N'western & now Nebby destroy Minnesota #FirePitinoNOW
- Thread starter OnceAhawk
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While I certainly don't consider the Mildcats anything close to a contender in the Big Ten, they are kicking the snot out of the Rodents on their home floor this afternoon. Little Rickie has to be moving up on the hot seat list, even with his new extension.
Northwestern routs Gophers 77-52
By Amelia Rayno Star Tribune
JANUARY 9, 2016 — 3:41PM
This time, there was no letdown and there were no silver linings to cling to.
Saturday’s result at Williams Arena — Northwestern routed the Gophers 77-52 — looked inevitable nearly from the start with Minnesota looking limp and uninspired on its home court as it picked up its fifth consecutive loss and eighth in nine games in perhaps its ugliest performance yet.
Northwestern, a perfect 4-0 in true road games this season, has now won three straight games in Minneapolis with coach Richard Pitino on the adjacent bench.
The Gophers trailed 32-26 at halftime after losing what would be their last lead less than six minutes in, and things went downhill from there. Northwestern started the second on a 9-0 run but the Wildcats success wasn’t about a few hot streaks and big moments. Rather, the visiting team took control early and consistently dominated in every major facet of the game. Minnesota, meanwhile, was a disorganized mess
Freshman standout Jordan Murphy struggled offensively and with foul trouble, and turned over the ball four times. Seniors Carlos Morris and Joey King combined for 10 points. The Gophers’ zone defense was sluggish to adjust and couldn’t contain Northwestern shooters, allowing the Wildcats’ offense to heat up again after an off performance against Ohio State earlier that week. Joey Van Zegeren reeled off a stretch of four consecutive dunks spanning from the end of the first half to the start of the second. Freshman Aaron Falzon (a game-leading 20 points) hit six three pointers while Northwestern drilled 11 over all. And Minnesota, attempting 18 threes but making just five, still was without any player with double-digit points until 4:40, when Nate Mason hit a jumper to get to 11.
The Gophers managed just three baskets the rest of the way.
By Amelia Rayno Star Tribune
JANUARY 9, 2016 — 3:41PM
This time, there was no letdown and there were no silver linings to cling to.
Saturday’s result at Williams Arena — Northwestern routed the Gophers 77-52 — looked inevitable nearly from the start with Minnesota looking limp and uninspired on its home court as it picked up its fifth consecutive loss and eighth in nine games in perhaps its ugliest performance yet.
Northwestern, a perfect 4-0 in true road games this season, has now won three straight games in Minneapolis with coach Richard Pitino on the adjacent bench.
The Gophers trailed 32-26 at halftime after losing what would be their last lead less than six minutes in, and things went downhill from there. Northwestern started the second on a 9-0 run but the Wildcats success wasn’t about a few hot streaks and big moments. Rather, the visiting team took control early and consistently dominated in every major facet of the game. Minnesota, meanwhile, was a disorganized mess
Freshman standout Jordan Murphy struggled offensively and with foul trouble, and turned over the ball four times. Seniors Carlos Morris and Joey King combined for 10 points. The Gophers’ zone defense was sluggish to adjust and couldn’t contain Northwestern shooters, allowing the Wildcats’ offense to heat up again after an off performance against Ohio State earlier that week. Joey Van Zegeren reeled off a stretch of four consecutive dunks spanning from the end of the first half to the start of the second. Freshman Aaron Falzon (a game-leading 20 points) hit six three pointers while Northwestern drilled 11 over all. And Minnesota, attempting 18 threes but making just five, still was without any player with double-digit points until 4:40, when Nate Mason hit a jumper to get to 11.
The Gophers managed just three baskets the rest of the way.
I will say though that even though we only play each once, I'm glad we get Norhwestern and Minnesota at home. Hate seeing the Hawks play in those dungeons.
