Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball

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That quote right there is a comment from Bsquared-2 on a blog post from Gary Parrish.

The post is about Tubby Smith's decision to not hold an Elite Camp at Minnesota this summer. If you don't know what an Elite Camp is, read this.

Essentially, this is how it works. A school will host a basketball camp during the summer with the sole intention of getting the top 10 or 20 or 50 kids they are recruiting onto their campus. They then pay the recruit's AAU coach, father, brother, or someone else with influence over the recruit a large sum of money to come speak at or work the camp. The understanding is that some of that money goes into the pocket of the person of influence (usually the AAU coach), while some of that money is to be used to assure that the player can get on campus for the camp.

How else would 16- and 17-year-old kids be able to afford to fly all over the country during the summer?

The craziest part of this is that all of it is perfectly legal. The NCAA cannot regulate who the school hires for its camps, the same way it cannot regulate who the school hires as a coach. Furthermore, they cannot regulate how much the school pays these "employees" so long as they are relatively similar across the board (i.e. if UConn hires both myself and Brandon Knight's AAU coach to work their Elite Camp, we both better be making $1,000, or $3,000, or whatever it is the Huskies staff decides to pay).

$3,000 minus travel expenses does not sound like a huge payday, until you consider the fact that each school can hire these guys multiple times during the summer. If an AAU coach works two camps each at ten different schools recruiting one of his players, that is a quick $60,000 into that coach's pocket (and God knows how much into the player's pocket).

But, again, this is all legal.

And everyone does it.

It is part of what makes a great basketball coach: Finding the loopholes in the rules that allow you to throw a little money around and get the top recruits and their families/inner circles onto your campus.

Like it or not, this is how recruiting at the big-time programs work. It is how you land players that will win you national titles.

And Tubby Smith doesn't believe in it. After running Elite Camps in his first two summers at Minnesota (the 2007 Elite Camp he ran at Minnesota was his first—he said he never had one at Kentucky), Smith and the Gophers will not be hosting any this summer. From the Big Ten Network:

"There's been some concerns as coaches with kids that are traveling that far for a day or two-day elite camp. We don't want anything to suggest that there's any type of (wrongdoing). But I think the best way to be is to be a guy that says we're going to do it this other way (to host only day, overnight and team camps). An elite camp is legal. I think guys are doing the right things, but there are some things that can look like they're not, so you have to be real careful."

While it may not be the smartest decision given the nature of his profession, it is quite a noble gesture.

And one of the reasons he was run out of Lexington.

Which brings me to Bsquared-2's point.

All told, Tubby did not have a bad run while at the helm of the Wildcats. But he was not landing blue-chip recruits. As we have said so many times on this blog, successful recruiting is the biggest key to a successful program. Since he wasn't landing the cream of the recruiting crop on a consistent basis, he was not hanging banners which is, when it comes down to it, what they care about in Big Blue Nation.

Tubby will continue to nobly run his Minnesota program, and, as he did at Kentucky, he will continue to compete atop the conference and make NCAA Tournaments, with an occasional Sweet 16 or Elite 8 run mixed in. Those results are perfectly OK at a school like Minnesota.

But they are not at a school like Kentucky.

As Bsquared-2 so aptly put it, "This is why Tubby don't work in Kentucky no more".

Luckily for Tubby, this is not Kentucky country where an NIT and first-round exit in the coach's first two years can put him on the hot seat.

While Minnesota went from winning 16 of their first 17 games to losing 10 of their next 16 to finish only a slightly above-average 22-11 (9-9 in Big Ten), Golden Gopher fans should have nothing to worry about. This is even after a first-round exit, thanks to Texas, that ended a season where it looked like there was so much promise for the Gophers after a 70-64 win over Louisville in late December.

Yes, they nearly gave away their NCAA tournament bid to teams like Penn State and Northwestern down the stretch. Being outplayed by Michigan State twice, and also being swept by a bubble-bound Michigan team didn't help their seeding in the NCAA Tournament either. Winning 42 games in two seasons after an ugly 9-22 record during the 2006-2007 season, however, should have Gophers fans optimistic for the future.

Now that Tubby has the Gophers on the winning track again, it's time for the rest of the Gophers squad to build on 2009's success. Here are five factors that could take the Gophers from a bubble team to a Big Ten Championship contender.

