Last night was the infamous Hawaiian Night basketball game at Southwest Minnesota State vs Winona State. It delivered one of the greatest basketball game I have ever seen in person. Let's start out with the atmosphere. The student section is always huge for the annual Hawaiian Night. With around 2000 drunk college students, the home court advantage was at a max. Before tip off, chants such as, U.S.A. and We Aren't That Drunk provide a preview for how crazy this student section would be. Not to mention the whole student section started singing the National Anthem faster than the singer. The first half was a fairly even battle between the two teams. With SMSU utilizing their inside game to their advantage (0-8 from 3 point range) and Winona State shooting only 4-15 from three point range, the Mustangs went into halftime with a 6 point lead. It also helped that the Mustangs shut down Winona State's Anthony Tucker as he went 0-5 in the first half. Tucker used to play basketball at Iowa. He averaged over 10 points a game his freshman year, but he had a couple alcohol violations that got him suspended and eventually transfering. With a group of guys in the student section familiar with his history, they started the chant "Alcoholic" several times after he scored. The second half got underway and it was more of the same. The student section died down in the second half. The students lost their focus and half of them didn't even know there was a game going on. We kept the battle going. The Mustangs were running out of steam fast and the Warriors were taking advantage. SMSU led by 12 at one point, but didn't make a single field goal in the last 7 minutes of the second half. With 1:22 left, up by nine, the Warriors make a remarkable comeback that no one saw coming. They ended up tying the game and a last second shot by Jordan Miller, Mike Miller's cousin, hitting the front of the rim and out. This game was headed to overtime. Nothing too exciting happening in OT. Tucker hits 2 threes to keep the Warriors in the game. A tightly guarded 3 point shot by the Warrior was short and the game was headed into double overtime. Although SMSU scored first, after that it was a game of catch up by the Mustangs. Having to resort to fouling with a minute left, the crowd could tell this game was over. The Warriors sunk their free throws when it mattered and pulled off an amazing comeback to beat the SMSU Mustangs on Hawaiian Night. I have to admit it was a well played game by the Warriors. Good teams find a way to win and they proved that they were never out of the game. They beat the Mustangs earlier in the season on a last second 3 point shot by Anthony Tucker. Although both teams played as hard as they could for all 50 minutes, the Warriors were the ones headed home with the victory. Although they didn't win, I was still impressed with how hard the Mustangs played. S-M-S-U, Go Mustangs!!!!
Other Notes:
-SMSU shot 3-16 in the overtimes
-Points in the paint, SMSU 40, WSU 24
-Second chance points, SMSU 11, WSU 22
-Fast break points, SMSU 12, WSU 2
-Lavione West, SMSU, missed 5 free throws in a row in the second half.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Preview: Gophers @ Boilermakers
Gametime: Saturday noon CST
TV: CBS
The gophers, riding a four game win streak, will have their first rematch with a Big Ten foe, travel to West Lafeyette, IN to take on Purdue. The boilermakers are coming off a game in Columbus in which they got absolutely run out of the building. Other than JaJuan Johnson, most other boiler, most notably senior E'Twaun Moore, continued to struggle from the field.
The gophers will once again be without senior leader Al Nolen. I was surprised in the Northwestern game in how much of the game Tubby had Iverson, Sampson III, and Mbakwe on the floor at the same time. Because Purdue is stronger inside than Northwestern, I see Chip and Maverick getting a few more minutes in this game. The gophers have a pretty impressive resume going into the game. With a record of 16-4 (5-3), an RPI of 23, and a couple quality non-conference wins, all the gophers are really missing is a marquee road victory. This is as good an opportunity as they're going to get.
For a recap of the Minnesota/Purdue game earlier in the month follow this link.
TV: CBS
The gophers, riding a four game win streak, will have their first rematch with a Big Ten foe, travel to West Lafeyette, IN to take on Purdue. The boilermakers are coming off a game in Columbus in which they got absolutely run out of the building. Other than JaJuan Johnson, most other boiler, most notably senior E'Twaun Moore, continued to struggle from the field.
