UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA RAISE THE BARN MEN’S BASKETBALL SCRIMMAGE

The University of Minnesota men's basketball team held an open scrimmage called “Raise The Barn.” This was a chance for the fans to come out and watch a free scrimmage.

 

The team came out to music playing over the speakers. They broke up into two different groups as they warmed up.

 

The Gold team consisted of Kendal Shell, Wally Ellenson, Deandre Mathieu, Maurice Walker, Charles Buggs and Malik Smith. The Maroon team consisted of Andre Hollins, Daquein McNeil, Oto Osenieks, Maverick Ahanmisi, Austin Hollins, and Elliott Eliason.

 

The Starters for the Maroon team were Andre Hollins, Oto Osenieks, Maverick Ahanmisi, Austin Hollins and Elliott Eliason.

 

They played four quarters at seven-and-a-half minutes each.  Both teams looked to push the ball down the floor quickly. The assistant coaches coached each squad. Head coach Richard Pitino sat in a chair at midcourt and yelled instructions to both teams.  

 

There was a media timeout with 3:29 left in the first quarter. The score was Maroon 10, Gold 7.

 

McNeil, a freshman guard, did a good job of running the Gold’s offense. He was patient with the ball and he was vocal on both ends of the floor.

 

Maroon strung together some nice offensive plays as they were able to get to the basket and make easy layups.

 

Smith was able to knock down some deep three-point shots for his team. If he thought that he had an open shot he was not afraid to shoot it. On the other hand if he thought that his teammate had a better shot he would pass it to him for the assist.

 

After the first quarter the score was Maroon 16, Gold 13.

 

Both teams looked to have a lot of energy on the floor. Everyone was moving without the ball on both ends of the court.

 

McNeal also had very good court awareness. He knew where he was on the floor and was able to get into a good shooting rhythm in the second quarter.

 

The Gold team continued to struggle to make shots that they put up in the second quarter.  

 

Maroon went to a zone defense midway through the second quarter.

 

There was timeout with 3:07 left in the second quarter. The score was Maroon 23, Gold 16.

 

Both teams dove on the floor after loose balls and they went aggressively after rebounds.

 

Austin Hollins came up with some nice shots to keep his team in the contest.  

 

There were many long court passes made by each team late in the second quarter.

 

At halftime the score was Maroon 36, Gold 23.

 

The leading scorer in the first half for the Gold team was Deandre Mathieu with 10 points and for the

Maroon team were Austin Hollins 14, and Osenieks with 13 points.

 

As the second half got underway both teams went into a zone defense.

 

Gold called a timeout with 6:11 left in the third quarter. The score was Maroon 38, Gold 25.

 

Maroon looked to double team the point guard at full court as they wanted to make it hard for the

Gold team to bring the ball down the floor. Maroon was able to get turnovers and convert them on the turnover.

 

Ahanmisi handled the ball well for the Gold team. He was able to control the tempo. He was able to get to the basket and get past his defenders.  

 

Gold continued to move the ball down the floor as they looked to get an open look at the basket. The

Maroon defense however was able to slow down Gold on the offensive end.

 

After three quarters of play the score was Maroon 47, Gold 36.

 

The fourth quarter got off to another quick start as each team zipped up and down the floor getting into a transition game.

 

Maroon did a good job of taking time off of the clock by swinging the ball around the three-point line and getting into an offensive rhythm.

 

Mathieu also played well for the gold team. He was able to get his shot to fall in the second half. He was all over the floor. He had a good mid-range jump shot which he could hit on a consistent basis.

 

I thought that both teams did well. I know that there is still a lot to work on but I really think that both teams played well for the first time. I also thought that Walker looked like a totally different player as he has lost about 50-60 pounds. He looks much slimmer and more able on the floor. It will be also nice to see how this team blends together under the new leadership of Pitino.

 

In the end the Maroon team came away with the 61-53 victory over the Gold team.

 

The leading scorers for the Gold team were Mathieu with 26 points and Walker and Smith each with 9 points.

 

The leading scorers for the Maroon team were Austin Hollins with 21 points, Osenieks with 16 points and Ahanmisi with 12 points.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HIRES RICHARD PITINO TO REPLACE TUBBY SMITH AS HEAD MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH

Richard Pitino has been named the head men's basketball coach of the University of Minnesota. Pitino replaces Tubby Smith, who was fired March 25.  

According to Amelia Rayno of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “Pitino has a six-year contract worth $1.2 million annually. That's split into $500,000 base salary and $700,000 in guaranteed supplemental compensation. Pitino will owe Minnesota $1.5 million to get out of his contract before May 1, 2016. For Minnesota to buy out his contract, it would owe one half of his base plus supplemental pay.”

Pitino coached at Florida International University for one season and had a record of 18-14. Minnesota is his second head coaching job.

 

ROYCE ALEXANDER WHITE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH TWO COUNTS OF TRESPASSING

According to Myron Page Medcalf of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, University of Minnesota freshman basketball player Royce Alexander White has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor trespassing.

Royce White got into trouble with the law in early November with two different incidents.

The charges are in relation to an account where he allegedly stole a laptop from a campus dorm room on Saturday November 7th 2009.

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA GOPHERS MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM TOOK ON STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team took on Stephen F Austin in their second game of the season.