1. Ralph Sampson III -Sampson III has a higher ceiling than any of the other big men (Iverson and Paul Carter) that were first recruited by Tubby last year. Sampson III was a project coming into his first year, but him, Damian Johnson and Colton Iverson helped alter hundreds of opponent's shots around the hoop. Now that Sampson III has a full year under his belt, expect his offense to expand, his lanky frame to add some muscle, and his defense to lead to less foul trouble.

2. Devoe Joseph -Joseph showed flashes towards the end of the season of being a reliable scorer. Whether it will be from off the bench as a spark plug or replacing Al Nolen at the point guard position is yet to be determined. His offense is desperately needed though, as this Gopher's squad relies heavily on their defense to give them extra possessions because of there lack of polished offensive players beyond Lawrence Westbrook.

Like Ralph Sampson III, this was Joseph's first year as a collegiate player and will make great progress over the summer and into next winter.

3. Blake Hoffarber and Al Nolen -The Gopher's flop in the last half of the season was mostly because of Hoffarber and Nolen's season-long shooting slumps. Both players struggled mightily on offense as the season progressed. They were huge in the Gopher's win over Louisville early in the season but both have also tailed off since then, especially in Big Ten play.

Nolen shot only 32.7 percent from the field against conference foes. This doesn't let Hoffarber off the hook, however. As a 3-point specialist, he would get an F for his contributions this year as he shot just 26 percent from beyond the arc.

If Hoffarber's and Nolen's offense can catch up to their defenses, Westbrook should be relieved of the pressure to put up around 15 points a night for a team that spreads around the scoring. Also look for the court to be stretched and defenses to be more hesitant to double in the paint if Hoffarber gets out of his shooting slums.

4. Royce White - White's a 5-star prospect and a homegrown stud that Tubby made sure to keep in maroon and gold. With an already polished offensive game, White's 6'7", 210-pound frame will allow him to play inside and out. His defense is not nearly as complete as his offense, but Tubby's pressure-defense approach will surely help him become a well-rounded freshman.

Expect White to average close to 10+ points per game and open up shots for 3-point snipers Devoe Joseph and Blake Hoffarber. Royce White's (as well as other homegrown recruit Rodney Williams Jr) athleticism will help add a new dimension to the Gopher's defense and offense.

5. Replacing Jonathan Williams and Jamal Abu-Shamala - These two players won't return for the 2009-2010 season due to seniority, but both will be replaced right from the get-go. Neither played significant minutes nor made a major impact during the season as both combined for only 141 points and 30 rebounds over 33 games. 

Expect Jonathan Williams to be replaced with a more effective post in Trevor Mbakwe. Mbakwe, a 6'7" post originally from the Twin Cities area, has the athleticism and agressiveness in the paint to contribute with rebounding and effective inside defense.

He should help the Gophers off the bench, or, depending on how much he has progressed at Miami Dade, possibly contribute while in the starting lineup. Mbakwe was a highly recruited, 4-star post out of St. Bernard's High School but has yet to find his role at a Division I program.

Jamal Abu-Shamala contributed a majority of the 141 points between him and Jonathan Williams. Incoming recruits Rodney Williams Jr. and Royce White will replace Abu-Shamala, and also steal a few minutes each from the rest of the Gopher's squad. Both will be adding even more depth to an already exceptionally deep team next year.

2010 Prediction

23+ wins

Top five in Big Ten

6th seed at worst in NCAA Tournament

GREENSBORO, N.C.—All season long the Texas Longhorns have been searching for an identity on offense. 

Tonight they found one: A.J. Abrams.

The Texas sharpshooter sunk eight threes and totaled 26 points as he lifted Texas to a 76-62 victory over the 10th-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  It was the fifth straight opening-round victory for the Longhorns.

Texas effectively worked the inside-outside game, stretching the floor with Abrams' hot perimeter shooting and big man Dexter Pittman's overwhelming presence in the paint.  The junior center finished with yet another double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with his 17 points.

Freshman guard Varez Ward produced rather modest numbers but played a key role in pushing the tempo in favor of the Longhorns.  Damion James added 18 points and nine rebounds.