I'm thinking Minnesota and Rutgers have each other circled on the schedules . And, they don't play until February 23. Other than Illinois, I'm not seeing many possible wins. Of course, if Rutgers could beat the Badgers last year, anything is possible.
updated story:
Trajectory pointing downward after U blown out by Northwestern
There were few signs of optimism in the Gophers' latest loss.
http://www.startribune.com/northwestern-routs-gophers-77-52/364748301/
This time, there was no game-changer to point at, no silver linings to cling to.
A day after coach Richard Pitino suggested the Gophers men’s basketball team was on an “upward trajectory” in the Big Ten, Saturday’s 77-52 rout by Northwestern at Williams Arena looked inevitable nearly from the start.
The Gophers (6-10, 0-4 Big Ten) looked uninspired and wholly overmatched on their home court as they picked up their fifth consecutive loss and eighth in nine games in perhaps their ugliest performance yet, making talk of improvement look about as absurd as the scoring differential.
Northwestern (14-3, 2-2) had its biggest victory ever at Minnesota, besting a 45-23 victory in 1931. The Wildcats, 4-0 on the road this season, had their biggest victory in a Big Ten road game since beating Chicago 77-20 on Jan. 14, 1944. They are 3-0 at Williams Arena with Pitino on the adjacent bench.
“They just totally outplayed us,” Pitino said. “We’ve got to do a better job, certainly, and that’s all on me.”
The Gophers trailed 32-26 at the break after losing what would be their last lead less than six minutes into the game, and then got rolled after halftime. Northwestern outscored them 45-26 in the final 20 minutes while shooting 65.2 percent from the floor (15-for-23) and started the half on a 9-0 run, seemingly sucking the air out of the building.
“Those first four minutes, they got us,” Pitino said. “And it altered the game.”
But the Wildcats’ success wasn’t about a few hot streaks and big moments. Rather, they took control early and steadily and consistently dominated in every major facet of the game. Northwestern nearly doubled the Gophers’ rebounds (33-17). The Wildcats scored in transition and in the half court. They finished with 18 assists.
Meanwhile, the Gophers were a disorganized mess. Pitino suggested his team lost its confidence and stopped believing it could turn things around early in the second half. Seniors Carlos Morris and Joey King combined for only 10 points. The Gophers, attempting 18 three-pointers but making only five, still were without any player with at least 10 points until 4 minutes, 40 seconds remained, when Nate Mason hit a jumper to get to 11.
Freshman standout Jordan Murphy, who sat with two fouls with 13:21 left in the first half, struggled offensively, shooting 1-for-5 while turning over the ball four times.
“I’ve got to get better at everything,” Murphy said. “For us, not just to get out of this slump, but to be more effective. I’ve got to be better at everything.”
Defensively, the Gophers zone was sluggish to adjust and couldn’t contain shooters or their deep passes, allowing the Wildcats to heat up. Joey van Zegeren reeled off a stretch of four consecutive dunks spanning from the end of the first half to the start of the second. Freshman Aaron Falzon hit six three-pointers on his way to a game-high 20 points while Northwestern drilled 11 threes overall.
“They were knocking ’em down,” King said. “And it seemed like they never missed.”
The announced crowd of 10,436, many fans shouting frustrations with what they perceived as a lack of energy and effort, began to file out into the frigid afternoon with 10 minutes still on the clock.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” King said. “I’m disappointed with myself, I’m disappointed with how things are going, but we’re going to have to keep fighting.
“We tried to fight back in spurts but at the level they were shooting the ball, we really didn’t have a chance to come back in the second half.”
Trajectory pointing downward after U blown out by Northwestern
There were few signs of optimism in the Gophers' latest loss.
http://www.startribune.com/northwestern-routs-gophers-77-52/364748301/
This time, there was no game-changer to point at, no silver linings to cling to.
A day after coach Richard Pitino suggested the Gophers men’s basketball team was on an “upward trajectory” in the Big Ten, Saturday’s 77-52 rout by Northwestern at Williams Arena looked inevitable nearly from the start.