The gophers will once again be without senior leader Al Nolen. I was surprised in the Northwestern game in how much of the game Tubby had Iverson, Sampson III, and Mbakwe on the floor at the same time. Because Purdue is stronger inside than Northwestern, I see Chip and Maverick getting a few more minutes in this game. The gophers have a pretty impressive resume going into the game. With a record of 16-4 (5-3), an RPI of 23, and a couple quality non-conference wins, all the gophers are really missing is a marquee road victory. This is as good an opportunity as they're going to get.
For a recap of the Minnesota/Purdue game earlier in the month follow this link.
Monday, January 24, 2011
A New Week Brings a New Disaster For Gopher Basketball Team
This morning, the Star Tribune has reported that senior point guard Al Nolen sustained a broken right foot in Saturday's victory in Ann Arbor. He is expected to be out for four weeks or more (and possibly not putting on a gopher uniform again). Just when gopher fans thought we could put everything that has happened this season behind us and move forward, we lose arguably our most important player. Unlike last year, we no longer have a reliable alternative to take over for Al's absence due to Devoe Joseph's inability to understand the concept that there is no "I" in TEAM. This brings the number of scholarship players on the gopher's roster to a measly 8.
As a result of this, the pressure will be on freshmen guards Maverick Ahanmisi and Chip Armelin. This is kind of ironic, because going into the season, these were the two recruits that were considered afterthoughts, and some fans questioned Tubby in giving them a D1 scholarship. Thank God Tubby has given them some descent playing time early in the season, as they must rise to the occasion in order for us to remain competitive in the Big Ten race. I expect to basically see a rotation of Blake and Mav at the point and a rotation of Chip, Blake, and Hollins at the 2. Tubby could conceivably have Chip play a little point guard as well. Blake will likely have to play 38-40 minutes from here on out.
In the Michigan game, the gophers did not see a drop in overall production in the second half when Nolen went out. However, in the long term I am concerned with how Blake will hold up playing so many minutes from here on out. Also, Al seemed to have a knack for making key buckets/defensive plays when we really needed them (especially in the North Carolina and Purdue games). I am just worried of what is going to happen when we rely on our freshmen in some of these key situations.
Get well soon Al and beat Northwestern!
As a result of this, the pressure will be on freshmen guards Maverick Ahanmisi and Chip Armelin. This is kind of ironic, because going into the season, these were the two recruits that were considered afterthoughts, and some fans questioned Tubby in giving them a D1 scholarship. Thank God Tubby has given them some descent playing time early in the season, as they must rise to the occasion in order for us to remain competitive in the Big Ten race. I expect to basically see a rotation of Blake and Mav at the point and a rotation of Chip, Blake, and Hollins at the 2. Tubby could conceivably have Chip play a little point guard as well. Blake will likely have to play 38-40 minutes from here on out.
In the Michigan game, the gophers did not see a drop in overall production in the second half when Nolen went out. However, in the long term I am concerned with how Blake will hold up playing so many minutes from here on out. Also, Al seemed to have a knack for making key buckets/defensive plays when we really needed them (especially in the North Carolina and Purdue games). I am just worried of what is going to happen when we rely on our freshmen in some of these key situations.
Get well soon Al and beat Northwestern!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Thoughts From the Michigan Game
- The biggest storyline from this game is Al Nolen's injury. I have not found any reputable source that gives us a timetable for his return, but I expect it to be several games. At halftime, when it was announced he wouldn't be returning, I was very worried about winning the game. However, the Hoff/Mav platoon at PG seemed to work out nicely. Maverick seemed to rise to the challenge and even on the play he got called for the charge I liked his aggressiveness in going to the basket. With that being said, I am still more comfortable with Blake playing point and Chip at the 2.
- After a rough first few minutes for the bigs, they really came around late in the game, especially after Al went out. It was good to see Ralph among the leading scorers and the rebounding margin 38-13 gophers speaks for itself.
-Rodney finally shot his threes with confidence and he went 2-3. If he can can be somewhat consistent from three that just makes him that much more dangerous.
-You're going to win alot of games when you shoot 63% from the field. This had alot to do with our superior size and athleticism translating to easy buckets.
-35 of Michigan's 53 shot attempts were 3 pointers.