The Golden Gophers were crushed on the boards by their burnt orange-clad opponents, 40-29, and were outclassed from behind the arc as the Longhorns hit 11 of 20 from three-point range to Minnesota's four of 13.

However, Minnesota made things interesting early on, going up 13-3 after capitalizing on some quick Texas turnovers.  The Gophers went into the break down by only five. 

Minnesota was able to keep up with the Longhorns well into the second half due to a big game from Lawrence Westbrook.  The junior guard finished eight of 14, for 19 points. 

Minnesota was close on Texas' heals until Abrams knocked down three straight three-pointers in a minute-and-a-half, stretching the Longhorns' lead to 59-44 with about 10 minutes left to play.  The Longhorns have struggled to get Abrams good looks as of late, but that issue was resolved against a beleaguered Minnesota defense. 

Tubby Smith's club started their season off with a bang, winning 15 of their first 16 games.  However, the Golden Gophers faded down the stretch, losing 10 of their last 16.

The 2008-2009 season has been somewhat of an enigma as far as Texas goes.  The Longhorns scored some quality wins, beating UCLA and Oklahoma at home, Villanova on a neutral court, and Wisconsin on the road.  Since early January, however, the Longhorns have stumbled to a 10-8 record, including a loss to Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament.

With the win over Minnesota, the Longhorns advance to a second-round date with the No. 2-seeded Duke Blue Devils.  Mike Krzyzewski's team is fresh off a win in the ACC title game over Florida State.

Head coach Rick Barnes has led his Longhorns to 11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to the Sweet 16 five out of the last seven years.  Texas advanced twice to the Elite Eight—in 2005 and 2008—and once to the Final Four, in 2003.

It will likely take Barnes' best coaching job yet to get his Longhorns back to the Elite Eight and beyond in this year's tournament.

The Duke Blue Devils may play the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  Below is a position-by-position preview of that possible game.

Point Guard: Jon Scheyer (Duke) vs. Lawrence Westbrook (Minnesota)

Scheyer has excellent height for a point guard (6'5").  He also weighs as much as or a little more than most point guards.  Even though he's built more like a shooting guard, Scheyer's all-around offensive ability—he scores, shoots well, and spreads the ball around the floor—makes him a great point guard. 

Scheyer is also a solid perimeter defender who averages 1.5 steals per game.

Westbrook is a little shorter than your average point guard, but he makes up for that with extra muscle (he weighs 195 pounds).  The junior is by far Minnesota's top scorer, pouring in 12.4 points per game.  He isn't the best passer, but he also takes care of the ball, as he averages only two turnovers.

Westbrook is an average defender who can keep his man in front of him, but he doesn't make many plays.

Scheyer is a top, well-rounded player.  Westbrook is a strong offensive player, but he's not an asset by any means on offense.

Edge: Scheyer/Duke

Shooting Guard: Elliot Williams (Duke) vs. Al Nolen (Minnesota)

Williams' athleticism allows him to be competent defensively and on the glass.  And if he would start trying to slash to the basket instead of settling for low-percentage, outside shots, he would be adequate offensively, too.  But, as a freshman who only got into the starting lineup in the middle of the season, Williams has limited experience and hasn't yet learned to make better decisions with the ball.

Nolen scores, rebounds, and passes—he averages 6.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.  Plus, he takes care of the ball.  He's also a sound defender, as he gets 1.9 steals per contest.

Nolen is a better defender than Williams, and he also contributes to the Golden Gophers' offense much more than Williams helps out Duke's attack.

Edge: Nolen/Minnesota

Small Forward: Gerald Henderson (Duke) vs. Jamal Abu-Shamala (Minnesota)

Henderson scores, rebounds, handles the ball well, and defends.  He ranks second on the Blue Devils in points (16.6), rebounds (4.8), assists (2.5), and blocks (.8), and third in steals (1.3).  Additionally, he never gets into foul trouble.

Abu-Shamala keeps the offense moving as it should.  He's smart with the ball, as his .9 turnovers per game show, and he can shoot when called upon (he shoots 50.9 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range).  On defense he plays intelligently, as is evident from his .9 fouls per game.

While Abu-Shamala is efficient on offense and good enough on defense, Henderson is one of the stars on this perennial powerhouse Duke team. 

