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.