The Gophers won the tip and Ralph Sampson III made the first basket of the game. The Gophers came out with a lot of energy. They wanted to attack the basket from the start of the game.

Stephen F Austin came out and really took it to the Gophers in the first half. They were playing very aggressively from the beginning. Coming into the game the Gophers knew that they would have their hands full in this Stephen F Austin team. This team is a good quality team and an early test for this Gopher team.

Stephen F Austin was able to run some nice plays on back door cuts. They knew how to attack the basket and they didn’t play into Minnesota’s hands early on.

The Gophers played tough aggressive man to man defense throughout the first half. They wanted to try to use both and man to man full court press and they also wanted to try to trap the ball in the back court.

The Gophers continued to go after loose balls in the first half. They were diving after loose balls. They were also making some costly errors in the first half. They were not getting to the rebounds and Stephen Austin players were getting some of the rebounds under the Gophers basket.

Stephen F Austin’s defensive pressure was getting to the Gophers. Stephen F Austin is a team known for its defense.

The Gophers went on a run late in the first half. Neither team was able to put up shots in the first half. It was a defensive battle for both teams.

I thought Ralph Sampson came really ready to play. He made some very nice moves in the first half. He had a nice drop step jump shot on the low block and he was able to make a few of those shots. He also had some nice slam dunks throughout the game. On the defensive end he really played up in his opponents face. He guarded really well.

At half time Minnesota lead the game by the score of 26-19.

As the second half got underway Rodney Williams scored the first two points with a monstrous slam dunk. On the next play Lawrence Westbrook nailed a deep three pointer. That caused Stephen F Austin’s coach to call a time out with 18:55 left in the second half with the score Minnesota 31 and Stephen F Austin 19.

After that time out the Gophers caught fire. They were able to go on a run and rattle off a bunch of points in a row. Damian Johnson made a nice turnaround jumper in the beginning of the second half. Then right after that the Gophers continued to go on a run. With 15:42 left in the second half the score was Minnesota 42 and Stephen F Austin 21.

Blake Hoffarber came in the game and he nailed a few three pointers to give the Gophers energy in the second half.

At the 10:46 media time out the score was Minnesota 53 and Stephen F Austin 31.

The Gophers continued to show patience on the defensive end. The defensive pressure seemed to bother Stephen F Austin in the second half when they had trouble making shots.

Rodney Williams came through and made some nice plays in the second half. He had a few nice easy two hand slam dunks.

The Gophers were able to come away with the 82-42 victory over Stephen F Austin. Here is what Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith had to say about the victory. Here is what Minnesota’s Lawrence Westbrook and Devoe Joseph had to say about the victory.

MARESH'S HEART IS CLEARING IN THE GAME

THIS IS FROM ADAM RITTENBERG FROM ESPN.COM


For Sam Maresh, life decisions and football decisions blend together. Everything always traces back to the game.

Maresh epitomizes the eat-sleep-breathe cliché. He's described by those who know him best as born to play football. And given what he's been through to play linebacker at Minnesota, it's hard to argue with them.

Faced with the daunting reality of open heart surgery in June 2008, Maresh made a choice with football very much in mind. When doctors discovered a benign mass in his leg in February, Maresh stiff-armed talk of surgery and readied himself for the start of Minnesota's spring drills.

"If football or sports was a hobby, you'd be looking at it differently," said Maresh's father, Bill. "But it's part of his life. It's part of who he is. He's a physical, fighter-type guy. There was never a decision that was hard. If there was a way that he could play, he was going to take that opportunity. And it's worked out."

On the afternoon of March 24, Maresh, wearing a white No. 17 practice jersey, jogged onto the field with his Gophers teammates for the start of spring ball. He did so with a scar on his chest, a growth in his leg and a look of resolve in his eyes.

Less than nine months after heart valve replacement surgery, Maresh was back, just as he had planned. "It wasn't a question at all," Maresh said. "I'm playing football. It's what I was born to do."

But this is about more than football. A lot more.

Maresh is attempting to make medical history this fall. Other athletes with his heart condition have returned to compete, including NBA players Ronny Turiaf and Etan Thomas. But no one has returned to play top-level college football.

"We've had a number of athletes that have had this kind of problem that have gone back to playing baseball and basketball," heart surgeon Dr. Hartzell Schaff said. "I don't remember anybody who's gone back to playing football like he's playing."

Gophers coach Tim Brewster branded Maresh the "flag bearer" for the university when the heralded recruit signed in 2008. But Maresh transcends that role.

He has become a symbol for the state, a courageous figure who has received support from Duluth to Mankato, International Falls to Rochester.

Indeed, football is only part of Maresh's story.

It's about a single-minded star, a medical marvel and a local hero. It's about a team of doctors and a support network of family, teammates, coaches and strangers.

It's also about trust. Maresh affirmed his in Brewster by committing to the program and holding true to it through tough times. Now, he wants the same pledge from the coach as he heads down an uncharted path.

"A lot of people are anxious for me to get out there," Maresh said. "This is an opportunity for me to show the coaches that I'm ready."

It all started with a standard sports physical, required of each player entering Minnesota's program. Maresh hadn't had one since his freshman year of high school, but he had no reason to worry.

He was a three-time state wrestling champion and an all-state linebacker at Champlin Park High School in suburban Minneapolis. Two months before the exam, he wrestled at the senior nationals and felt like he was in the best shape of his life.