Edge: Henderson/Duke

Power Forward: Kyle Singler (Duke) vs. Damian Johnson (Minnesota)

Singler's most dangerous weapon is his jump shot.  Despite being a 6'8", 235-pound forward, he has great range and an accurate three-point shot.  Actually, his shot is the major reason for his 16.7 points per game. 

Singler is also Duke's best rebounder (7.7 per game), and he is a playmaker with the ball (2.5 assists to 2.4 turnovers per game—not good, but not bad for a big man).  Not to mention that he earns 1.6 steals and swats 1.1 shots each game.    

Johnson is Minnesota's second-most prolific scorer, as he tallies 9.7 points per game.  Additionally, he's a decent rebounder, pulling in 4.2 boards per contest.  Plus, he's a great ball handler who gives up the rock just 1.4 times per night.

It's worth noting that Johnson is the only guy I've seen so far in my research for these articles previewing NCAA Tournament games who averages two steals and two blocks per game.  That alone is the mark of a top defensive player.   

If anyone on any team that Duke might play in the East bracket can stop Singler, it's Johnson.  But Singler does have a substantial size advantage (6'8", 235 pounds to 6'7" and 195 pounds), so he should be able to create his own shot against Johnson.  However, Johnson also ought to be able to generate some offense of his own.  Still...

Edge: Singler/Duke

Center: Lance Thomas (Duke) vs. Ralph Sampson III (Minnesota)

Thomas' greatest strength is his ability to defend the ball with sound fundamental positioning both on the floor and in his defensive stance.  But he can get beat at times, and when he does he usually fouls his man, which is why Thomas averages 2.5 fouls per game. 

On the offensive end, Thomas can score when close to the basket, but he doesn't have much of a shooting touch.

Sampson scores and rebounds fairly well, at 6.4 points and 4.3 boards per game.  In addition, he handles the ball well for a big man, as he hardly ever turns the ball over.

It's surprising that Sampson doesn't score or rebound more, considering he's 6'11".  Maybe he needs more bulk (he's only 220 pounds).

Even though Sampson is basically a stick, he still has three inches on Thomas, and probably even more length.  Sampson should have his way with Thomas on both ends of the court. Off The Bench: 

Duke

Greg Paulus comes into the game when Duke needs a "shot in the arm".  He exudes energy that spreads to the rest of the team, and he also has a solid shot.

David McClure is the strongest Duke player you don't know about.  He rebounds, passes well, defends, and gives 100 percent every second he's in the game.

Brian Zoubek uses his 7'1", 310-pound frame to bring down offensive rebounds with ease, and then put the ball back for easy second-chance points.  Or, if he gets fouled, he'll just sink two free throws—Zoubek is surprisingly good at the charity stripe for someone so big.  Or maybe Shaq has just developed a negative stereotype for big guys not being able to shoot free throws...

Nolan Smith has Scheyer's shooting ability, but he can also defend and provide a quicker cover for the opposing point guard when Scheyer comes out of the game.

Minnesota

Colton Iverson rebounds (3.5 boards per game), scores (5.5 points per game), and blocks shots (1.4 per game) in a limited role.

Paul Carter does the same thing, leave the blocked shots.

Edge: Duke.  They have more depth.

Duke wins three positions, and their bench is also better.  In addition, they've played a tougher schedule that figures to have prepared them better for postseason play.

UPDATE: Washington Post gives both Tubby Smith and Jeff Capel as potential targets.

In a rather shocking move, Virginia men's basketball coach Dave Leitao has resigned from his position after four years at the helm.

Virginia was coming off a season to forget at 10-18, Virginia's lowest win total in nearly 40 years.

Nevertheless, with a returning cadre of players including ACC Rookie of the Year Sylven Landesberg, it seemed a moot point that Leitao would get one more year.

Leitao was the 2007 ACC Coach of the Year, leading Virginia to an 11-5 ACC record and a regular season ACC title. That year ended with a second-round tournament loss at the buzzer to Tennessee.

However, since then, Virginia has finished 10th and 11th in the ACC. Leitao leaves Virginia with a 63-60 overall record.

With such a move, it seems that Athletic Director Craig Littlepage would not act so swiftly unless he already had a replacement in mind for the Cavaliers.

The Daily Progress reported earlier that one potential candidate was also a candidate the last time Virginia went searching for a coach, Minnesota's Tubby Smith.

