GAME 27 Minnesota: Delivering

[BIGRUBIGDBIGredmachine]

No. Shooting an airball that was almost a full FOOT short wasn't because of fatigue. It was just a pure choke job in the face of a deafening RACmosphere.

So great! (h/t @Caliknight )

 

[MadRU]

Great recap bac. Oner thing I noticed, it was mostly our bigs playing Murphy, Doorson, Myles, and Carter. Eugene was mostly on Oturo, unless there was a switch. Give our bigs, especially Shaq Doorson the credit for quieting Murphy. Great game plan by Pike, Young, and staff.

Minnesota's two freshman were impressive last night. Oturo will be a handful if he stays healthy and in college for 4 years. Gave K. is a pure spot up shooter who will require teams to pay attention to him. We played their upper class-men well. I know Washington has an injury, he was a non factor. They do have a nice team, will be interesting to see what Ricky can get out of them the next few years.

 

[Night Man]

remember I talked about learning lesson in the MSU recap....they went on somekind of ridiculous 37-10 run where RU sputtered and melted down. Well last night after RU went up 18-10, Minny put up a 27-10 run on Rutgers and RU really looked like it was going to fall apart. The hole wasnt quite as deep to dig out from and Minny is nowhere near as good as MSU but this team learned to fight back and not lay down and as you said they were resilient not once but twice. RU is showing the ability that if they are hanging around late they have a decent shot to pull it off, even in the Iowa loss, RU fought from behind to take the lead.

I would say this has less to do with RU learning and more to do with MSU being one of the better teams in the country... RU has been playing this back and forth game of runs resulting in close games with most teams in the B1G, but not so much with the cream of the crop.

 

[Loyal_2RU]

Glad they found a way to win.

Last two things: How does the ref standing right in front of the Minnesota bench not call the foul on Doorson but our boy Bo does? It was clearly a foul but he shook his head no. Goes to show you how subjective calls are.

Not obviously a foul. He took off behind the three point line, all contact was well within the three point line. Jumping into a player is not supposed to be rewarded with a foul call. I thought on replay it was clearly NOT a foul.

Loyal

 

[JQRU91]

I would say this has less to do with RU learning and more to do with MSU being one of the better teams in the country... RU has been playing this back and forth game of runs resulting in close games with most teams in the B1G, but not so much with the cream of the crop.

A team that plays tough defense and sputters on offense is built to see games with a lot of long runs from both sides.

 

[RUonBrain]

Not obviously a foul. He took off behind the three point line, all contact was well within the three point line. Jumping into a player is not supposed to be rewarded with a foul call. I thought on replay it was clearly NOT a foul.

Loyal

What do you mean?

It happens all of the time.
Pump, get man in air, and jump into him and throw up a shot.

Foul.

 

[RUChoppin]

What do you mean?

It happens all of the time.
Pump, get man in air, and jump into him and throw up a shot.

Foul.

Shooters do it all the time, but they don't always get the foul call. Still haven't had a chance to look at the DVR of this particular one - but watching live from the stands, it looked like a no brainer foul call.

 

[Loyal_2RU]

What do you mean?

It happens all of the time.
Pump, get man in air, and jump into him and throw up a shot.

Foul.

They are called all the time. The rule allows
some initiating contact, but not at the extreme. There were 2-3 feet between where he started a jump shot for which he was stepping back and where contract was made. Not a basketball play lasting to the contact

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

For us to be talking about officiating.........

How does the opposite feel....

We won the game because of the phantom call on Baker that gave him 2 shots.

 

[RUChoppin]

For us to be talking about officiating.........

How does the opposite feel....

We won the game because of the phantom call on Baker that gave him 2 shots.

We got more help than that earlier in the game, too - inconsistent/questionable officiating broke our way this time.

Haven't had time to rewatch the game on DVR yet, and almost don't want to.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

For us to be talking about officiating.........

How does the opposite feel....

We won the game because of the phantom call on Baker that gave him 2 shots.

The Minn player who committed the foul didn't protest, so although it was difficult to see, I believe he got him on the arm/wrist. Geo missed the basket by 2 feet, so it's likely he was fouled. Even if he didn't foul Geo on the shot, the defender had his hands all over Geo on the way to the basket, and that certainly could/should have been called. We were in the double bonus, so it would have been 2 shots anyway.
.

 

[bac2therac]

I thought the latter half of the game the whistles were called in favor of RU..its one of the reasons why I dont get too upset when they go against us. These things work out. RU still had to win the game by making plays, refs had no effect on the outcome.

