Know Thy Opponent: Minnesota Golden Gophers

at least a dozen.

I hope they don’t show those in the Barn. That would be merciless.

Get ready to Boiler UP !! Where are you sitting?

but the most recent I’ve been able to find is Matty saying before our last game that he is doing well and is starting to do drills, I think. He had still not yet been cleared for contact, and he emphasized that his first contact would not come in a game. He’s gotta make it through practice without any difficulty.

Given the way injuries seem to just haunt us, I’m okay with that. Get him to 85+% and then put him back out. No less.

Hope they, excuse my french, fuck ’em up.

wishful thinking

The harassment restraining order (HRO) filed against him in 2009 was because he would not stop calling his ex-girlfriend. It’s a public document and there have been no reports of any “beatings.” The only other potential jail time he could serve is if the Miami DA determines he violated his assault case probation, but I seriously doubt it.

Trevor made a mistake, but it wasn’t a malicious one. He thought the HRO ended in 2011. He spent a few hours in jail for it. Do I think he’s a great guy? No, probably not. But he paid the price for his Miami assault last year and now he’s paid the price for this seriously minor indiscretion. I think Tubby absolutely made the right call. Minnesota’s AD is infamously tough on players that get in trouble.

But yes, he is definitely key to this game.

As rcpratt notes, the HRO had nothing to do with any physical violence. Trevor made a (really) dumb mistake, but they aren’t going to suspend the kid for writing “I hope you’re ok” on someone’s facebook wall.

As for the Miami stuff. He is not on probation. He was not convicted of a crime nor did he plead guilty to one. He entered a pre-trial diversion program. Basically its a save face deal for the DA that Trevor jumped on so he could move forward with his life. The deal included 100 hours of community service and stipulated that he stay out of trouble (don’t know what the details are on that). But since he’s not on probation he faces no jail time. The worst that can happen is that the DA could decide to refile the charges in Miami and take it to trial. Since the purpose of the deal was to save face due to lack of evidence I doubt that happens.

All this nonsense (seriously TW, WTF were you thinking) aside, Trevor is definitely a key player in this game.

The guy will lose his mind and foul out inside of 5 minutes.

He’ll contend that the fouls shouldn’t count since he had only good intentions.

Not paying to read ESPN articles – they aren’t THAT good.

The Purdue Boilermakers don’t have any trouble shutting down opponents. In fact, Matt Painter’s squad has yet to allow 70 points in a game this season thanks to the second-most efficient defense in the country behind Maryland.

And considering the Minnesota Golden Gophers can’t hit a 3-pointer, stopping them will be that much easier tonight at Williams Arena.

Purdue allows teams to shoot just 29.7 percent from beyond the arc — top 35 in that category — and the Gophers are coming off a loss to Ohio State in which they hit just 2 of 14 shots from deep. That’s 14.3 percent.

On the season, Minnesota has shot a tad better — 33.0 percent, ranking outside the top 200 — but Tubby Smith’s team relies on 2-pointers for 54 percent of its points. It’s no mystery where the Gophers look for offense: Trevor Mbakwe.

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior leads the team in points (13.4) and the Big Ten in rebounds (10.4). Mbakwe is used on more possessions (23.7 percent) than any other Gopher, plays the second-most minutes (27.5 per game) and is a major reason Minnesota is ranked 12th in offensive rebounding percentage. So, yes, he’s important. And though the Gophers said they’ll stand by him in the wake of his recent arrest, he could certainly be distracted.

But the team’s lack of consistency on the perimeter will leave the Boilermakers free to focus almost solely inside on Mbakwe and 6-11 junior Ralph Sampson III (10.7 ppg). Look for Purdue G E’Twaun Moore (tied for the fifth-most steals in the conference) to bottle up G Blake Hoffarber (13.4 ppg), who was held to just seven points in the loss to the Buckeyes. Purdue will simply dare the rest of the Gophers to shoot beyond 17 feet.

This game actually comes at a perfect time for the Boilermakers because they could use a true test in the paint. Of the top bigs in the Big Ten, Purdue has seen only Penn State’s 6-8 forward Jeff Brooks, who went for 15 points and 10 boards in the Nittany Lions’ 83-68 loss.

Specifically, it will benefit 6-10 center JaJuan Johnson (19.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.5 bpg) to experience a battle with Mbakwe, the only player in the conference besides OSU freshman Jared Sullinger averaging a double-double. But besides Johnson, no Boilermaker taller than 6-5 averages 20 minutes, so crashing the boards will be the Gophers’ best hope to tip the scales in their favor.

Rebounding was the clear difference-maker when Richmond handed Purdue its lone loss on Nov. 27. The Spiders held a 41-31 edge on the glass and had more second-chance points in their 65-54 win. The Boilermakers haven’t been held to a total that low on the scoreboard since.

Which brings us to another reason Minnesota is at a disadvantage: the emergence of junior guard Ryne Smith, who is finally becoming a third offensive threat on a team desperately searching for a Robbie Hummel replacement. Smith is no Hummel (15.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg when last healthy) but he’s averaging 17 points in conference play and has solidified his play by hitting better than 50 percent of his 3-pointers.

Bottom line: Minnesota doesn’t have a potent enough offense (ranked 51st in efficiency) to put Purdue’s defense on its heels. And the Gophers won’t be able to keep the Boilermakers from bombing away — their 3-point defense ranks 249th in college basketball.

In terms of the conference race, though, Painter’s club has yet to face any of the four teams currently ranked in the top 25. (Ask the Gophers: They lost to three of them in a two-week span.) OSU, Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin are waiting to get a piece of Purdue. And if Mbakwe exposes the Boilermakers down low, be certain Sullinger, Jon Leuer and the rest of the Big Ten will be ready to do the same.

Let him shoot from 17 feet. It doesn’t bother me. None of their bigs will be able to replicate it OR defend it.