Smith, according to reports, had an offer on the table back in 2005 before that plan was rejected by University President John Casteen.

Would Smith leave a team he had built into an NCAA tournament team to head into the fray in the ACC?

Is there a sleeper candidate hiding?

Tell me what you think! More on this later.

The Michigan State Spartans advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament today with a win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

No. 7 Michigan State was led by Chris Allen, who put up 17 points off the bench.

Now 26-5, the Spartans increased their hopes for a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament but will have to beat the winner of the Ohio State-Wisconsin game before thinking number one.

Kalin Lucas, who was Big Ten player of the year, added 12 points and three assists, while Marquise Gray had 11 points.

The Gophers were led by Damian Johnson, who put up 19 points and grabbed four rebounds.

Minnesota rallied towards the end after hitting a pair of free throws to trip Michigan State's lead to 58-46. Colton Iverson then made a layup and Paul Carter added a three-pointer.

Johnson then scooped up a turnover by Lucas and made a layup to bring the Gophers within five, 58-53.

But Michigan State hit six free throws late to secure the win.

Early in the second half, the Spartans took control of the game. Raymar Morgan opened the half with an alley-oop, and Goran Suton made two close-up baskets.

On their next possession, Spartans guard Travis Walton ran up the court and threw the ball to Durrell Summers, who threw in a one-handed dunk.

Devron Bostick of Minnesota hit a jumper, and then a dunk by Johnson made the score 46-40 with 10:25 to go.

But after that it took the Gophers another six minutes to make a bucket, which allowed Michigan State to make the lead double digits.

Johnson finally made a three, making the game 54-46 with 4:47 left.

But the Spartans held the Gophers down until Iverson hit a layup.

INDIANAPOLIS-- The experts called it an elimination game.  Both Northwestern and Minnesota knew the stakes. A loss today in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament would extinguish whatever hopes the teams had of snaring an NCAA at-large berth on Selection Sunday.

Or as Lawrence Westbrook frankly put it, “I’m not gonna lie, we watch TV.  It was a big game for us to win today.  If we just keep doing that, I think our fate's in our own hands."

And no one can accuse Westbrook of not doing his part to ensure a Big Dance invitation for his Gophers.

Although scoreless at halftime, the junior guard exploded for a team-high 14 points after intermission to propel Minnesota to a hard-fought 66-53 win over Northwestern Thursday afternoon.

Both squads seemed a little jittery as the tournament kicked off.  Badly missed three-pointers, butterfingers, and loose balls galore defined the first ten minutes of the contest. 

Westbrook admitted to playing a little tentative early, but also said that he “didn’t want to come out and force anything; I just tried to let the game come to me.”

The Gophers overcame a poor first-half defensive effort that saw Northwestern star Kevin Coble rack up 19 points, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer to pull the Wildcats within six points at the break.

According to coach Tubby Smith, stopping Coble was the topic of halftime. 

Big shocker there.

When a Big Ten player scores 19 points in a game, it’s a remarkable achievement.  When it’s 19 points in a half, serious corrections are needed.  And Smith’s players responded.

“They [the players] took it to heart and decided to do a better job defensively,”  an exhausted and pleased Smith said after the game.  “We were able to run them off the three-point line and chase them more.”

A great deal of credit for the improved Gopher defense goes to Ralph Sampson’s team-high five blocked shots. Minnesota swatted away eleven field goal attempts in all, and as a result, Northwestern struggled to manufacture quality offensive possessions—especially in the second half.  The Wildcats finished 32.7% from the floor, while Minnesota checked in at 43.8%.

Despite not finding much success inside, ninth-seeded Northwestern, a team that has overachieved all season, wasn’t about to go away quietly.  After trailing almost the entire way, the resilient Wildcats battled back to grab a 49-47 lead, their only advantage of the second half.

Smith credited his team for staying poised down the stretch: “I never saw that panic in their eyes”.  Whenever Minnesota need a hoop late, Westbrook delivered, and the Gophers really buckled down on the defensive end, holding Northwestern without a point for over seven minutes to reclaim momentum (and ultimately victory).