The Gophers (6-10, 0-4 Big Ten) looked uninspired and wholly overmatched on their home court as they picked up their fifth consecutive loss and eighth in nine games in perhaps their ugliest performance yet, making talk of improvement look about as absurd as the scoring differential.
Northwestern (14-3, 2-2) had its biggest victory ever at Minnesota, besting a 45-23 victory in 1931. The Wildcats, 4-0 on the road this season, had their biggest victory in a Big Ten road game since beating Chicago 77-20 on Jan. 14, 1944. They are 3-0 at Williams Arena with Pitino on the adjacent bench.
“They just totally outplayed us,” Pitino said. “We’ve got to do a better job, certainly, and that’s all on me.”
The Gophers trailed 32-26 at the break after losing what would be their last lead less than six minutes into the game, and then got rolled after halftime. Northwestern outscored them 45-26 in the final 20 minutes while shooting 65.2 percent from the floor (15-for-23) and started the half on a 9-0 run, seemingly sucking the air out of the building.
“Those first four minutes, they got us,” Pitino said. “And it altered the game.”
But the Wildcats’ success wasn’t about a few hot streaks and big moments. Rather, they took control early and steadily and consistently dominated in every major facet of the game. Northwestern nearly doubled the Gophers’ rebounds (33-17). The Wildcats scored in transition and in the half court. They finished with 18 assists.
Meanwhile, the Gophers were a disorganized mess. Pitino suggested his team lost its confidence and stopped believing it could turn things around early in the second half. Seniors Carlos Morris and Joey King combined for only 10 points. The Gophers, attempting 18 three-pointers but making only five, still were without any player with at least 10 points until 4 minutes, 40 seconds remained, when Nate Mason hit a jumper to get to 11.
Freshman standout Jordan Murphy, who sat with two fouls with 13:21 left in the first half, struggled offensively, shooting 1-for-5 while turning over the ball four times.
“I’ve got to get better at everything,” Murphy said. “For us, not just to get out of this slump, but to be more effective. I’ve got to be better at everything.”
Defensively, the Gophers zone was sluggish to adjust and couldn’t contain shooters or their deep passes, allowing the Wildcats to heat up. Joey van Zegeren reeled off a stretch of four consecutive dunks spanning from the end of the first half to the start of the second. Freshman Aaron Falzon hit six three-pointers on his way to a game-high 20 points while Northwestern drilled 11 threes overall.
“They were knocking ’em down,” King said. “And it seemed like they never missed.”
The announced crowd of 10,436, many fans shouting frustrations with what they perceived as a lack of energy and effort, began to file out into the frigid afternoon with 10 minutes still on the clock.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” King said. “I’m disappointed with myself, I’m disappointed with how things are going, but we’re going to have to keep fighting.
“We tried to fight back in spurts but at the level they were shooting the ball, we really didn’t have a chance to come back in the second half.”
Our big three rivals (traditionally) are all struggling.....time to take advantage on the court and on the recruiting trail.
I could not agree more with this. This is Iowa's time to move the program forward.
Actually every school that borders us is sucking. When an average NW is way better than any other team, there's some bad bball being played in the B1G West.
Fran is looking better all of the time. I hope Groce and Pitino Jr hang on to their jobs as long as possible. Not sure about Bo's assistant at Wisky. I think it would be better if he stuck around too. NW is going to be a solid team for a while, and is dangerous this year when they get their center back.
Their program history is actually pretty crappy. Only 8 tourney appearances all-time when they weren't cheating, 12 total if you count the vacated appearances. For comparison, Iowa has twice as many in our history (24).
Minnesota has been pretty horrible in both major sports for generations.
Bo did his friend/assistant no favors by letting him 'audition' for the full-time job with this year's squad at UW.
Is NW just average this year? I have the impression from afar (haven't seen them play yet this year) that Chris Collins has them on the rise the last few years. 3 of their top 6 scorers last season were true freshmen. They beat national runner-up Wisconsin in Madison last year. They beat Iowa in the opening round of the Big Ten tourney.
