Minnesota in another midseason slump under Smith (The Associated Press)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — February has mostly been a month to forget for Minnesota under coach Tubby Smith. The loss at Iowa on Sunday for the Gophers was their 16th defeat in 20 games in February over the past three years. This season, they’ve dropped seven of their past 10 games and face a tough trip to 18th-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday. The Gophers (18-8, 6-7 Big Ten) have beaten the Buckeyes in Columbus only once (2005) in their past 11 games there. Power forward Rodney Williams , who is second on the team in points, rebounds and blocks, could be held out again with a sore left shoulder. Smith said he’s concerned about the injury, which occurred 10 days ago in practice. ”It’s just the change in attitude. Changing the way we play,” point guard Andre Hollins said, recalling the way the team recalibrated after last year’s slump to reach the NIT championship game. ”We’ve got to look onto the next mission. We got past it, but we’ve got to remember what we did wrong, go to Ohio State and tough this one out…
Minnesota defense clamps down on Wisconsin in OT (The SportsXchange)
MINNEAPOLIS — It didn’t matter that the Minnesota offense wasn’t clicking Thursday night. Not with the way the Gophers played defense in a 58-53 overtime victory over No. 20 Wisconsin. The Gophers held the Badgers without a field goal during the final six minutes of regulation and the first 4:49 of overtime. Wisconsin missed 12 shots in a row and was 1-for-14 with four turnovers in that 11-minute stretch. That allowed Minnesota to close the game on a 15-6 run and secure an important victory. That down-the-stretch defense had been missing from the Gophers (18-7, 6-6 Big Ten) as they lost six of eight games and went from being ranked in the nation’s top 10 to being unranked. That ability to win a game with defense was part of the reason the Gophers were so pleased after the game. “It was very satisfying,” Austin Hollins said. “We sat down, we switched when we need to, we contested shots, we played good post defense.” Said Minnesota coach Tubby Smith: “We had gotten …
Minnesota 58, Wisconsin 53 (OT) (The SportsXchange)
MINNEAPOLIS — It didn’t matter that the Minnesota offense wasn’t clicking Thursday night. Not with the way the Gophers played defense Thursday night in a 58-53 overtime victory over No. 20 Wisconsin. Minnesota held the Badgers without a field goal over the final six minutes of regulation and the first 4:49 of overtime. By the time Wisconsin’s Jared Berggren scored a putback basket with 10.2 seconds remaining in overtime, the Gophers still led by three. The Gophers outscored Wisconsin 15-6 over the final six minutes of regulation and the overtime session. The Badgers made one of their final 14 shots and turned the ball over four times in that 11-minute stretch. The victory was important for Minnesota (18-7, 6-6 Big Ten) as the Gophers had lost two in a row and six of eight. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for No. 20 Wisconsin (17-8, 8-4) and didn’t allow the Badgers to…
A peek at Michigan’s future offense
MINNEAPOLIS — Perhaps this is what the Michigan offense was supposed to look like all season. No matter that it’s already the ninth game or that the game’s starting quarterback was a wide…
Instant analysis: Michigan 35, Minnesota 13
MINNEAPOLIS — Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson was held out because of injury, but the Michigan football team was able to return to Ann Arbor on Saturday with the Little Brown Jug in tow,…
Men's basketball: Ohio State holds on for big road victory
MINNEAPOLIS — From the time the Ohio State players stepped up on the raised court in Williams Arena for pregame warmups, there was something different about them. There was little joking. A lot of serious faces. A businesslike demeanor.
Michigan at Iowa: Brady Hoke’s Wolverines Could Earn Another Dose of Respect
“MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 8, 2008—Michigan retained the Little Brown Jug Saturday night, as senior kicker K.C. Lopata kicked five field goals, leading the Wolverines to a 29-6 victory over the Minnesota Gophers.” Just another…
