Yet if I could “draft” one former Gopher to start a team, my choice is Bobby Jackson. He has yet to be honored with the other nine greats because he played on the 1995-96 and 1996-97 teams whose seasons have been erased from the record books as part of the NCAA enforced penalties of the coach Clem Haskins era.

Jackson was the best clutch player I ever watched at Minnesota. He played point guard, the most important position in college basketball, and when the Gophers needed a late game impact play on offense and defense he answered the challenge like few players have in Big Ten history.

Another ex-Gopher I would take in a heartbeat over some of the jersey-honored players is point guard Archie Clark from the 1960s. Clark was similar to Jackson, a terrific defender, scorer and clutch player. Clark was overshadowed at Minnesota by teammate and forward Lou Hudson, probably the most gifted multi-skilled player in program history.

Jordan Murphy photo courtesy of Minnesota Athletic Communications.

At Minnesota it seems like the priority factor for players getting their jersey numbers retired is having impressive statistics as measured against others who have been in the program. In that regard, Murphy should one day stand on the Williams Arena floor and watch his No. 3 jersey find a place in the rafters among the great players who preceded him at the U.

Murphy is the reigning Co-Big Ten Player of the Week after Minnesota’s most recent games with Michigan and Iowa. He had 15 points and 11 rebounds in a loss at now No. 5 ranked Michigan, and against Iowa he had a career high six assists and earned his 13th double-double of the season. “He’s a heck of a player,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said earlier this month after his Terps defeated the Gophers in Minneapolis.

Robbie Hummel, the former Purdue star and ex-Minnesota Timberwolf, has watched Murphy play while working as a game analyst for the Big Ten Network. “I am not sure I remember a guy who rebounds the way that Jordan does,” he told Sports Headliners. “His motor is so phenomenal. …He’s really been one of a kind. I am trying to think of the really all-time great rebounders in this conference. He’s right up there with any of them.”

Jerry Lucas, the legendary center from Ohio State, is the conference’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,411 rebounds. He played during an era (1959-62) when freshmen weren’t eligible so his remarkable total was accomplished in three seasons, while Murphy has played in almost four. That’s an example of why statistics can be somewhat misleading in college basketball where today’s players participate in more seasons and games than many of their predecessors.

There’s no denying, though, that history will judge Murphy as a special Gopher. Somewhat undersized at 6-foot-7 (or perhaps 6-foot-6), the husky 250-pounder has a gift for rebounding on both defense and offense. “He gets up (in the air) before everyone else can get there, with his quick hops off the floor,” Mike Grimm said.

Grimm is in his 13th season as the Gophers’ radio play-by-play man. He ranks Murphy among the Big Ten’s elite players this winter. “I think if you had a draft somebody should pick him in the top five,“ Grimm said.

Murphy isn’t flashy in style of play, or personality. He’s a grinder and not without weaknesses in his game. He certainly can have his awkward and not so productive moments. At the top of any such list is a tendency to foul too much, including early in games.

That sends the team MVP to the bench, and it’s frustrating to watch because often his infractions seem so unnecessary, while other times he’s the target of blown calls by officials. The Gophers aren’t the same team without Murphy’s rebounding and low post scoring.

The opinion here is the soft-spoken and likeable Murphy has gone through his college career under appreciated in this town and beyond. Grimm pointed out that awhile ago the Big Ten Network listed its top five forwards and centers in the Big Ten and didn’t include Murphy. Then the network acknowledged that the San Antonio native probably should have been among the elite.

Why the slight? “I think he’s quiet. I don’t think he’s flamboyant,” Grimm said. “He’s not going to knock your socks off by hitting seven threes in a night. Now he can dunk and he moves well, but I don’t think he’s one of those guys that’s going to come flying from the free throw line and throw one down either. He works hard to get his points. A lot of his points come on putbacks where he has worked to establish position.”

Winning teams help players receive recognition. Two of the past three seasons have been disasters for the Gophers but Murphy’s sophomore year the team was 24-10 overall and 11-7 in the Big Ten. He was selected third team All-Big Ten that year and second team a year ago when he led the league in rebounding and the nation in double-doubles. This fall he was named first-team Preseason All-Big Ten.

Minnesota goes into tonight’s game at home against Illinois with an overall record of 15-5 and 5-4 in the Big Ten. If the Gophers can finish toward the top of the league standings and advance to the NCAA Tournament, regional and national honors are more likely for Murphy who is on the 25-man list of candidates announced this month for the Wooden Award, recognizing the nation’s best Division I player.

After leaving the Gophers Murphy will try to make an NBA roster. Because of his minimal height for a front court power position player and limited shooting range and ball handling, he is suspect as an NBA draft choice. Nbadraft.net, for example, doesn’t list Murphy on its 2019 mock draft for either the first or second rounds.

Former Gophers head coach Jim Dutcher sent McHale, Thompson and Tucker to the NBA and successful careers but he’s uncertain about Murphy’s pro future. “If you project him (Murphy), I don’t know where the pros…would put him,” Dutcher told Sports Headliners. “He’s not an outside player and in the league (NBA) he’ll have trouble scoring with the size of those (big guys).

“So he’s kind of a mystery guy, but you look at him as just a college player, he’s gotta be one of the better guys ever to play (at Minnesota). With his versatility, his double-doubles, his being the all-time rebounder.”

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