But on June 2, doctors detected a murmur in Maresh's heart. Further testing showed he had a bicuspid aortic valve, a congenital disorder in which the valve has only two leaflets instead of three, preventing the heart from pumping blood efficiently. He also had an enlarged aortic root.

"They gave us all the measurements and said, 'You're way over [normal]. This is bad. It's severe,'" Bill Maresh said. "They kept saying, 'Are you sick to your stomach?'"

Sam's active lifestyle and sports background likely prevented symptoms from appearing earlier. But the diagnosis meant the 19-year-old would need open heart surgery.

Brewster was stunned.

"It just takes your breath away," he said. "I went directly to the kid. And Sam puts you at ease with his mindset and his attitude. He's so positive. He doesn't want any obstacles in his life.

"He immediately wanted to fix it."

Bill Maresh Sam Maresh chose the heart surgery option that would give him a chance to return to the gridiron.
At a news conference at Champlin Park High eight days after the initial exam, Maresh told reporters, "I'm going to play. With my family and everyone supporting me and praying for me, I feel like I will play again."

The first cardiologist Maresh visited held a different opinion.

"He didn't look at me as an athlete," Maresh said. "He looked at me in the long run. He said, 'I don't know if you'll be able to play football after this,' and he gave me a list of sports that I could play.

"That got pretty emotional."

The Mareshes sought a second opinion and went to Dr. Rick Nishimura, a cardiologist at the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Nishimura was realistic about Maresh's situation, but he didn't entirely close the door on a return to the gridiron.

"He had significant heart disease," Nishimura said. "We told him that in most instances, not only would we not allow a person to play, but a lot of people might elect not to play because there always is a small risk after an operation.

"I said, 'If you decide that you still want to go ahead, there are a number of hurdles you have to overcome.'"
Patients have two options with the type of surgery Maresh was facing. To fulfill his dream, Maresh had only one.
If his aortic valve needed to be replaced, Maresh could have either a mechanical valve or a tissue valve installed. The mechanical valve likely would prevent another surgery but would force him to take Coumadin, a blood thinner that would prevent him from playing college football. The tissue valve doesn't require a blood thinner but necessitates a second surgery in 12 to 15 years.

"So hopefully after I'm done with the NFL," a smiling Maresh said, "I'll get the mechanical one in there, and I'll be all set."

The night before an appointment with the surgeons, Maresh and his parents watched Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The telecast featured a story about Turiaf, who underwent aortic replacement surgery three years earlier and returned to the court with the Lakers.

News of Maresh's situation soon reached Turiaf, who called the Gophers recruit days later. "He was very supportive," Maresh said. "It was pretty sweet to hear from a professional athlete who went through the same thing."

There were two big questions heading into the surgery, which took place June 26 at the Mayo Clinic. Would Maresh's enlarged aorta need to be repaired or replaced with a tissue valve? And how big of an incision would the doctors need to make in his sternum?

If Schaff could do a partial sternotomy, which he anticipated, Maresh would have an easier time healing and, hopefully, getting back to football. A full sternotomy would make things harder.

"If you don't divide [the sternum], it doesn't have to heal up again," said Schaff, who also performed Thomas' surgery in 2007. "And for Sam, that's a huge issue."

Maresh spent the weeks leading up to the surgery playing softball and hanging out with friends. Aside from a minor ear procedure as a young boy, he hadn't had any surgeries, but he wasn't intimidated until the night before.
"He asked me some questions that made me know [he was scared]," Bill Maresh said. "'Dad, so what is this heart-lung machine? So my heart won't be beating?' I said, 'No, it won't be. They take your blood and it goes through a machine that oxygenates it and brings it back in. Your heart's not doing that.'"

The Mareshes watched an educational DVD about the surgery. Then Sam went to sleep.

"It was midnight, and I had surgery at 5:30 in the morning," he said. "I woke up, and that's when I got a little jittery, like, 'This is really happening.'"

Bill Maresh A Minnesota jersey and a poster signed by the Gophers were with Sam Maresh as he started his recovery.

Schaff made the smaller incision and brought Maresh's aorta down to normal size. Unsatisfied with the repair attempt, however, he opted for the tissue replacement.

The surgery was deemed a success, and Schaff performed it needing only a partial sternotomy, much to the relief of the dozen or so family members in the waiting room.

"They'd come in and say, 'Sam is on the heart-lung machine,'" said Julie Maresh, Sam's mother. "And then when he was done, they said, 'He's back breathing OK.' We were like, 'Whew.'"

Two days after the surgery, Brewster and Minnesota linebackers coach John Butler visited Maresh. They brought a No. 17 Gophers jersey with his name on the back and a poster shaped like the state of Minnesota that all the players had signed.

Maresh had a surprise for his coach, too.

"'C'mon, coach Brew, you wanna take a lap around the floor?'" Brewster remembered Maresh saying. "And he's dragging wires and all this stuff. They're telling him, 'Don't do it.' Sam's like, 'Watch me. I'll be fine.'"

Despite Maresh's hospital-ward display, the surgery took a toll. He struggled to sleep. He lost 15 pounds in three weeks. His athletic exploits were limited to miniature golf with friends, after which he would "just pass out."

Thomas Allison, an exercise physiologist at the Mayo Clinic who has worked with many athletes, put Maresh through a testing program to ascertain what his heart could handle during rehab. Maresh was prohibited from lifting weights or engaging in any contact exercise for six months.

