Some might have considered the Ohio State vs. Minnesota game on Tuesday night an interesting match-up but not necessarily one with postseason implications. The new year has just begun. Teams have barely played 15 games, and the conference season is just picking up. So why would it matter? Well, for a Gophers’ team that hasn’t earned a quality win yet despite an 11-5 start to the season, an 0-3 beginning to Big Ten play doesn’t bode well for the future. A home win against Ohio State is exactly what the team needed, but the Gophers, despite a valiant second half comeback, just couldn’t finish it off. Here are three thoughts from the overtime thriller:
- Credit Andre Hollins for his defense against D’Angelo Russell in the second half. Russell was on fire in the first half, scoring 25 points including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and making Hollins look like a tired senior trying to keep up with a stud freshman. The second half, however, was a completely different story, as Hollins hit a big three-pointer in the first minute and showed that he was ready to lock down Russell by pressuring him full-court. His improved intensity allowed him to fight over the screens, bumping Russell off balance as he tried to turn the corner. This defensive tweak along with pushing him to the corners worked perfectly, as Russell was held scoreless during the rest of regulation (he finished with 27 points). If Hollins had played with half of his second half intensity from the start, the Gophers probably wouldn’t be left with with an 0-3 Big Ten record.
- Minnesota has no half-court offense without Maurice Walker. Maurice Walker was highly effective when Hollins and DeAndre Mathieu dumped the ball into him in the post, but once Thad Matta decided to double-team the big guy, Minnesota’s half-court offense stalled out. The guards were very effective in knifing their way into the paint in transition but they were unable to find much of a rhythm outside of the fast break. Once the Gophers’ best offensive option, Walker — who scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds — was mitigated, Minnesota couldn’t find enough options to pull out the key home victory.
- Minnesota can still recover from this poor start. Five losses doesn’t put the Gophers out of NCAA Tourney contention, but the positive effects of a home win would have helped their overall confidence. Assuming that Minnesota loses to Wisconsin twice and once to Michigan State on the road, it can still afford another conference loss but not too much more than that. It begins with Michigan in Ann Arbor this weekend. While the Wolverines can get hot at home, the Gophers have a significant advantage inside with Walker. One more loss this weekend, though, and an 0-4 hole may be too deep for Pitino’s squad to recover from this season.