Through 11 games this season, Gophers men’s basketball sits at a 6-5 overall record and 0-2 in conference play due to lackluster offense and dissatisfactory defense.
Defense was the only thing keeping the Gophers alive against non-conference opponents. The Gophers held five opponents to under 60 and all opposing teams to less than 64 points per game.
After the North Texas game on Nov. 13, which saw the Gophers lose 54-51, forward Trey Edmonds said defense is essential to winning.
“It’s one of the main things we focus on, regardless of what is going on,” Edmonds said. “We pride ourselves on defense… but there is still a lot to do.”
Since conference play began, the defense disappeared. After two Big Ten games, the Gophers gave up 90 points against Michigan State and 82 points against Indiana.
Head coach Ben Johnson talked about the mood in the locker room after their loss to Michigan State on Dec. 4.
“Disappointment, because they knew,” Johnson said. “It’s that consistency part, not having breakdowns against good teams. One breakdown leads to two, two leads to three.”
Johnson said they know the standard of what it takes to compete, and they will be trying to play to that standard from here on out.
All season, however, the offense has been abysmal. The Gophers are averaging less than 66 points per game.
They are bottom three in the conference in scoring, free throw percentage, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, point-differential and rebounding.
The Gophers beat one team over .500 (Central Michigan), but their schedule has not been easy lately.
They played and lost to multiple teams with winning percentages over .700. The Gophers lost to Wichita State (8-1), Wake Forest (8-3), Indiana (8-2), Michigan State (8-2) and North Texas (6-3).
Their most recent game was Monday against Indiana when they lost 82-67. Indiana shot under 57% from the field, while the Gophers shot over 47%.
The schedule will only get tougher now that Big Ten play is underway. The Gophers have their final two non-conference games before facing off against Purdue (8-2), Ohio State (6-3) and Wisconsin (8-2).
Gophers’ Stats
Through 11 games, only three Gophers are averaging 10 or more points per game (ppg). Forward Dawson Garcia (19.3 ppg) and guards Mike Mitchell Jr., who only played in four games this season, and Lu’Cye Patterson are each averaging 10 ppg.
Rounding out the starting lineup is guard Brennan Rigsby (6.6 ppg), forward Femi Odukale (4.9 ppg) and center Frank Mitchell (4.1 ppg). Not including Mitchell Jr., the Gophers’ most consistent starters are averaging under 50 combined points per game.
When asked about the team’s poor shooting numbers, Rigsby responded simply after the Bethune-Cookman game on Dec. 1.
“We’ve been struggling with that, and I think we’re going to shoot better,” Rigsby said. “That’s going to be easy, we’re pretty bad, so only up from here.”
Rigsby added they are getting good looks and the shots just need to start falling, but he is confident they will.
The season is still young and conference play has just begun, so the Gophers have a lot of time to turn the season around. In the expanded Big Ten, however, the Gophers need to turn it around sooner rather than later if they want to compete.