When he finally got cleared to start jogging, he had to make sure his heart rate didn't go above 125.
"Nothing like a wrestling workout," Maresh said, nodding at his dad, who had coached him in wrestling at Champlin Park High.

University of Minnesota Sam Maresh's rehab program prohibited contact exercise and lifting weights for six months.

Things began to get easier, and Maresh, who originally had targeted a 2010 return, made remarkable progress. Three months after the surgery, Maresh started thinking about participating in spring ball.

He wanted to start training at the university, but the Gophers' staff couldn't work with him until he officially enrolled in January.

There also was the risk of Maresh returning too soon. Minnesota had never had a case like his before, in which the athlete played football.

"The university's very nervous," Bill Maresh said. "They've got this kid, and they don't want to be liable. Here we are, pushing, going, 'Will you start working him out? Get going, already.' It took a while to get on the same page."
Added Sam: "They were surprised at where I was, as far as a recovery standpoint. They didn't know what to do."

Cleared for running and lifting, Maresh finally started working out with the Gophers in late January. The trainers followed a plan mapped out by Nishimura, which called for gradual reintegration.

"He was a little bit out of cardiovascular shape, which was fully expected," Gophers head football trainer Ed Lochrie said. "We'd let him do half a workout and then ride the rest on the bike at a slower pace. And in the weight room, he'd do a lot less weight, and he started with the group that lifted the least amount.
"So we just watched him."

Still, a spring return, once impossible, suddenly seemed realistic for Maresh. If only the pain in his left leg would go away.

Maresh had experienced leg cramps throughout high school, but he always would ice the cramp and be fine in a day or two. The pain returned when he started running after heart surgery, and it didn't improve. A chiropractor told him he had a strained calf, but he eventually went for an MRI, which revealed a mass. "It was irritating," Maresh said. "Why am I back at the doctor? I told my dad, 'Maybe God doesn't want me to play football.'"
The growth likely was not cancerous, but Maresh still underwent a biopsy. It showed that the mass was benign, mostly scar tissue left over from a previous injury.

Surgery was once again a possibility. And although not large, the mass was located deep in the calf muscle, close to nerves and an artery.

Doctors told Maresh that if he had it removed, he'd have only a 50 percent chance of playing college football. That made Maresh 100 percent sure of what he wanted to do: play through it.

"There was a pretty big risk of taking it out," Maresh said. "I've tried to set that aside, basically told myself that it's nothing. I'm running on it now, and everything's working out."

On the morning of March 24, Maresh and his parents sat at a table inside Minnesota's Hall of Fame at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. His first college practice, a goal some thought he'd never reach, would take place that afternoon.

"We went through a lot of stuff to get him to this point," Julie Maresh said.

Almost exactly two years earlier, the Mareshes were in the same building, attending another Gophers spring practice. Minnesota had been Sam's first Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offer, but others soon followed -- Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Miami.

Maresh didn't grow up a Gophers fan, but the high school junior immediately clicked with Brewster, who, upon seeing him, always asked, "How's my Urlacher doing?"

University of Minnesota Sam Maresh was the first big catch by Tim Brewster's Minnesota staff.

After attending a portion of the practice that day, Maresh and his parents hopped in the car to drive home. They barely had crossed the Mississippi River bridge on Interstate 35W when Maresh told his parents he wanted to commit to Minnesota. Bill turned the car around and headed back to campus. Sam walked into the indoor facility and spotted Brewster conducting drills with a group of tight ends.

"I came up to him and said, 'You think I could still have No. 17?'" Maresh said. "He said, 'You bet your ass you can!'"

Brewster hadn't coached a game at Minnesota. The program had been mediocre, at best, under Glen Mason.
"He kind of stuck his neck out for me," Brewster said of Maresh. "It wasn't the most popular thing as an in-state kid to stay at home and go to Minnesota when you've got opportunities to go elsewhere."

Maresh's choice became even less popular when Minnesota went 1-11 in Brewster's first season. "Sam had all the perspectives," Bill Maresh said. "It was, 'Wow, we're so proud of you for staying in the state,' and, 'How stupid can you be to stay on this football team?' Press people were afraid he was going to change his mind. Why would you stay in a 1-win program?"

Bill rapped his hand on the table.

"And he'd keep saying, 'I'm a Gopher. I'm not changing my mind. I'm not leaving coach Brewster.'"

As the season approaches, Sam Maresh needs Brewster to take the same leap of faith.

Doctors have green-lighted Maresh to run, hit and tackle. They have told him that with his condition, it's better to be the player delivering the blows than the one absorbing them. But if he feels symptoms like light-headedness or shortness of breath, he knows to shut it down.

"He's going to be pushing his heart to do things that most people wouldn't," Nishimura said. "It's going to be a combination of the amount of effort he's going to put out as well as the contact."

The risk is still there, but Maresh has cleared most of his hurdles.

"Most patients after surgery don't notice their incision, even if they've had a full sternotomy," Schaff said. "So once it's healed up completely, patients don't have a disability. But those are normal patients. Those aren't guys trying to stop a running back."

"His health is the most important thing," the surgeon continued, "but again, we don't see any reason he shouldn't try this."

The only reason, perhaps, is that no one else has.

Brewster has dealt with players coming back from torn ACLs, dislocated shoulders, even bigger-picture injuries like concussions. He never has had a football player come back from open heart surgery.