 

[RUChoppin]

I thought the latter half of the game the whistles were called in favor of RU..its one of the reasons why I dont get too upset when they go against us. These things work out. RU still had to win the game by making plays, refs had no effect on the outcome.

I will disagree with you every time you say refs had "no effect" - ref performance has as much of an effect on game outcomes as player and coach performance. The "still had to make plays" argument is true, but ignores that extra opportunities to make those plays are sometimes given.

Got a little time and watched the last 10ish minutes of the game. Thought things were really well-called from about the 10 min mark to the 4:30 mark, and then the table tilted a bit in our direction.

4:28 - Kalscheur's 4th foul on Omoruyi seemed really light, especially for the way the game had been called to that point. That was a significant call, because it changed the way he could play defense the rest of the game - and he was the one on Baker when he hit his step back three. Omoruyi missed his original shot with a MN rebound - but this gave him two FTs, and he hit both.

3:52 - Coffey's foul on Mathis, when Mathis was out of control. Again, this could easily have been a no call, and Mathis got bailed out. He hits 1/2 instead of it being a turnover.

3:26 - Doorson called for a foul on a strong box out, which seemed a bit out of place given the physicality of play underneath most of the game. MN hits both FTs.

3:07 - Really looked like Baker stepped on the endline here, with no call. Managed to get it to Mathis in the corner for a big 3 to cut the lead to 1.

2:13 - Foul on Baker was really light on his off hand after he'd already passed his defender. Shot was blocked, but he hit 1/2 FTs. That's a call that's probably made less than 25% of the time.

0:15.2 - Foul on Baker on shot was tough to see on replay. Looked like very light contact on his wrist? He hit 2/2 FTs.

So, in the final 5 minutes it felt like we got a definite lift in the "questionable call" area. Glad to see it work out in our favor this time.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I wondered about that 3:26 Doorson call. You can't undercut someone, but you are allowed to box out. Seems like a gray area.

If he was contacted while in the air for a rebound then it is a definite foul.

 

[RUinOhio]

Eugene tried the same thing in the first half and didn't get the call. I agree it's technically a foul but the shooter was jumping into Shaq, no where near trying to make a legit jump shot. its technically a foul, but regardless I had very few complaints about the refs. finally.

What do you mean?

It happens all of the time.
Pump, get man in air, and jump into him and throw up a shot.

Foul.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

What do you mean?

It happens all of the time.
Pump, get man in air, and jump into him and throw up a shot.

Foul.

EO tried that early i that game and did not get the call. So it depends on the ref, doesn't it.

 

[RU848789]

Okay probably going to shorten this recap because I am stuck with jury duty so I have to calm myself down early.

OMG what a great feeling it is to win....6 conference wins, when the hell was the last time we had this many. The fans have been thirsty for wins for years. We have waited so long. These are not sips anymore, these are victory chugs. RU is winning because RU is a good team. Its only the beginning. This team is taking us to the river and Pike will lead us to the Promised Land...and so it will be done.

Tonight was a game where it seemed like the team blew a chance to take control of the game at 48-45 losing all momentumn and then had to fight back from a 5 point defecit as a 12-4 run over 4 minutes left RU wobbly. Seemed like Minny was able to get inside and RU lost their edge on defense. Conversely on offense RU got caught rushing things with ill advised 3s and not finishing in the paint. At that point I commented in the game thread, it really looked like RU didnt want this game and Minnesota was making the plays to win. But monmentumn in hoops can change in the snap of a finger. Credit this team and Pike for having RU try and draw some fouls and get to the line. Unbelievably foul shooting was a big part of why RU won the game. RU hit 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch led by Geo with 3 and Gene with 2 and Cold Blooded Caleb broke the Gophers hearts by calming draining the final 2 to put the game away. And add in a clutch 3 by Montez to cut the gap to 1 and then Geo with 6 straight points. If there was any doubt whose hands you want the ball to be in during crunch time, Geo emphatically has erased that doubt. That 3...that monster 3 at 61 all. He was so confident on that, he knew he was going to hit it, this wasnt a clunker clanker that dropped like vs Iowa this was a beauty. And not the previous play he blocked the Klascheur shot. Baker made the play there and he was going to make it on the other end. No doubt. To win games, you need players to step up and make plays..simple as that. Geo has shaken off the haters from last month and is stepping up in a big way. It was a team win for sure today but Geo was special tonight. His play on defense in 2nd half stepping into passing lanes and poking the ball away with a couple of steals led to some needed transition buckets. I thought he played ferocious D.

