The Gophers went to church on Sunday. Last night their prayers were answered.
Coach Tubby Smith took his players to a church service, part of a plan to bring the team closer together. Who could argue with the strategy after a 77-73 upset win over No. 1 ranked Indiana at Williams Arena last evening?
Before last night the public’s memory of the Gophers was a disinterested performance in Columbus on February 20 when Ohio State embarrassed Minnesota 71-45. The Gophers lacked confidence, cohesiveness and energy in defeat, their third loss in the last four games.
But against the 24-3 Hoosiers the Gophers were reborn. Is there no wonder to what a morning in church, tutoring from a sports psychologist and a new found commitment will do?
Smith resurrected his team, now 7-8 in the Big Ten and 19-9 overall, for at least one night. Give him credit for bringing in the psychologist and using team building activities to shake off the Gophers’ malaise.
Smith said even before the game he saw a “calm” in his players not witnessed before. “It was good to see them having fun (last night),” the coach said.
Reserve forward Oto Osenieks said the psychologist helped a Gophers team that is now intent on starting a new winning streak and playing like the group rated among the nation’s 10 best last month. “We had a team meeting,” Osenieks said. “We talked to each other (and) with him. We just kind of found how to play together more and not blame each other for mistakes. Just be accountable.”
On Sunday the Gophers not only went to church, but had lunch together. “We’ve done a lot of stuff to build the team chemistry,” Osenieks said. “That was a big part of it (the success last night.)”
This was a game that had an observer believing in the second half that it was the Gophers night to win. Andre Ingram, a .333 percent free throw shooter, made two foul line shots including one that made a strange landing on the rim. Later Andre Hollins, the team’s best free throw shooter, threw up a foul shot that looked like a miss until fate gave the ball a friendly bounce.
But make no mistake, the Gophers earned this win with skill and pluck. And maybe Hollins was right when he said he thought the Gophers “wanted” the victory more than the Hoosiers. No one defined Minnesota’s night and effort more than senior center Trevor Mbakwe who had a blocked shot for the ages against Indiana center Cody Zeller, and led all scorers with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Mbawke’s performance and that of his teammates got the Gophers their biggest win of the season, improved the likelihood of an NCAA Tournament invite next month, and set off a pandemonium not seen in Williams Arena for a long time—maybe ever. Fans rushed the court after the game, swallowing up the players despite their superior size and letting loose the frustrations that have dogged both the Gophers and their followers.
In a mostly empty arena late last night a fan walked past Mbakwe in the concourse. “You’ll never forget this night,” the fan said.
Mbakwe beamed.
Amen.
Worth Noting
Smith said Sunday on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” he once thought his team could win 12 to 15 Big Ten games.
The Gophers’ Mbakwe and Rodney Williams are projected to be the No. 33 and 36 picks in the June NBA draft by Nbadraft.net.
Former Gopher basketball All-American Mychal Thompson’s son, Klay Thompson, has been an important contributor to a surprisingly successful season for the NBA’s Warriors. The second-year shooting guard is third on the team in scoring average at 16.3 points per game.
Klay was recruited by the Gophers and Smith out of high school but preferred to stay on the West Coast and never made a recruiting visit to Minnesota. At Washington State his play improved, as it has with the Warriors (averaged 12.5 points his rookie season) and he believes his “best basketball” is still ahead.
Klay said his dad, who is a radio commentator for the Lakers, gives him “advice all the time.” A consistent message is “don’t take a night off” and be aggressive in his play.
“He says if I do that on both ends I will play a long time in this league,” Klay said.
Warriors’ rookie starting forward Harrison Barnes played high school basketball in Ames, Iowa and likes Smith, who recruited him. But Barnes, who was highly recruited and chose North Carolina, said the Gophers weren’t on his final list of 10 potential colleges.
Barnes and Thompson were in Minneapolis on Sunday when the Warriors, who trailed the Wolves by 16 points in the first quarter, defeated Minnesota 100-99. The Wolves frequently can’t win close games because they don’t have an elite finisher.
Their closer, All-Star forward Kevin Love, has been sidelined with a broken hand since early January and he is unsure when he will return. He hasn’t started “basketball related stuff” as he rehabs after surgery but he hopes to have medical clearance to play in the team’s last 15 to 20 games.
Love said it’s important to participate in the final games with his teammates rather than wait until training camp next fall. Love has been working out with another injured Wolves player, small forward Chase Budinger.
A reporter questioned whether Love has everyday restrictions such as “pouring” with his injured right hand. Love teased with his response: “I do a lot of pouring.”
He said LeBron James is not only the NBA MVP but “at least in our generation you’ve never seen somebody play at that level before and win.” The two players were teammates on the 2012 Olympic team and Love admires James’ work ethic.
Love said James’ leadership style made an impression, too, and it’s something he wants to continue with the Wolves. “Just to be vocal,” Love said. “I am a guy that is always vocal and playful, and always around my teammates. …”
Apparently the performance of the Vikings’ special teams made an impression on Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. Last week he hired Chris White, who was an assistant special teams coach with the Vikings, to coordinate special teams for the Hawkeyes and coach running backs. White had been on the Vikings staff since 2009 but his previous coaching experience had been college and high school jobs.
With a need at cornerback and past willingness to take chances on draft choices, would the Vikings in the later rounds select controversial LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu?
McKinley Boston was the first African-American athletic director in the Big Ten. The former Gophers AD is featured this month on the Big Ten Network’s salute to Black History Month. Boston is now AD at New Mexico State.
With three games between now and next Monday, the Wild won’t practice today after last night’s 2-1 win over the Flames. The Wild are at Phoenix tomorrow night and Anaheim Friday evening—looking for their first wins of the season against the Coyotes and Ducks. The Wild are 1-0 against the Oilers who are at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.