Minnesota Whips NDSU
December 3, 2007

Saul Phillips looked as if he had been attacked by terrorists. The head basketball coach at North Dakota State University faced reporters after his team had been blown out of Williams Arena by Minnesota, 88-56. “We were deterred from attacking the basket,” Phillips said. “We have to get two feet into the paint to make that happen.” He indicated that the Gophers consistently prevented that.

Phillips then heaped praise on new Gopher head basketball coach Tubby Smith. “He has brought a new energy to their program.” He applauded Minnesota’s “solid defensive effort.” The Gophers, Phillips indicated “looked similar to a good Kentucky team [Smith previously coached the Wildcats]. I certainly tip my hat to the way Tubby’s guys played.”

Asked when his squad had last endured such a thorough beating, Phillips replied: “Kansas State.” NDSU was thrashed by Kansas State, 82-56, at Manhattan, Kan., on January 2, 2006. On November 13, 2006, the Bison were defeated by the Gophers at Williams Arena, 62-49. That contest was a slow, plodding affair authored by then Gopher coach Dan Monson. In that game, NDSU was able to penetrate at will. For ace sophomore guard Ben Woodside of Albert Lea, Minn., the difference between a Monson-coached team and a Tubby-coached team was evident early on, even though the players remain the same.

“Tubby has Minnesota playing at another level defensively,” Woodside said. “We had to settle for jumpers.” Minnesota “out-hustled us.”

Junior forward Brett Winkleman, from Morris, Minn., echoed the words of his teammate. “They were stronger than us inside. Their trap forced us into making catastrophic turnovers.”

For his part, Coach Smith agreed. “This was our best defensive effort,” he said. “Our guys were really focused, very active, and very aggressive. We had good on-ball pressure. I thought our traps were quick.” He also praised his scouting staff for thorough research on NDSU. “We have a lot of people serving this team,” the coach said. “I want to compliment the staff for the excellent scouting report.”

The 88 points marked the Gophers’ highest point tally in nearly two years. Minnesota notched its third 30-plus point victory of the season.

The Gophers shot a season-high 52.9 percent from the field. The victory improves the Gophers’ record to 5-1 while the Bison drop to 4-4.

North Dakota State is in the final year of a five-year NCAA reclassification from Division II to Division I. This is NDSU’s first year as a member of the Summit League after three years as a Division I independent in basketball. The Bison are eligible for the Summit League’s regular season championship; however, the university is prohibited from participation in the league’s post-season NCAA-qualifying championship tournament until become a full-fledged active Division I member ;in the 2008-2009 season. Summit League teams include Oral Roberts; Centenary, Western Illinois; Oakland; Southern Utah; Missouri, Kansas City; Indiana-Purdue University, Indianapolis; and Indiana-Purdue University, Fort Wayne.

To the Bison’s credit, the first half Saturday night was a back-and-forth battle that featured multiple lead changes until eight minutes remained in the first half. Stifling defensive pressure from the Gophers led to a 13-0 Minnesota run partway through the half that included all nine of Dan Coleman’s first-half points. Coleman led all players with six first half rebounds, four of which came on the offensive end. The Bison were held scoreless for over seven minutes at one point as Minnesota took a 35-20 lead. The half ended with the score Minnesota 44, NDSU 27. The Gophers out-rebounded NDSU 11-2 on the offensive side of the ball during the first 20 minutes of play. Minnesota also outscored NDSU 22-6 in the paint during the first half.

Coach Smith’s pressure defense and up-tempo offensive style kept the Bison from mounting anything close to second-half comeback. Minnesota quickly forced nine Bison turnovers in the period. The Gophers won the game’s rebounding battle 44-33.

Al Nolen, a reserve freshman guard out of Minneapolis Henry High School, played the best game of his young career, making five of seven shots from the field including three of his four three-point attempts. Nolen was not expected to contribute a great deal to the team this season, and, at one time, was a candidate for red-shirting. His poise and determination under fire so far have earmarked him as a Gopher star of the future.

The Gophers are now 23-2 all-time against the Bison and have won the last six meetings between the two schools. Minnesota has allowed only one opponent to score more than 60 points this season. The sole exception was the Florida State game on November 27, a 75-61 road loss for Minnesota.