"I'm probably going to be more cautious with Sam than he wants me to be," Brewster said. "I'm a father of three sons, and I like to say I treat my 117 players like they're all my sons. You just can't help but take a more cautious approach, and that's what we're going to do. We're going to make 100 percent certain that he's 100 percent ready to go."

As a fellow coach, Bill Maresh empathizes with Brewster. But he also knows his son.

University of Minnesota Sam Maresh's next goal is to move up Minnesota's depth chart.

"He wants to move up the depth chart," Bill said. "That means that everybody's got to trust that he can. And think about being a coach, knowing, 'Well, what if I put him in there and something bad happens?' I talked to [Sam] and said, 'You're going to have to be kind of a driving force here.'

"That's going to take some pretty mature statements, saying, 'You need to put me in. If you don't put me in, you can't see where I fit here.'"

Sam Maresh spent Minnesota's first spring practice working with the third-string linebackers. He seemed to favor his left leg when running but participated in all the drills.

His conditioning isn't up to par yet, but he hasn't lost his football instincts.

"He's not looking at this like, 'I'm just happy to be out on the field,'" Butler said. "His goals are no different than they are for [Gophers defenders] Simoni Lawrence or Traye Simmons. He wants to play football in the NFL.
"Regardless of how his career ends up, whether he plays a down or whether he's a four-year starter and an All-American, you can't question that the kid truly wants to play football."

Brewster didn't hold back on national signing day in 2008, calling Maresh the "flag bearer for this university."
Maresh hasn't logged a play in maroon and gold, but his story has drawn interest and support from around the state and the country.

Well-wishers have flocked to the CaringBridge.org Web site the Maresh family set up to provide updates on Maresh during his comeback. His mother prints out most of the posts, which have come from places as far away as Arizona and Texas.

Some of Maresh's favorite messages have come from players and fans from rival high schools.

"I was the enemy," he said. "And it was really cool to see families from Blaine and Anoka, say, 'Hey, we're behind you. Who better to represent the state than you.'

"There are certain posts that leave you breathless. It really hits you how much support and comfort there is."
All that support will be packed into TCF Bank Stadium, Minnesota's new outdoor, on-campus facility, as it opens Sept. 12 with a game against Air Force.

Maresh thinks about the game nearly every day and admits he'll be nervous and a bit overwhelmed. But when it's time to take the field, he'll be ready.

"He's going to be out front, carrying that state of Minnesota flag into the stadium," Brewster said. "And nobody deserves it more than him."

Adam Rittenberg covers Big Ten football for ESPN.com. He can be reached at http://www.blogger.com/espnritt@gmail.com

MINNESOTA BEATS NORTHWESTERN TO OPEN THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT

THIS IS FROM THE MINNEAPOLIS START TRIBUNE

Gophers start, finish strong to win tourney opener. Minnesota lost a big first-half lead but held Northwestern scoreless for seven minutes and rallied to move into the Big Ten quarterfinals. Read the game report and expert analysis.

Star Tribune staff

After briefly losing the lead in the second half, Minnesota roared back with a 14-point run and defeated Northwestern 66-53 today to move into the quarterfinals of the Big Ten men's basketball tournament.
The Gophers will play No. 1-seeded Michigan State at 11 a.m. Friday.

Lawrence Westbrook led the Gophers with 14 points, all of them in the second half, and Devron Bostick added 11, all in the first half.

Kevin Coble scored 21 points for the Wildcats but was shut down in the second half, when he scored only two.
Trailing for most of the game, Northwestern rallied to take a 49-47 lead with 7:59 to play as the Gophers had trouble with Northwestern's defense and got out hustled for loose balls and rebounds. The Wildcats took the lead by outscoring Minnesota 19-5, including a 10-0 run, over a chunk of the second half.

Then, things changed dramatically. Ralph Sampson III moved the Gophers back ahead at 50-49 with a three-point play, which also marked the fourth foul by Coble.

Post game analysis from Star Tribune college basketball editor Dennis Brackin: You can put him on the bench at the start of games. You can cut his minutes. But, somehow, Lawrence Westbrook keeps showing up at the end. Westbrook, as he has often does, put the Gophers on his shoulders down the stretch today. And that victory might just earn the Gophers an NCAA at-large bid. The Gophers had a 50-49 lead with just over three minutes to play when Westbrook hit a jumper. A minute later he sank two free throws, pushing the lead to 54-49.

Westbrook, although returning to the starting lineup after two games, failed to score in limited minutes in the first half. He had 14 second-half points. We keep saying the Gophers don’t have a go-to scorer, but those numbers might make us re-think. And credit the Gophers perimeter defenders for smothering Northwestern’s Craig Moore. Moore had a horrendous shooting day, making only 2-of-14 three-pointers. Most of those shots were taken with a Gopher in his face. Had Moore had the kind of second half that Westbrook did, it would be the Wildcats advancing. But Westbrook once again saved his teammates.