This season, they lost on a neutral floor to NC by 11, then beat Mizzouri the next night. They have OT wins over Virginia Tech and Depaul, they beat NE by a similar margin as Iowa (but on the road), and after having a poor performance at home against OSU, they bounced back to hand the Gophers their worst home loss in the school's history to increase their road record to 4-0 this season.
Maybe they are above average this year?
The Mildcats are more than an average team. Collins definitely has NW moving in the right direction. They are doing better I expected over the past few weeks without Olah, who is probably their best player and one of the top centers in the B1G.
They have one of the worst schedule strengths on the country.
They will be firmly on the bubble all the way through the selection show.
T
Their BT season is about to start. Tonite may be interesting, then a walk vs PS but THEN it kicks into high gear. They could easily lose 4 of their next 6.
Their BT season is about to start. Tonite may be interesting, then a walk vs PS but THEN it kicks into high gear. They could easily lose 4 of their next 6.
Their best player transferred from drake
That's pretty much your answer.
That's pretty much your answer.
Is this the year Northwestern makes the NCAA for the first time ever ? Currently 15-3. 3-2 I think they can finish 9-9 regular season that might be good enough to get in
I know a lot of Iowa fans said this at the time, and it seems Minnesota fans are finally coming around to this conclusion: they should have never fired Tubby.
I remember when Minnesota hired Tubby and Iowa hired Lickliter. I was somewhat jealous because I thought Tubby was the more proven head coach, but I was also somewhat excited to see what Lickliter could do at Iowa after he was named National Coach of the Year. What happened over the next few seasons was sickening for Iowa fans. Lickliter nearly destroyed our program and thankfully was gone after only three years. Meanwhile, our neighbors to the north enjoyed three straight 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournament berths in Tubby's first three years. His fourth year was a struggle, but his fifth and sixth seasons again were 20-win seasons and another NCAA Tournament berth (where they beat UCLA). In the same six year stretch, Iowa had just one 20-win season, and no NCAA Tournament appearances. I have little sympathy for their fanbase that ran Tubby out of town.
I remember when Minnesota hired Tubby and Iowa hired Lickliter. I was somewhat jealous because I thought Tubby was the more proven head coach, but I was also somewhat excited to see what Lickliter could do at Iowa after he was named National Coach of the Year. What happened over the next few seasons was sickening for Iowa fans. Lickliter nearly destroyed our program and thankfully was gone after only three years. Meanwhile, our neighbors to the north enjoyed three straight 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournament berths in Tubby's first three years. His fourth year was a struggle, but his fifth and sixth seasons again were 20-win seasons and another NCAA Tournament berth (where they beat UCLA). In the same six year stretch, Iowa had just one 20-win season, and no NCAA Tournament appearances. I have little sympathy for their fanbase that ran Tubby out of town.
They need to beat one of the top 3 teams in the league. Their OOC schedule ranking is HORRIBLE. They played no one in the non-conf. They have to take down Michigan, MSU, Maryland or Iowa to get a signature win. Also can't have any "bad losses" either. Their non-conf schedule is very similar to what Iowa's was 4yrs ago (it was above 300). No Goood.
NW was blown out twice by Wiscy last year.VT, Depaul, Mizzou, and MN are some of the worst power 5 teams. They had one of the easiest non-conference schedules which resulted in their inflated record. There is no doubt they're getting better and have fought through some injuries but they're still very average.
Not a bad strategy for them. Rack up the wins in the preseason, gain some confidence and try to pick off a few top level teams during conference play. Fran did the the same thing a few years ago as you noted. Iowa had 3 or 4 gut wrenching road losses that year in conference. If Iowa gets one of those, they probably make the tournament instead of the NIT.
Sorry, I misread a write-up on their team page and now see they beat #14 Wisconsin on the road 2 seasons ago...