When the dust had settled, the Gophers had advanced--and earned a date in the quarterfinals Friday against No. 1 seed Michigan State. The Spartans embarrassed their visitors when the teams met last month, posting a lopsided 76-47 win. Smith is confident that his team has improved, although he added that, “Michigan State has improved since then too.  We'll have to play a better game than we did today.”

So what’s the verdict from Indianapolis?  Are the Gophers safely on the good side of the bubble?  Or might another beatdown from the Spartans tomorrow send Minnesota right back to a state of perpetual worry as Selection Sunday looms?

Tubby Smith's team has 22 wins--and counting.  Most experts think that’s enough to send Minnesota dancing.  After the game, Smith was asked about those predictions, and his answer was straightforward and simple:

“I hope they’re right!”

In Indianapolis this weekend, there’s a lot of gritty, hard-fought basketball going on—and yes, a lot of hoping too.

Well, it's tourney time once again. As we all know, selection Sunday is five days away and I want to state the case for and against my Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Now, my second favorite team in college basketball, the UNC Tar Heels, are already in and I think, will win the whole thing. Putting that aside, let's delve into the arguments for and against the Gophers.

Reasons for Minnesota Golden Gophers to be in the field of 65:

1. I think their strongest reason is if you look at their losses, they really don't have a bad loss. They lost to: Michigan State (2), @ Illinois, Purdue, @ Penn State, @ Northwestern, Michigan (2) and @ Ohio State.

All of these teams, except maybe Northwestern, should make it into the NCAA tourney. Considering they swept Wisconsin (who most people think is in), beat Illinois, Penn State, Ohio State and murdered Northwestern at home, it's hard to argue they had a bad loss.

2. They beat the Big East champs. Now, I constantly hear excuses that "Louisville had to fly out to the west coast in a 48-hour period, blah blah blah." Did they (Louisville) not schedule these games so close together?

Were there any excuses about how tired Louisville was before that game started? I think people need to really get passed that and realize that the Gophers beat the Big East champions and really locked them down.

3. Over the last couple weeks, they have actually improved. Ralph Sampson is looking like he will be a monster on the inside and the fact that the guards are FINALLY looking to them inside makes them dangerous.

Plus, if you look at their losses, only in two or three games were they really manhandled. Their defense will keep them in any game against the majority of the field of 65.

4. Frankly, they are one of the best 65 teams in the country. They played in the 2nd hardest conference in the NCAA this season without any seniors who saw significant minutes.

They are a very young team and to finish 9-9 in a tough conference is pretty good. Keep in mind, other than Michigan St. and Purdue, all of the next six teams can beat each other on any given night.

Arguments against the Gophers getting into the field of 65:

1. The major argument is how they finished the season. They finished the season 3-6 and were not playing very good basketball. They barely were able to beat Wisconsin and they lost a double digit lead to Michigan on senior night at home.

2. Looking at the tournament, do the Gophers really have a chance to win a game? This is a team that has no real offensive identity. Their guards are not very good shooters, they don't utilize their dramatic size advantage they have over almost everyone and they don't have a go-to scorer. Frankly, people might consider this Gopher team an extremely boring watch.

3. They finished eighth in the Big 10. Is the Big 10 really good enough to get eight teams in? Yes, the conference is very deep and beat up on one another but the Gophers also had six games against the bottom feeders in the Big 10. So counting out their wins, they were only 4-8 against the rest of the conference and only had to play Purdue once.

4. Frankly, there are other better teams to choose from. Could the Gophers, on a neutral court, beat a team like Florida, Kentucky or St. Marys? If the answer to this question is no, then these teams should get in instead because they would provide more competitive competition.

My opinion:

I think the Gophers will need to at least beat Northwestern and then be competitive against whomever they would play in the 2nd round. If they trounce Northwestern and then play someone like..Purdue and lose by five, I think it will show they are a competitive team and will get them in.

I think if they get to the semi-finals or beyond, they are locks for the tourney. It will all depend on the type of basketball they play and how good they look. If they play well and lose, I think they are in. If they play awful, I think the committee will look elsewhere.

Also, I have a fantasy baseball draft coming up in a couple weeks and am looking for any comments on strategies that people have found helpful for building a quality team. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks.

