gophers/ncaa

It was nice to see a BTN Gopher women's basketball game that was worthy of a national audience. This game was disappointing in that the Gophers lost when they really could have won. It was, however, encouraging in that the Gophers were a)clearly not overmatched against Penn State, b)seemed confident on the road and c) did not play their best game (1-8 shooting from 3, too many turnovers and outrebounded offensively, etc.) but hung tough against the closest thing to a "super-elite" team the B1G has. After the Nebraska debacle and being handled inside by Purdue and Michigan State, I was beginning to believe that the Gophers would be lucky to eek out 8 wins this season (and they still might not make that), but they are more talented than they showed in their first three B1G losses and seem to be settling in at a higher plateau of inconsistency than they have in the past few years (even in a stronger B1G). I don't anticipate any let downs against sub RPI-100 teams with this group (unfortunately, the B1G only has 2 teams that qualify and the Gophers have only 2 games against them). This isn't a team that is overmatched by the rest of the B1G in terms of talent (though they match up poorly against big interior line-ups)and if they can play hard and make better decisions consistently, they can win more than they lose going forward this B1G season. It will be an uphill climb sitting at 2-4, but they can start this climb by beating Illinois (tough this year) at home on Monday. The next two game home stand (Illinois on the 28th and Michigan on the 31st) will pretty much determine whether the season is salvageable from an NCAA tournament bid standpoint. Two wins and they're back in the bubble discussion. JMHO. Go Gophers!

1) The team seemed a bit more resilient and tough, which is needed in the tough Big Ten. Lately they seem to have fallen a part a bit at key times but less so in this game. 2) The game was essentially tied, and so it was disappointing loss. In the end, they did give it away. 3) It was nice to see contributions from everyone, top to bottom, and from the bench. Several players made nice plays. 4) Three point shooting next season needs to be better for a better chance of comebacks and explosives. They were .125 shooting this game,, and the ineffective 3 point game was from everyone. Banham especially needs to improve her three point shooting percentage since she is the shooter on the outside. 5) Banham is a great player but her shooting percentage and game overall has regressed. 6) 6' 4" Loberg on the floor seemed to have a presence, so it would be nice if in future seasons that had more size around the basket. 7) Riche had nice contributions but can't help when she benches herself with fouls. 8) In the end, there were too many plays where the Gophers made a big play that changed the game only to be followed by a missed easy shot, foul or turnover and then run of points by the other team. The episodes of slipping need to be better controlled. 9) The team is still young, with two regarded freshman starters and one former-Rookie of the Year sophomore starter, plus regarded freshman talent on the bench not even playing, so the team has much upside.

Another consolation victory! Extend Borton's contract before someone "steals" here away! Choo, choo...

I wasn't at the game and didn't watch the game so I can't really comment on the effort put forth by the team. By all accounts, the team seemed to be more motivated than they were against Nebraska but I do have one question: how can you hold a team under 40% shooting and out rebound them but still lose by 5 points?? Granted giving up almost double the turnovers than your opponent doesn't help but we've got to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. As for the youth on our team, I would be much more optimistic if we didn't have a coaching staff who have proven God-awful at teaching skills and play-making.

The real consolation here is not in the "moral" victory of playing a good team tough on the road, but in finishing off an absurdly difficult first six games of a B1G season(@MSU, @Wisc, Ohio State, @Purdue, Nebraska, and @ Penn State) with a strong, though flawed, performance and a couple of wins in the basket. The Gophers have six games out of their last ten at home and play only four games against teams in the current top 5 of the standings (all at home). Granted, there are no easy games in the B1G, but I don't think fans are giving them enough credit for the gauntlet they just ran. Even with the fairly strong non-conference record, I though the Gophers would be, at best, 3-3 after this stretch. The Gophers have a better chance at 9-7 this season than the current standings would indicate. Of course, time will tell. JMHO.

I was really impressed with how the Gophers ran their offense against the 2-3 zone. There were possessions where the ball hardly touched the ground. (Wonder if the men's team couldn't learn a thing or two). Banham had a good look at the end, but no one's shot was falling.

Nice to see a Gopher basketball team that looked like they really wanted to win. Coach has to set up situations for Banham and Cotton to pass off when they drive; too many hopeless shots going up off the drives. Liked the energy on defense; same old game it was fifty years ago in the sense that defense and rebounds are where it is at. Talent wise? Players, men and women, so much more talented today.

Wow. I watched the entire game, and some people really missed the point. Penn State played TERRIBLY and Borton and the team still couldn't win a meaningful game.

While I agree that Penn State played more beatably than usual (what I was hoping for after a short week), it's hard to argue that Penn State played "terribly" when one of their players was able to score 26 points (especially the way she was forces to earn them) and the team forced 23 turnovers. If Penn State had truly played "terribly" (bad outing by Lucas) the Gophers would have beaten them in a rout last night. Missing the point depends sometimes on the point one is looking for going in just as some will always see the glass as half empty. JMHO.