I said last week that he'll pin his hopes on the recruiting class they're bringing in. He'll be given at least a year to do that and show improvement, which seems like it will be easy to do after this year's mess.
On BTN last week did a good comparison with this N'Western team and the Iowa 12-13' squad. Like Iowa that year one thing killing them is their non conference was very very weak and few big conference teams they played were cellar dwellers like Mizzou and Depaul. As they said on BTN how they do against Sparty, Purdue, Maryland and now Iowa will be a big factor for them making a case with some resume wins and being above .500 in conference.
Gophers sink to a remarkable depth vs. Huskers
A reshuffled, younger lineup did little to spark the Gophers offense.
By Amelia Rayno Star Tribune
JANUARY 13, 2016 — 6:45AM
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-sink-to-a-remarkable-depth-vs-huskers/365086091/#1
LINCOLN, NEB. – One game after the Gophers suffered their worst-ever home loss to Northwestern, coach Richard Pitino switched up the starting lineup at Nebraska, benching his two seniors in favor of an all-freshman and sophomore first five.
But new look or not, Minnesota had no answers once again at Pinnacle Bank Arena, disintegrating in an 84-59 loss to Nebraska, matching last year’s 0-5 start to Big Ten play. The defeat was the Gophers’ sixth in a row and their ninth in the past 10 games. Minnesota, which never had started back-to-back conference schedules with five losses, has dropped its past two games by a total of 50 points.
As the clock ran out on the Gophers’ final possession — in a game in which they trailed by 30 or more points for nearly 12 minutes of the second half — the players dropped the ball, ignoring a shot-clock violation before the buzzer.
Afterward, Pitino called the team “extremely unconfident” and said the Gophers’ offensive, defensive and rebounding struggles are the “recipe to lose a lot of games.”
“We’ve got a real problem with communication,” he said. “That’s why I went with that lineup … that lineup is the most connected.”
Freshman Jordan Murphy said he saw teammates hanging their heads early.
“I think a lot of people are just in their own heads right now,” he said. “We’re not really confident in ourselves, and we need to get that back somehow … I don’t know what it is. It’s a very confusing situation we have.”
Murphy was part of momentary spark of energy at the game’s start — when seniors Joey King and Carlos Morris sat and freshmen Ahmad Gilbert and Dupree McBrayer entered the lineup — but that evaporated as soon as Nebraska pushed back.
After the Gophers (6-11 overall) got out to an 8-4 lead, Nebraska (10-8, 2-3 Big Ten) began hitting shots and Minnesota crumbled. Plowing through the Gophers’ zone defense, the Huskers reeled off a 29-4 run to seize a 33-12 lead as Minnesota stumbled over the very basics.
The Gophers committed nine turnovers in the first 12:40, some from throwing the ball out of bounds or falling on the court. With just more than five minutes before halftime, four starters had two fouls.
“We had a segment of falling down, air balls, turnovers and it was like ‘What’s going on here, guys?’ ” Pitino said. “We tried to get them to regroup, but it’s hard.”
For the second consecutive game, the Gophers were buried before halftime, when they trailed 47-26. The 47 points were the most Nebraska had scored in a half in a conference game since 2002. The Huskers have won their past four home games against Minnesota.
Murphy had a bounce-back game after returning to his natural power forward position, but there were few brights spots aside from his 12-point, eight-rebound performance. The rest of the team combined to shoot only 15-for-41 from the field.
The Gophers managed only seven assists on 21 field goals, went 3-for-17 from three-point range and were outrebounded 40-22.
Nebraska continued its surge off the dribble in the second half. Pitino called a timeout with 9:17 to go and the Gophers trailing 76-40, but Jack McVeigh brought the Huskers’ advantage to 38 — their greatest of the night — with a layup, but Minnesota went on a 19-6 finishing run with Nebraska’s starters all on the bench.
“It stopped the bleeding,” Pitino said. “You’ve got to stop the bleeding — try to.”