Also, thought I'd throw in a totally beautiful girl as my picture, just because. Enjoy :)

Anthony

No. 8 Minnesota (21-9, 9-9) vs. No. 9 Northwestern (17-12, 5-10)

Line: Minnesota -2

Minnesota dropped to the eighth seed for the Big Ten tournament after a 64-67 home loss to Michigan on Saturday. Minnesota out rebounded the Wolverines 25 to 11 and shot 55 percent from the floor but couldn’t score down the stretch. The Gophers scored just three field goals in the last thirteen minutes of the game. It appears Minnesota now needs a couple of wins in this tourney to make the NCAA bracket.

Northwestern finished their regular season with a 47-52 loss at Ohio State on Sunday. The Wildcats shot just 39 percent from the floor and managed just three trips to the free throw line. This will be the fifth game away from home out of the last six for Northwestern who finished the regular season in ninth place.

ATS

Northwestern is 14-11 against the spread, including 6-6 on the road

Minnesota is 12-13 against the spread, including 4-7 on the road

These two teams split their season series with each winning at home, with the Minnesota victory having the highest margin. 

I like Northwestern play away from home over the second half of the season compared to Minnesota. Northwestern has more offensive weapons to go to when the offense slows down. As we saw against Michigan, Minnesota doesn’t have multiple options to go to for a much needed basket down the stretch.

Dave’s Pick: Northwestern +2

See dozens of more free picks at cbbplace.com.

One of the biggest games in Michigan Basketball history in recent years happened when the Wolverines took on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Big Ten clash with major NCAA tournament implications. 

Both teams on the bubble looking for a quality victory against a fellow bubble team.  Michigan looking for their third road win of the season stumbled in their past two away games, losing to Iowa in overtime and by five points to Wisconsin. 

The Gophers were coming off a home victory against the same Wisconsin team the Wolverines had just lost to.

Minnesota got off to a great start in the first half leading by as many as nine points, but the Wolverines kept hanging on cutting the lead to as little as one and trailed by merely three points at halftime. 

The Gophers regrouped early in the second half and were leading by as many as 12 points with about 13 minutes left in regulation.  The Wolverines were desperate for some offense and so they inserted Laval Lucas Perry halfway through the second half and he began to connect from beyond the arc as Michigan climbed their way back into the ball game.

One of the major signs that this game was turning towards Michigan's favor was when they cut the lead to seven and Minnesota had the ball.

The Gophers missed a shot with nine minutes on the game clock and with 8:59 on the clock they got a new possession and a new shot clock, which promptly stopped and didn't restart until ten seconds later. 

Then at 8:34 referee Ed Hightower realized that there was something wrong, and stopped the game.  He and the other officials realized their might be a shot clock violation, but ruled that if Minnesota had seen the shot clock showing one instead of 11 they would have gotten a shot off. 

So they took six seconds off both the shot and game clock, Michigan forced a shot clock violation anyways and the Perry hit another three pointer to cut the lead to four. 

Perry finished the game with all 19 of the Wolverines bench points, but it was Deshawn Sims who siezed control of the game and became the hero with 24 points for the whole game. Down the stretch he made several shots that would eventually put Michigan in the lead.

62-60, before the Big Ten's leading scorer Manny Harris made a three pointer and later dished to Sims for what would turn out to be a dagger of a dunk. 

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith made a crucial error with 4.1 seconds left. Right as the ball was in the hands of the team's best shooter, Lawrence Westbrook, Smith called a timeout right before Westbrook launched what would have been a game-tying three pointer that would have almost certainly sent the game into overtime.

Instead when the Gophers inbounded the ball to Westbrook, he bobbled the ball and drew a triple team failing to get off a good shot attempt as time expired.  Michigan finally had their quality win.

The Gophers out rebounded the Wolverines 30-13 and shot 55 percent compared to 49 percent for Michigan. The telling statistic for why they lost the game was that they went 2-10 from beyond the arc, and their opponents went 9-22, which while far from perfect can be used to compensate for giving up a lot of two point baskets. 

Michigan coach John Beilein's system often emphasizes the long range shot and it is starting to really catch on in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines compensate for their lack of size.

As of Friday, on ESPN's bracketology Michigan was ranked as the second of the last four teams in the tournament as a 12 seed with Minnesota being solidly in as an eight seed.  Time will tell where this most recent classic will draw their fates in the upcoming March Madness.