Postgame analysis from startribune.com college basketball analyst Tricia Drury: Despite a poor first half and lots of turnovers, the Wildcats had a chance in this game, even taking the lead 49-47 with 7:47 left on a Michael Thompson circus layup, but the Cats didn’t score again for 7 minutes. The Gophers made mistakes and looked terrible on offense in the second half and really struggled against the 1-3-1 (no penetration, poor passing, bad shots) but when you can go on a 14-0 run in the final 8 minutes, you win. The Gophers defense is stifling at times. Westbrook’s ability to shoot FTs in the final minutes is a huge asset for this Gophers team, they are 10-2 when he leads in scoring and how can you stop him in the final minutes with the ball if he’s so deadly at the line? He makes his mistakes, but he can literally will a team to victory.


Trailing for most of the game, Northwestern rallied to take a 49-47 lead with 7:59 to play as the Gophers had trouble with Northwestern's defense and got out hustled for loose balls and rebounds. The Wildcats took the lead by outscoring Minnesota 19-5, including a 10-0 run, over a chunk of the second half.
A Westbrook bank shot moved the lead to 52-49.

Westbrook went to line after a Northwestern turnover on a back-door lay-up try and hit two free throws.

A two-handed slam by Sampson, off a pass by Damien Johnson, gave Minnesota a 56-49 lead and more free throws by the Gophers capped off their scoring.

Held scoreless in the first half, Johnson converted a three-point play to give Minnesota a 34-25 lead in the opening seconds of the second half.

Craig Moore answered with a three for Northwestern.

Threes by Lawrence Westbrook and Johnson moved Minnesota's advantage to 42-30.

Thompson, who picked up three fouls in the first half, hit a jumper for the Wildcats to give them a 42-32 lead before the television timeout with 15:07 left in the game.

A three by Wildcats defensive specialist Jeremy Nash made it 42-35, and the Gophers were having trouble at times handling Northwestern's 1-3-1 zone defense.

Devoe Joseph hit an off-balance lay-up for a 45-37 lead, but lost his man on a defensive switch and Luka Mirkovic made as lay-up to move Northwestern back within six at 45-39.

Westbrook hit a running, high-arcing layup for a 47-39 lead to end a possession where the Gophers worked the ball around the perimeter for almost the entire 35-second clock. The Wildcats went into the bonus situation with 10:10 remaining after Minnesota picked up its seventh four of the second half.

Another basket by Thompson, now playing with four fouls, brought the Wildcats within 47-43 and forced the Gophers into a time out.

Nash's steal after the time out and layup reduced the lead to two points.

Colton Iverson picked up his fourth foul and Thompson hit two free throws to tie the game at 47 and continuing a 17-5 run for the Wildcats. His layup high off the glass, to avoid being blocked, gave the Wildcats their brief lead.
First half highlights, analysis.

Minnesota went on an 16-point run to take a 22-8 lead over Northwestern midway through the first half in today's Big Ten tournament opener.The Gophers offense slowed for the rest of the half and the Gophers lead shrunk to 31-25 at halftime as Coble hit a three at the buzzer. He had scored Northwestern's first eight points as well.

Bostick led Minnesota with 11 points as all but four of the Gophers first-half points were scored by players who came off the bench.

Minnesota shot 43 percent from the field in the first half.

Halftime analysis from Dennis Brackin: Tubby Smith has talked about the importance of having a deep bench for postseason play. But this was ridiculous. Devron Bostick, who has barely played in recent weeks, came off the bench, to score seven points in the first 12 minutes, sparking Minnesota to a 22-8 lead. Colton Iverson, who sat out against Michigan in the final regular-season game with a shoulder injury, had four points, a steal and a block. With five minutes to play in the opening half, the Gophers’ bench had outscored the starters 21-4, and Minnesota had a 25-15 lead. That’s the kind of bench production that’s going to make Minnesota a threat in the postseason. The Gophers aren’t going to lose a game because they lost a star player on fouls, or to an injury. I’m betting that when the Gophers scrimmage, the second unit more than holds its own against the starters. By the way, the opening half did nothing to resolve who gets minutes in the back court. Al Nolen and Lawrence Westbrook were returned to the starting lineup after a two-game hiatus, but were non-factors compared to Bostick, Devoe Joseph and Blake Hoffarber. Westbook failed to score in limited minutes, and was pulled in the final minute after an off-balance shot. Westbrook looks like a player who is trying to figure out what his role is – a strange spot for a player who led the team in scoring during the season. The reserves might well define his role.

Haltime analysis fromTricia Drury: Great plan by Tubby Smith to just keeping throwing pressure and fresh bodies at a nervous and turnover prone 'Cats team. Northwestern averages 11 TOs a game, so it could prove nearly impossible overcome the 10 they committed in the first half. As a result, the Gophers got easy fast-break points. Because of the Gophers pressure defense and a possible case of nerves for NU, the Wildcats appeared to be well over matched here. But be careful of counting your chickens, Gophers fans. The Wildcats closed the lead to six. This NU team has put together a couple of second-half comebacks this season. If they calm those jitters, take care of the ball and start hitting the threes, watch out for the Wildcats. NU thrives in close games in the final minutes. Especially if the U starters don’t step up.

Nolen Jr., who slumped during the second half of the season and was reinserted into the starting lineup after being benched for the final games of the conference season, opened the scoring with a layup. He missed the free throw that would have given him a three-point play.

Coble's second three-pointer giving the Wildcats an 8-6 lead. Minnesota responded with baskets by Bostick (a three-pointer), Iverson (a hook shot off the glass) and another field goal by Bostick to take a 13-8 lead. Both of those players came off the bench for the Gophers.