A reshuffled, younger lineup did little to spark the Gophers offense.
By Amelia Rayno Star Tribune
JANUARY 13, 2016 — 6:45AM
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-sink-to-a-remarkable-depth-vs-huskers/365086091/#1
LINCOLN, NEB. – One game after the Gophers suffered their worst-ever home loss to Northwestern, coach Richard Pitino switched up the starting lineup at Nebraska, benching his two seniors in favor of an all-freshman and sophomore first five.
But new look or not, Minnesota had no answers once again at Pinnacle Bank Arena, disintegrating in an 84-59 loss to Nebraska, matching last year’s 0-5 start to Big Ten play. The defeat was the Gophers’ sixth in a row and their ninth in the past 10 games. Minnesota, which never had started back-to-back conference schedules with five losses, has dropped its past two games by a total of 50 points.
As the clock ran out on the Gophers’ final possession — in a game in which they trailed by 30 or more points for nearly 12 minutes of the second half — the players dropped the ball, ignoring a shot-clock violation before the buzzer.
Afterward, Pitino called the team “extremely unconfident” and said the Gophers’ offensive, defensive and rebounding struggles are the “recipe to lose a lot of games.”
“We’ve got a real problem with communication,” he said. “That’s why I went with that lineup … that lineup is the most connected.”
Freshman Jordan Murphy said he saw teammates hanging their heads early.
“I think a lot of people are just in their own heads right now,” he said. “We’re not really confident in ourselves, and we need to get that back somehow … I don’t know what it is. It’s a very confusing situation we have.”
Murphy was part of momentary spark of energy at the game’s start — when seniors Joey King and Carlos Morris sat and freshmen Ahmad Gilbert and Dupree McBrayer entered the lineup — but that evaporated as soon as Nebraska pushed back.
After the Gophers (6-11 overall) got out to an 8-4 lead, Nebraska (10-8, 2-3 Big Ten) began hitting shots and Minnesota crumbled. Plowing through the Gophers’ zone defense, the Huskers reeled off a 29-4 run to seize a 33-12 lead as Minnesota stumbled over the very basics.
The Gophers committed nine turnovers in the first 12:40, some from throwing the ball out of bounds or falling on the court. With just more than five minutes before halftime, four starters had two fouls.
“We had a segment of falling down, air balls, turnovers and it was like ‘What’s going on here, guys?’ ” Pitino said. “We tried to get them to regroup, but it’s hard.”
For the second consecutive game, the Gophers were buried before halftime, when they trailed 47-26. The 47 points were the most Nebraska had scored in a half in a conference game since 2002. The Huskers have won their past four home games against Minnesota.
Murphy had a bounce-back game after returning to his natural power forward position, but there were few brights spots aside from his 12-point, eight-rebound performance. The rest of the team combined to shoot only 15-for-41 from the field.
The Gophers managed only seven assists on 21 field goals, went 3-for-17 from three-point range and were outrebounded 40-22.
Nebraska continued its surge off the dribble in the second half. Pitino called a timeout with 9:17 to go and the Gophers trailing 76-40, but Jack McVeigh brought the Huskers’ advantage to 38 — their greatest of the night — with a layup, but Minnesota went on a 19-6 finishing run with Nebraska’s starters all on the bench.
“It stopped the bleeding,” Pitino said. “You’ve got to stop the bleeding — try to.”
Minny is a very bad team this year. Last year, they should have had a better record than they did, and lost a lot of close games. Jr better at least get the team playing respectable BB, or he could have a hard time staying... I hope he keeps his job for at least a few more years.
yeah, its pretty bad to be down by 38 and the only reason MN got it down to 25 is because Nebby put in their reserves vs MN's starters
There will be a LOT of pressure to put Nortwestern in the NCAAs for the first time. Especially with Dukie Collins coaching. I'm not sure how good their "signature win" will have to be, but the bar will be low.
