YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
Michael Rand started RandBall with hopes that he could keep lies from conquering the minds of the weak. So far, he's only succeeded in using the word "redacted" a lot. He welcomes suggestions, news tips, links of pure genius, and pictures of pets in Halloween costumes here, though he already knows he will regret that last part.
Follow Randball on Twitter
Friday (The keys to the Gophers game) edition: Wha' Happened?
Posted by: Michael Rand
under
Sports
Updated: March 19, 2010 - 9:45 AM
Here's a true statement: it seems as though every time we make a conscious effort to watch the Gophers men's basketball team, they lose in agonizing fashion. Wisconsin victory this year? Missed it. Michigan State win in the Big Ten tournament? Missed almost all of it, with the exception of pieces of overtime. Purdue win in the Big Ten tournament? Missed the first half, which saw Minnesota go up 37-11. One-point losses to Michigan State and Purdue during the regular season? Saw every minute. Home loss to Michigan? Every second. It probably has something to do with the inconsistency of the team. They lose, we give up on them, they win, we come back, they lose again.
So today, of course, we are back. And we would like to offer a quick look at some of our keys to this 11:25 a.m. game vs. Xavier.
*Three-point shooting. Minnesota shoots 40.4 percent from long-distance, best in the Big Ten. Xavier shoots 37.2 percent, which would have been good for third in the Big Ten. Both teams can light it up. If one has the hot hand while the other is cold, look out.
*The number of times we scream "WESTBROOK" at the top of our lungs for something ridiculously awful done by senior guard Lawrence Westbrook must not exceed two in any half of play or three for the entire game. That is what it has come to for us and Mr. Westbrook. That's our tentative truce. We can put up with a few crazy shots, bad passes and/or defensive lapses, but they cannot be constant.
*Coaching. This is why we got Tubby, right?
*Sampson and Iverson. Iverson and Sampson. At least one of them has to man up and play big inside. Preferably both.
*Some numbers: 16, 43, 12, 135. What do they mean? We don't know. But they could be important today. We'll circle back on this later in the afternoon.
*Wisconsin mojo. Continuing the theme of Wiscsonsin actually giving Minnesota positive things (Brett Favre, Ryan Longwell, Spotted Cow), we are holding out hope that the Milwaukee location will be a very good thing for the Gophers and their fans.
*Seizing the day. Seriously, a Sweet 16 berth is not out of the realm of possibility. Did you see what happened to the Big East yesterday? Marquette (No. 6), Notre Dame (No. 6) and Georgetown (No. 3) were all bounced. Villanova (No. 2) needed overtime to avoid an upset from No. 15 Robert Morris. MORE LIKE THE BIG LEAST. Amirite? Talk about an entire conference that might be overhyped (East Coast bias) and overinflated -- and with No. 3 seed Pittsburgh, more Big East cannon fodder, either awaiting the winner of today's game between the Gophers and Xavier or ripe for an upset via No. 14 Oakland today ... well, are you thinking what we're thinking?
ADVERTISEMENT
recent posts
- TFD: Sen. Al Franken helps Swarm lacrosse team clear up visa issue
- Video: Will Ferrell introduced starting lineups at last night's Bulls/Hornets game
- Stu's Hunt Down: Ex-Gophers Hosea Crittenden, Ernest Nzigamasabo and Russ Archambault
- Thursday (All eyes on Williams Arena) edition: Wha' Happened?
- That was Kevin Love in Uptown, giving away autographed stuff
- ESPN's Keith Law ranks Twins' farm system 14th out of 30 organizations
- Rocket's Red Glare: Learning to hate the Pacific Northwest and the Vancouver Canucks
- RandBall: Rubio and Pekovic need their own TV show
- TFD: 900 pounds of Butterfingers dropped off in Boston, in case Gisele Bundchen didn't humiliate Wes Welker enough
- Web site stirs up Troy Aikman + Erin Andrews love connection talk
- RandBall: Who is the best ex-Minnesota athlete not in the Hall of Fame?
- Tuesday (What should we expect out of Derrick Williams?) edition: Wha' Happened?
- TFD: Patriots Super Bowl roster had 18 players who were two- or no-star high school recruits
- RandBall: Gardy reveals Opening Day lineup (for now)
- Mid-day talker: Kevin Love's two-game suspension -- too much, not enough or right on?
- Monday (Eli Manning -- creating a Hall of Fame career?) edition: Wha' Happened?
- Weekend Links with Jon Marthaler: Super Bowl vs. Superb Owl
- RandBall: Urban Meyer has Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema all upset
- Frank Thomas might want to spread out his Big Hurt Beer and Josh Hamilton support tweets a little
Post By Category
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2012 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters