Adversity Strikes Gopher Program
January 6, 2018
Six-foot, seven-inch Indiana freshman forward Justin Smith hit on a three-point basket to give the Hoosiers a 71-70 lead with two and one-minutes to play and effectively end the hopes of the University of Minnesota men’s basketball team’s hopes for a championship season. The Gophers had no answer and went down to defeat by the score of 75 to 71.
Most would actually say the season was doomed the moment center Reggie Lynch was suspended for suspected unwarranted on-campus sexual behavior; others would point to the shoulder injury that sidelined sophomore starter Amir Coffey.
The Gophers were good enough to defeat Indiana without Lynch. The team was good enough to beat Indiana without Coffey. But Minnesota was not good enough to defeat the Hoosiers without Lynch and Coffey. This, despite the fact that Indiana had been projected by forecasters to finish 12th in the 14-team Big 10 and had previously lost, at home to Indiana State (90-69) and Fort Wayne University.
The Gopher bench, shaky all season since the loss to injury of Eric Curry, was called upon to play a critical role against the Hoosiers and failed miserably. Lynch and Coffey’s replacements, Bakery Konate and Michael Hurt, could only contribute two points each to the offense. Highly-hyped freshman Isiah Washington, once compared to Magic Johnson, did little to refute his current reputation as bust of the season.
“Adversity has hit,” a dejected Minnesota coach Richard Pitino after the game. “I’m disappointed,” he said. “We’re getting tested right now. We’re going to have to scratch and claw. Today we didn’t make big plays at the end.”
In a game that now seems like it was played last century, Minnesota at home Wednesday night, the Gophers, with Lynch and Coffey, easily handled Illinois, 77-67. Lynch and Jordan Murphy had monster games, pulling down a total of 29 rebounds. Coffey had 16 points but injured his shoulder in a collision with an Illini player. No one knew at the time that the injury would sideline him for an indefinite time.
Lynch and Murphy had supplied Minnesota with a one-two frontline power punch not seen at Williams Arena since John Thomas and Courtney James of the ill-fated championship season of 1996-97. No less was expected in the season of 2017-18.
The loss of Lynch was particularly noticeable on the boards against Indiana where the Gophers were outrebounded 45-35.
Illinois, a middle-of-the-pack Big 10 performer, nevertheless stayed close to the Gophers, drawing to within 55-51 with 11 minutes to play on a basket by DaMonte Williams. The Gophers soon righted the ship behind Murphy and Lynch and for a 60-51 lead that paved the way to victory. Murphy and Nate Mason were high-point men with 17 points each. Leron Black led the Illini with 14 points.
Murphy’s double-doubles against Illinois and Indiana brought his streak to 17 games to start the season, most since Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan to start the 1996-97 season.
Against Indiana, the Gophers had no answer to the hot-hitting Hoosier trio of Robert Johnson, Juwan Morgan, and Smith who tallied 28, 20, and 20 points, respectively.
Lynch is gone, and Coffey is out for who knows how long. A good season ruined. The Lynch incident is another in a long series of unfortunate basketball events that started in 1964 when starter Terry Kunze was ruled ineligible after only four games and tossing the team from championship contention. The Kunze Curse popped up again with the Bill Musselman/Harvey Mackay scandals of the Seventies. What followed was a history of ticket scalping and unauthorized phone usage, and later Wisconsin motel incidents, culminated by Clem Haskins and the national notoriety of the NCAA wiping six seasons from the books, including 1996-97.
The Kunze Curse did not visit Dan Monson, Jim Molinari, and Tubby Smith. Pitino was not so lucky.
Gopher Tales: Indiana University is celebrating its Bicentennial with monuments and statues honoring five national basketball champions. Noticeably missing is Robert Montgomery Knight. According to the university, “Coach Knight’s request to not be depicted has been respectfully honored.” This tales bitterness to a new level.