Two games bestowed from the heavens this afternoon portend whether four teams can build upon their strong starts. In what should be competitive and true hardwood tests, Tubby Smith takes his Golden Gophers to State College while Ohio State travels to West Lafayette to play Matt Painter’s banged up Boilermakers.
Reversal of Fortune
A short year ago, the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Penn State Nittany Lions were locked in a grueling duel for the Big Ten cellar. The Gophers drifted like a ship without a rudder while interim coach Jim Molinari tried his best to salvage what remained of a lost season. Through the adversity, a glimpse of promise for better days was seen last March in the Big Ten Tournament. In State college, desperate for a point guard and some luck, the Nittany Lions were caught in a relentless vortex of losses, one after inexplicable other. But, one turn around the Sun and so much has changed.
The Golden Gophers (11-3) convincingly beat Northwestern at Williams Arena on Wednesday night. Playing aggressively on both ends of the court, they displayed what can now be called a Gophers’ defensive identity: relentless intensity that powers and lights and fills The Barn. Led by a resurgent Dan Coleman and an emotionally charged game by Spencer Tollackson, the Golden Gophers protected The Barn with intensity and pressure defense.
On offense, Blake Hoffarber and Al Nolen are two freshmen with considerable impact and chemistry. With Nolen at the point, the Golden Gophers confidently adjusted to the smorgasbord of Wildcat defenses employed by Northwestern coach Bill Carmody. Watching Hoffarber, one is reminded of a pure basketball player. Not only is he a pure shooter, but Hoofarber has the vision and attendant unselfish game to make passes and decisions that make his teammates better.
A Lion at Point
The difference between this season and last season for Penn State (10-4, 2-0) is rooted in the backcourt. Freshman Talor Battle and junior college transfer Stanley Pringle exude confidence. Both move the ball up the court with ease, creating tempo, and most importantly, they’ve been giving the ball to Penn State’s pillar Geary Claxton and is banged up sidekick Jamelle Cornely in positions where they can succeed. The effect these competent point guards have had on the Nittany Lions has been seismic.
Fans Needed
After sprinting out of the Big Ten gate last week with road wins against Northwestern and Illinois, Penn State has had a week of practice to prepare for Minnesota. Both teams will move the ball up the court and both will defend. In games such as these, where teams are matched evenly on the four corners of paper, fundamentals, such as turnovers, shot selection, and rebounding, are critical, as is the intangible of emotion.
With 15,261 seats in the Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State needs every one of them filled this afternoon with Lion fans fresh off a few cocktails from the Adam’s Apple. In what should be a decided home court advantage, Penn State often find itself playing to a much too sparse crowd in State College, especially when they trot out of the conference’s best players in Claxton. This afternoon, Lion fans shouldn’t miss the chance to catch one of the most competitive and important games of their young season.
Ohio State Keeps Winning
Thad Matta continues to integrate his young Buckeyes to Big Ten play, chalking up wins with regularity. Ohio State (12-3, 3-0) showed strong defensive pressure, albeit in a blowout 79-48 home win, against Todd Lickliter’s beleaguered Hawkeyes. As they did in a road victory against Illinois last week, Buckeyes will need a strong defensive effort out of their now customary zone as well as a solid game from senior Jamar Butler this afternoon in Mackey Arena where Ohio State is oddly, extremely comfortable, winning 14 of their last 15 against Purdue. Although overshadowed by John Diebler at the outset of the season, Chicago St. Joe product Evan Turner is a player to watch.
When Moral Victories are Not Enough
On the heels of another close loss, this time at the hands of Michigan State, Purdue (10-5, 1-1) seems to have more to play for that Ohio State including pride and the protection their home court before a capacity crowd in Mackey. They are physically depleted with Robbie Hummel, Scott Martin, Chris Kramer and Tarrance Crump all nursing a variety of injury and illness, but still, Matt Painter will make no excuses this afternoon.
After trailing by 14 points in the first half, Purdue responded by taking a five point second half lead only to lose the game on Travis Walton’s jumper on the Spartans’ final possession. On the heels of near miss in East Lansing this week, Spartan coach Tom Izzo praised Purdue. “The last two teams we’ve played … Minnesota was tough, but Purdue was even tougher. They just physically took it to us. That doesn’t happen very often. I can count on one hand in 12 years when it has happened at home, but it did tonight.”
For Purdue, the rationalization of losses as moral victories has been a balm to the chafe of what, in the end, remain losses. Ohio State has not responded well to teams that are more physical and Purdue is more physical.
This is a game Purdue can win. Short handed or not, Matt Painter’s Boilermakers will need to dig a little deeper and beat Ohio State. If not, a season that remains intriguing and full of potential may find itself stuck in the muck while Ohio State scurries back home on I-70.
Let Him In or I’m Out
The Double A Zone recently drew attention to a troubling trend in the contracts of some college coaches. Pointing to the football coach at powerhouse Florida International as an example, the university agreed to a special admissions clause that provides “the athletics director shall have authority for admissions for [the coach’s] recruits even if they don’t meet university standards.â€
Basically, if a recruit is admitted the coach can opt out of the contract. As the Double A Zone concluded, in practice, this means anybody who can run, hit, catch or throw will be admitted to Florida International every time. It’ll take some digging, but have any Big Ten Schools capitulated on special admissions? Might be worth some Freedom of Information Act requests.
What Happened to Isaiah Dalhman?
Wonder if he’d rather be back home in Land of a Ten Thousand Lakes.