Coble had 14 of the Wildcats' first 17 points while Minnesota's scoring was more balanced. With three minutes left in the first half, Bostick led the Gophers with 9; Blake Hoffarber, Iverson and Devoe Joseph had four apiece.
After a time out, Joseph drained a three-pointer from the corner and, after one of his three steals in the first half, Iverson went end-to-end for a two-handed dunk to up the lead to 18-8 and force Northwestern into another time out.

Hoffarber hit two free throws and Bostick scored on a dunk for a 22-8 lead before the Wildcats scored for the first time in more than five minutes when John Shurna hit a three.

After another Coble basketball, Hoffarber hit a lay-up and Joseph hit a free throw for a 25-13 Minnesota lead.

Thompson picked up his third foul with about 4:15 remaining and Travis Busch followed with a jumper for a 27-15 lead.

Senior Jamal Abu-Shamala, who had moved toward the end of the bench at times during the season, was also inserted into the starting lineup. He was one of 11 players who saw action for Minnesota today.

ILLINOIS DROPS MINNESOTA

THIS IS FROM DAVID MERCER OF THE AP, CHAMPAIGN, Ill.

Mike Davis scored 14 points and Trent Meacham added 13 to lead No. 20 Illinois to a 52-41 victory over Minnesota on Thursday night.

The Illini (23-6, 11-5 Big Ten) lost 59-36 at Minnesota in January.

Demitri McCamey added 10 points for Illinois, which took the lead for good and closed the game with a 14-2 second-half run.

Davis, who had 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double, had six points and six rebounds in the big run that lasted just under 10 minutes.

The Illini shot 42 percent from the field for the game, including 52.6 percent in the second half.

Damian Johnson had 18 points for the Gophers (20-8, 8-8), 14 in the first half.

While Illinois was finding its shooting touch, the Gophers lost what little they had in the second half when Johnson went 2-for-7 from the field.

Minnesota shot 34.4 percent in the first half, including going 0-for-9 from 3-point range. But it got worse in the second half when the Gophers shot 28.6 percent. During one stretch, the Golden Gophers managed just one field goal over 9 minutes. They didn't score over the game's final 6:21.

Illinois held Lawrence Westbrook, Minnesota's leading scorer, to four points, 8.5 below his average.

The Illini used a 9-0 run to take a 30-23 lead just under 2 minutes into the second half. The Gophers pulled within 38-37 with just under 11 minutes left on a steal and layup by Blake Hoffarber.

The Gophers took the lead at 39-38 on a basket by Travis Busch, but missed a chance to put some space between themselves and the Illini on consecutive misses by the suddenly cold Johnson, a jumper that clanked off the rim and another off the glass.

Davis made two baskets, the second a baseline jumper that gave Illinois a 42-39 lead with just over 8 minutes to play.

Minnesota's Ralph Sampson cut the lead to one, but Illinois hit two 3s — one by McCamey and another by Meacham — to cap a 10-2 run that made it 48-41 with 4:09 to play.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TAKES ON OHIO STATE FOR AN AFTERNOON TILT

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers will take on Ohio State on Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena. The Gophers are coming off their first loss of the season, falling to Michigan State 70-58. The Gophers are now 12-1.

The Buckeyes come into the contest with a record of 10-1. Their leading scorer’s are Evan Turner who averages 15.7 points per game and Jon Diebler 11.5. Minnesota’s leading scoring is Lawrence Westbrook who averages 12.8 points per game.

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS ARE TAKING ON HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are currently ranked number 23 in this week’s ESPN/USA Today poll. Tubby Smith is a graduate of High Point University. In fact, that is where Tubby Smith met his wife Donna. So this game will be a sort of a home coming for Tubby Smith. We will have to wait and see what the Gophers can do against his alma mater.

The Gophers enter this game with a record of 11-0. High Point comes into this game with a 4-7 record.

We are about to get this game underway here and the atmosphere in this game is electric. There was kind of a buzz about this team in the hall way when I was walking around out there earlier. We are underway here. High Point has started in a tough man to man defense. They don’t want the Gophers to get any easy shots here.

The Gophers are looking to get the ball out and push the ball up there court. The Gophers have gotten out to a quick lead here but as it is way too early to tell how this will play out they have been able to make shots here. Lawrence Westbrook has just hit a long three point shot here in the early goings. Al King Nolen Jr has been able to run the show here early in this game.

With 15:44 left to go in the first half the score in Minnesota 13 and High Point 5.

Lawrence Westbrook has gotten the hot hand here to star this game off tonight. He has been able to make some nice shots so far in this game. He just needs to slow down on the offensive end as he has had a couple of costly turnovers but it is just first half jitters.

The Gophers are trying to get the flow of the game. If they are able to control the tempo of this game they will be able to come away with the victory tonight. I think that turnovers will be the key tonight. If the Gophers keep turning the ball over and handing the game to High Point that will give the game to High Point. No team wants a lot of turnovers. That has been a concern of Tubby Smith’s all season long.

With 11:57 left to go in the first half the score is Minnesota 16 and High Point 11.

Tubby Smith has gone with the wholesale substitutions here in this game. He has subbed in all 5 players in different parts of this game here tonight.

Devoe Joseph has looked good in this game. He has been able to make a couple of good defensive stops here in this game.

The Minnesota Gophers are still looking to push the ball up the court here. High Point has played the Gophers well here in this game tonight. They have been able to disrupt the Gophers on the Gophers offensive end.

