Another Learning Experience
January 23, 2016
The University of Minnesota men’s basketball program suffered through its eighth straight Big Ten loss, this one in overtime, 76-71, to an unremarkable group of cagers from the University of Illinois.
If ever there was a chance for an upset, it was against the Fighting Illini, who entered Williams Arena with only two conference wins and a 103-69 shellacking loss to Indiana on their record. Sadly, it was not to be.
The Gophers of 2016 are not built to win. It is not in their collective mindset that winning can be achieved. In close games, the players simply do not know how to perform like the could possibly win a game.
For example, Minnesota had possession during a 60-60 game with 30 seconds to go in the game. Coach Richard Pitino called time out and carefully outlined a scoring play. The Gophers returned to the playing surface and ran around like headless chickens. Finally, Nate Mason heaved up a desperation shot from beyond NBA three-point range. Of course, he missed. The game went to overtime where Minnesota threw the ball anywhere beside where it’s supposed to go, fell behind by 75-62, and lost.
“That was definitely not the play we wanted to run,” said a ruffled Pitino, referring to the Gophers last possession in regulation. “I didn’t want an NBA shot.” (His c omment was a revelation to those who previously thought he doesn’t have a playbook.)
“We were close,” Pitino mumbled. “We just didn’t have enough to win. We did put ourselves in a position to win, but we made a lot of mistakes.”
The Fighting Illini’s win seemed pre-ordained. Illinois now has won 12 of its last 15 games at Williams Arena. The Illini have recorded 44 wins all-time at Minnesota, Illinois’s second-most road victories against a Big Ten opponent. The Gophers are second to only lowly Northwestern in that regard.
Smiling Illinois coach John Groce praised his players for showing “poise and grit” after trailing by 60-55 and tying the score. “I loved our resiliency,” Groce said. “This win is something for us to build on. We played with great purpose offensively.”
The Gophers, meanwhile, played the overtime period in a trance, giving up a three-point basket to Malcom Hill and conventional field goals to Maverick Morgan, Jaylon Tate, and Kendrick Nunn.
The Gophers, who once led by 10 points in regulation time, were outrebounded for the game by 49 to 38. Illinois scored 16 points off of 13 Minnesota turnovers.
“Another learning experience” is how Pitino summed up the loss, Minnesota’s 14th of the season, against only six wins. Once again, his team could have won if only the boys made free throws. The Gophers made only six of a dozen free throw attempts. Typical was Jordan Murphy who went two-for-four. Illinois shot 73 percent from the line with Hill making good on 13 of 14 attempts.
Hill led all scorers with 28 points, 10 above his average. For the Gophers, Joey King had 20 and Mason 19. Both seemed to thrive, along with Murphy, in a starting lineup that excluded 6-11 post man Bakary Konate, who logged only 11 minutes in a reserve role. As in previous games, a confused Konate contributed little at both ends of the floor and was a drain on team confidence.