- After a rough first few minutes for the bigs, they really came around late in the game, especially after Al went out. It was good to see Ralph among the leading scorers and the rebounding margin 38-13 gophers speaks for itself.
-Rodney finally shot his threes with confidence and he went 2-3. If he can can be somewhat consistent from three that just makes him that much more dangerous.
-You're going to win alot of games when you shoot 63% from the field. This had alot to do with our superior size and athleticism translating to easy buckets.
-35 of Michigan's 53 shot attempts were 3 pointers.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Preview: Minnesota Gophers @ Michigan Wolverines
The gophers will look to continue their win streak as they head to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan Saturday night. Members of the barnyard will be their for their annual roadtrip. Over the last few years, the gophers have always seemed to have problems with the wolverines. I don't know if it has to do more with John Beilein's agressive 1-3-1 defense or match-up problems in facing players like DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris. Luckily for the gophers, Sims and Harris are no longer with the wolverines, but they remain a scrappy bunch. Michigan is led by Darius Morris who is averaging 15.7 ppg and 7.1 apg. And, like a typical Beilein team, they have sharpshooters in juniors Stu Douglass and Zack Novak.
The gophers come into this game fresh off a 6 day break for the start of spring semester. They defeated Iowa 69-59 last Sunday. They looked pretty solid for most of the game, but had a major lapse to start the 2nd half that resulted in a 13-2 Iowa run that tied the score. All Big Ten road games are tough, but if the gophers can avoid lapses like in the Iowa game, their superior athleticism should give them an edge.
The gophers come into this game fresh off a 6 day break for the start of spring semester. They defeated Iowa 69-59 last Sunday. They looked pretty solid for most of the game, but had a major lapse to start the 2nd half that resulted in a 13-2 Iowa run that tied the score. All Big Ten road games are tough, but if the gophers can avoid lapses like in the Iowa game, their superior athleticism should give them an edge.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Name Change
Due to another blog out there with the same name we have changed our blog name from The Double Dribble to Rise and Fire Basketball Blog. We chose this name to pay homage to one of the most important people walking the earth today, Gus Johnson.
Memphis Tigers Create More Drama
I know this is a Minnesota basketball blog, but I am a big Memphis Tigers fan. I just have to talk about them a little bit. Last night, while I was watching the Portland vs Phoenix game, I saw on the bottom line that the Memphis Tigers suspended Wesley Witherspoon indefinitely for mimicing an assistant coach on the loudspeakers on their team bus. As I thought about this, I realized that this kind of sums up how disappointing Memphis has been for me this year. Memphis has been my team for several years. Probably since sophomore year in high school. I have always enjoyed their dribble drive offense and their energetic hustle. I have always kind of thought of them as maybe "misfits". Every year, they run into off-court turmoil. This year has been no exemption. Memphis has endured the lost of 6'11" Angel Garcia leaving the team several weeks into the season to go play pro ball in Spain (after spending the last two seasons on the bench with academic issues, and a torn ACL). Wesley Witherspoon was out for a couple games with knee surgery. In some preseason scrimmages in Puerto Rico, a couple student-athletes had to stay back because they were not cleared by the NCAA. When Memphis played Austin Peay, they had to take the redshirt off Hippolyte Tsafack, due to the lost of Angel Garcia and Wesley Witherspoon being out. Now feshman Trey Draper, who has only played a total of 4 minutes this year, was in a car accident and broke his hand after their loss to SMU. I know, Memphis is a very young team. They have 1 senior and 7 freshman. It is only Coach Pastner's 2nd season as head coach for the Tigers. These off-court struggles have been reflecting their play in games. Sure 12-4 sounds pretty nice, but they don't have any big wins and lost to SMU. They have had a handful of games that they won, but they allowed the other team to hang with them until the end. Right now, I am disappointed in the Memphis Tigers, but with that said, I am still a fan. I understand growing pains. They will come around and look like the Tigers I know. Hopefully, they can do this before tourney time. Go Tigers!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Gophers pick up big win over #8 Boilermakers
After a long drama-filled week for the gophers, they were able to bear down and grind out a much needed 70-67 victory against a very impressive Purdue squad. Blake Hoffarber had 26 points and put the team on his back for several stretches of the game. JaJuan Johnson had a monster night as he led all scorers with 29 points to go along with 11 boards and really showed that he has what it takes to play at the next level.
