Minnesota’s defense fell apart in Thursday’s home game against Michigan. The Wolverines finished with 90 points, the most the Gophers have allowed under head coach Ben Johnson.
Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson scored more than anyone else on the floor. His 19-point night started with the game’s first couple of points via free throws. A three-pointer followed shortly after and Michigan’s explosive offensive night was underway.
Nearing halfway into the first half, Michigan’s lead began to climb. They went on a 13-2 run in less than three minutes and made seven shots in a row. With nine minutes to go, Minnesota was down by more than twenty points.
“The biggest thing to me was just disappointment,” Johnson said in the post-game press conference. “That’s not how we practiced the last two days, so I gotta figure out how we can translate how we practiced to how we play.’
Despite how bleak the game looked for the Gophers early on, Pharrel Payne and Ta’Lon Cooper were diamonds playing through a situational rough. Payne shut down Michigan’s hot streak after a devastating two-handed block and a one-handed swat on their next possession. Cooper knocked down a three-pointer with a minute to go to cap off a 10-0 run, shrinking Michigan’s lead to 13.
Cooper ended as Minnesota’s highest scorer and assist maker with 16 points and five assists. He was, by far, the team’s most efficient player. He complemented his 25.3% usage rate by making two of three three-point attempts and a 60 true shooting percentage. He was the only Gopher in the positives in net points (points produced minus points allowed).
Michigan led Minnesota at halftime 47-31. The Gophers had played down for the entire game up to this point, trying to catch up to what was now a 16-point lead at the half.
“You put yourself in a hole like that and then you’re trying the entire game to just get back into the game,” Johnson said. “It takes too much energy to win.”
Not only did Michigan’s lead grow in the next half, it doubled. Johnson’s squad was down 32 points with eight minutes and 24 seconds of basketball remaining.
It started similarly to the first half; however this time, it was Wolverines guard Dug McDaniel hitting the three to initiate the run. He led his team in points up until Michigan’s lead shrunk to 20.
Minnesota’s scoring run late in the game, shepherded by Payne’s 13 second-half points, made the team’s production look better than their overall performance. He closed out the game with a two-handed slam, pushing the final score to 75-90.
“When you look back on this, it was, I don’t want to say young, but inexperienced mistakes,” Johnson said. “You can’t have that, they absolutely crush you.”
The Gophers will attempt to rebound from their soul-crushing loss on Sunday when they host Associated Press’ 23rd-ranked Mississippi State. Johnson is 0-7 in games against ranked teams as head coach.