High Point has played well here in this game so far tonight. They have been quick and scrappy on both ends of the court here tonight.

With 7:46 left to go in the first half the score is Minnesota 26 and High Point 16.

The Gophers are still playing really tough man to man defense here in this game. They have really looked good here so far in the first half. The Gophers have played well on both ends of the floor so far in the first half.

For High Point Steadman Short has looked good so far in this game. He has made some nice moves around the basket. He has also done a good job battling the Gopher big men down in the low post. It should also be noted that he is wearing a full plastic face shielded that covers his whole face except his mouth.

The Gophers continue to play touch man to man defense. And they have also been able to find the basket here in the first half. They can’t get lackadaisical here and think that they have this game one because as you know any team can go on a run at any point of time. Deveron Bostick has looked sharp here in this game so far. He has been able to get a couple of nice shots up here in the first half.

At half time the score is the University of Minnesota Gophers 49 and High Point University 23.

In the first half High Point is shooting 8-28 (28.6%) from the field and 2-10 (20%) from three point range. The Gophers are shooting 18-34 (52.9%) from the field and (8-14) 57.1 % from three point range. High Point has committed 10 turnovers and the Gophers have committed 4 turnovers.

As the second half gets underway here the Gophers come out fired up ready to play. High Point is looking to take its time on the offensive end. They have really let the shot clock wind down before they think about taking the shot that they want to take.

High Point is looking to run there offence here they get it and swing the ball around the three point ark. Eugene Harris has looked good in this game so far. The other high point players look for Harris for their spark.

With 15:23 left to go in regulation the score is Minnesota 55 and High Point 35.

Both of these teams continue to play scrappy and hard here in the second half. They each want a win but Minnesota has to stay sharp here in this game because they don’t want to lose their focus.

The Gophers keep at it here and they continue to work and play hard. I don’t even think that these players know what the score is as they keep going after this High Point team. Colton Iverson continues to work hard in the low block.

With 11:48 left to go in regulation the score is Minnesota 64 and High Point 40.

High Point is playing a zone defense here in this game. They want to try to slow this Minnesota team down but it does not seem to be working. Kevin Payton who does not see much time has made an appearance in the game tonight. I think Tubby Smith is going to be giving his bench some time here with the score so out of hand at this juncture of the game.

With 7:30 left to go in regulation the score is Minnesota 75 and High Point 45.

The Gophers continue to play hard and well here. Both of these teams have gotten after loose balls here and they have players diving on the floor after them.

Eugene Harris has looked good in this game tonight. He has been a vocal leader here in the game tonight. High Point is looking to push the ball up the court here in a stretch here but they also have caught fumbles.

With 3:13 left to go the score is Minnesota 77 and High Point 54.

As this game winds down here the Gophers just wind down the clock here was they continue their winning streak here. They have finished the non-conference part of their schedule undefeated with a record of 12 -0.

The Gophers end up beating High Point by the final score of 82-56.

In a game that the Gophers won hands down and was considered a confidence builder for this team. In the victory tonight Ralph Sampson was the leading scorer tonight with a total 17 points. Lawrence Westbrook also came up big for the Gophers and he had 13 points. For the game the Gophers ended up shooting 52.5% from the field and 45.8 % from the three point line. The Gophers were also 58.3% from the free throw line.

High Point shot 33.9% from the field and was 33.3% from the three point line. They also shot 68.8% from the free throw line. For High Point, Eugene Harris was their leading scorer with a total of 18 points.

After the game Blake Hoffarber talked about how this team has really came around during the non conference part of the schedule. He though that a lot of guys stepped up and played well in the game this evening. Everyone is clicking right now. He really hasn’t thought too much about the Big Ten season as him and his team only tries to look toward the next game. He knows that his team has to be focused on their next opponent and can’t get too far ahead of themselves. He thinks that this team is ready for the Big Ten opponents. And this game was a confidence builder for the program.

Devon Bostick also thinks that this team is ready for the Big Ten season. He likes this system and knows each one of the players is doing their best in Tubby’s system.

Tubby Smith liked what he saw on the court this evening. He thought that they played with a purpose and he wanted to know how each of these guys would react in different situations. Even though Al King Nolen Jr was held scoreless in the game this evening, Tubby Smith give Al King Nolen Jr credit on leading the team in assists in the game tonight. Al King Nolen Jr was the leading assists man this evening with a total of 7. This is what Tubby Smith had to say about the game this evening. “I thought our guys played with purpose. We played with good concentration and good focus tonight. You're always worried that the team might be looking ahead to the holiday break, but this was a good performance for us.”

"A lot of guys had a chance to get out there and perform tonight. I think that will give us a lot of confidence, especially going into Big Ten play against Michigan State. Blake [Hoffarber], Devron [Bostick] and Devoe [Joseph] were the ones that really helped us to pull away. That shows that they're getting better; they're learning the system. They are starting to understand where their shots are going to come from and how hard we're going to play.

"High Point is the second-youngest team in the country. I've scheduled and played High Point a number of times before coming to Minnesota; they're athletic and they were able to get up and block shots at times. They're pretty physical, too. I think they'll do pretty well in the Big South this year. We're like every other team. We're battling with the hope that we're getting better. A school like High Point plays some guaranteed games and I'm grateful that they came up here."