The biggest storyline going in to the game was Trevor Mbakwe following his facebook fiasco earlier this week that had gopher nation in meltdown mode for a short time. While Trevor did violate the no-contact agreement by sending a facebook message to his ex-girlfriend, Tubby Smith and Joel Maturi agreed that the message meant no harm and did not suspend him. He was, however, forced to come off the bench in Thursday night's game against Purdue. About four minutes into the game, the Barnyard began a loud "We want Trevor!" chant, followed quickly by Trevor checking into the game to a nice ovation. While Tubby said in the postgame interview that he did not hear the chant, it is likely that he did not want to make it sound like he gave into peer pressure. Trevor finished 3 points short of another double-double (7 pts. 10 reb.) but we still love him. Chip Armelin gave the gophers energy off the bench, Ralph Sampson III hit two big shots in the last five minutes, and Al Nolen was a steady hand once again and hit a late three which proved to be the game winner. For Purdue, while JaJuan Johnson was basically unstoppable, E'Twaun Moore was one of the best players on the court for the gophers' cause tonight as he shot 2-14 from the field and turned the ball over 3 times. The loss for the Boilermakers is their first in the Big Ten and drops their overall record to 15-2. They symbolically give the Big Ten the finger as they travel to West Virginia on Sunday to take on a Mountaneer team who the gophers beat in the Puerto Rico tip-off championship in November. The gophers improve to 2-3 in the Big Ten and 13-4 overall. They will stay in town to take on the laughingstock of the Big Ten in the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, with the way the gophers have played down to inferior competition this year, I could see this one being close for much of the way.
The biggest storyline going in to the game was Trevor Mbakwe following his facebook fiasco earlier this week that had gopher nation in meltdown mode for a short time. While Trevor did violate the no-contact agreement by sending a facebook message to his ex-girlfriend, Tubby Smith and Joel Maturi agreed that the message meant no harm and did not suspend him. He was, however, forced to come off the bench in Thursday night's game against Purdue. About four minutes into the game, the Barnyard began a loud "We want Trevor!" chant, followed quickly by Trevor checking into the game to a nice ovation. While Tubby said in the postgame interview that he did not hear the chant, it is likely that he did not want to make it sound like he gave into peer pressure. Trevor finished 3 points short of another double-double (7 pts. 10 reb.) but we still love him. Chip Armelin gave the gophers energy off the bench, Ralph Sampson III hit two big shots in the last five minutes, and Al Nolen was a steady hand once again and hit a late three which proved to be the game winner. For Purdue, while JaJuan Johnson was basically unstoppable, E'Twaun Moore was one of the best players on the court for the gophers' cause tonight as he shot 2-14 from the field and turned the ball over 3 times. The loss for the Boilermakers is their first in the Big Ten and drops their overall record to 15-2. They symbolically give the Big Ten the finger as they travel to West Virginia on Sunday to take on a Mountaneer team who the gophers beat in the Puerto Rico tip-off championship in November. The gophers improve to 2-3 in the Big Ten and 13-4 overall. They will stay in town to take on the laughingstock of the Big Ten in the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, with the way the gophers have played down to inferior competition this year, I could see this one being close for much of the way.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
T-Wolves get T'd Up
The timberwolves are in the middle of yet another frusterating season. This year however, they are showing signs of life this season, and have proven to be competitive in the majority of their games. Yet, their inability to finish in crunch time as made this season all the more frusterating for wolves fans. In Tuesday night's 107-96 loss against the San Antonio Spurs, their frustrations appeared to boil over as referee Ken Mauer (oh yeah, he's a cousin of Joe Mauer) showed no mercy as he dealt 5 technical fouls in 10 seconds of game time while ejecting a livid Kurt Rambis. See for yourself below
Welcome
Welcome to our first post on our newly created blog. We are just a couple Minnesota Boys who love basketball. We will be talking about anything basketball from high school to the NBA. We hope you enjoy!
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