Just some comments on everyone else. Montez Mathis, welcome back we missed you. You know what I think Pike has done a great job this year in trying to mold him and keep him control. He was yanked vs MSU and was very effective today in being aggressive without hurting the team. 18 points, 7-13 shooting, that big 3, yes only 3-7 at line but 3 of his last 4...that is a nice sign and something he can take into the next game. Once again Mathis defense was solid. He remains the best of the freshmen overall and I mean that. Eugene..again what can you say. It seems like he needs a wakeup call sometimes...first half was not good at all from him. frustrating to watch. 2nd half Pike made a concerted effort to make sure they got him the ball and he worked hard to get around Murphy who can be a moose inside. 14 points, 9 boards, 2 clutch free throws, a typical stat line for him and he really shut Murphy down and that was big. Eugene also had a big steal at 45 all and the assist to Mathis for a sweet dunk that put RU up 48-45. I thought Myles Johnson and Caleb McConnell really helped a struggling RU in the first half. With Geo sitting and Eug quiet, I thought both picked the slack up hitting the needed baskets to keep RU in range. Thats fitting their rolls for this game, this wasnt going to be the game where Pike was going to call on them to win it for RU. Its about making a couple of shots and playing strong defense and that they did. Peter Kiss also contributed with a quick flurry of 5 points in the first. Everyone else..well hey Thiam made a basket, Carter got some rebounds, Doorson clogged the middle and ya know that foul he made on Murphy turned out to not be all that bad. I thought Harper struggled this game, too anxious to be the man hitting the big shot but I like Pike recognized this.

If you think foul shooting doesnt win and lose you games..this game will give you an education. RU was 13-19 and It think 12 for its last 14 and Minnesota was 10-20, they left so many points on the court...those two missed by Murphy but an earlier miss on the inexplicable foul on the dunk. As crazy as it sounds, it was RU who won the game at the line.

But lets also give credit to Pike, His gameplan to shut down Coffey and Murphy worked really well especially in the 2nd half. It was just Klascheur was a sick shooter in the first half, hard to expect that but obviously RU wasnt playing great D on him. Credit Pike for getting him in foul trouble, I think a Montez drive early gave him his third and really changed the Minny offense for a while where RU got back into the game. I thought the intensity of D in the 2nd half particularly from Baker is a testament to what Pike says in the lockerroom, this is a team locked into their coaches head.

Best defensive play of the game...with an assist from the boisterous RAC crowd was the Minnesota shot clock violation at 2:22 following the Mathis 3 that cut the gap to 1....HUGE HUGE stop, I thought the RAC was tremendous on that play, the loudest they have been all year long and Minny really was panicked and that shot clock was really winding down...they finally were able to put up a shot but it was just a nano second too late. A real swing point and then Geo took over. Kudos to the RAC tonight, it was a very generous crowd for a Sunday night and it wasnt propped up by opposing team fans. 7270, best crowd of the season who wanted to give RU a needed lift and RU responded by quenching their thirst with a scintillating finish

oh and quick thought about Little Ricky..he has talent but for some reason after a strong OOC slate this team continues to come up short. I just think he is failing to push the right buttons and dare I say they lack toughness when it comes down to it. Minny needed this win tonight. This loss puts them perilously close to missing out on the NCAA tourney so they will need one big win down the stretch to get them back on track. I dont think there is much difference between they and RU really. Its just that they have a little more experience so they were able to come out of the gate strong in non conference....RU needed time to gel but really these are even teams at this point.

And hoops can be cruel right...Iowa loss last week, victory tonight. The ability of this team to continue fighting and clawing and scrapping even though it does not look pretty a times makes them a team no one really wants to play. We are well passed the point where any win is fluke. RU is now 10th in leading and very close to being in the 8/9 game. We have reached the point where RU is bringing that consistent competitive effort night in and out. Yes they have learned some painful lessons along the way but man who thought with three games left all in March how meaningful and how winnable the final 3 games are. Opportunity abounds.

Just catching up, as I've been crazy busy. Great recap, as usual. Glad it was so short, lol. So many things to like about the win and the team right now - can't wait for Pike to be able to work with even more talent. Awesome crowd, too. Would be nice to win 2 of our last 3 to finish at 0.500.