The Minnesota Golden Gophers won the last game they played last season. They’re going to have a very hard time duplicating that feat this season, but they probably don’t want to, either.
2013-14 Recap
The Golden Gophers had made the NCAA tournament in 2013 under previous head coach Tubby Smith, but they had been ranked in the top 15 in the country and then spiraled downward late in the season to fall to a No. 11 seed, far lower than the talent level on the roster.
In the 2013-2014 season, the Golden Gophers struggled in the Big Ten, much as they had the year before, but there was no real surge at the start of the season in non-conference play. So, the Gophers missed the NCAA tournament entirely, a definite disappointment for first-year head coach Richard Pitino, the son of Louisville coach and college basketball icon Rick Pitino.
What killed the Gophers last season was a lack of low-post scoring. Center Elliott Eliason just filled space in the middle for Minnesota, averaging only five points and nearly seven rebounds per game. Power forward Maurice Walker carried a little too much weight at times. He looked slow and not very fluid in the post. He averaged little more than Eliason did as a scorer, 7.8 points, and was actually worse on the glass, checking in at 4.5 rebounds per game.
Minnesota simply got nothing from the center and power forward positions, meaning that it was having to get almost all of its production from the wings and the point in every game. This created a fundamental imbalance on the team and led to a number of low-scoring games that the Gophers were unable to win. A home-court loss to Northwestern (55-54) and a 64-46 loss to Ohio State illustrated the Gophers’ problems. A 62-49 loss at home to Illinois proved to be a killer in terms of NCAA tournament hopes.
This team had an offense that bogged down far too much, and since so much pressure was placed on the guards to initiate the offense and get the team into a good halfcourt set, it needed a dominant point guard, but it lacked one, and this has been a recurring problem for Minnesota dating back to the Tubby Smith era.
The Golden Gophers averaged 17.2 turnovers last season, next to last in the Big Ten (out of 12 teams, with Maryland and Rutgers creating a 14-team league this upcoming season). All those wasted possessions were too much for this team to overcome.
The lack of forceful low-post players led to a deficit on the boards as well. Minnesota’s rebounding percentage of 49.4 rated ninth in the Big Ten and 249th out of 351 teams in Division I-A. Minnesota’s two-point field goal percentage defense, also a product of mediocre play from big men, was ninth in the Big Ten (47.1 percent allowed on twos).
By the end, the Gophers at least earned some consolation when they beat SMU in the NIT finals.
Offseason Changes
There aren’t that many changes in the starting lineup, with four of five starters returning. Only Austin Hollins departs. Andre Hollins, Joey King, Walker, and Deandre Mathieu are all back. Mathieu will be expected to be the point guard. He’s quick, but he did not make good decisions for much of last season. He’ll just have to be a much more intelligent player for this team. Eliason is also someone that will have to improve. It will be interesting to see how he has developed his game in the offseason. Charles Buggs had an occasional big game for Minnesota off the bench last season, but he now has to learn how to be a consistent contributor.
Projected Finish
The Golden Gophers seem stuck in a Groundhog Day loop in which they finish around 8-10 or 9-9 in the Big Ten and are on the NCAA tournament bubble. They have some talent, but are not equipped with resources in the paint. Expect Minnesota to be right around the bubble once again, with just enough to make the tournament this time.
Pick: Eighth In Big Ten, Round Of 64 In The NCAA Tournament
