Fans see Pitino's Gophers fall in another high-wire act

The Amazing Pitinos performed another victory-defying feat on Saturday under the historic big top that is Williams Arena.

The degree of difficulty in achieving an 85-78 loss to Maryland (the fifth straight in the Big Ten) was considerable, when you witnessed the following acts during the first half of the show:

Freshman Amir Coffey was a shot-making and passing whiz, with 11 points and four assists. Junior Reggie Lynch had the opposition trembling on drives to the basket, with three blocks, six rebounds and only one foul. Akeem Springs, the senior transfer, showed there's more to his game than threes, charging past aggressive defenders for three of his four baskets.

The Gophers were leading Maryland 33-26 at halftime, and it appeared as if gamblers had a more accurate assessment of this contest than you could find in the Big Ten standings.

The Terrapins were 6-1 and tied for first with Wisconsin, yet the Gophers were 4½-point favorites on their elevated court.

Richard Pitino, the Gophers' ringmaster, had assured his players and the team's followers that the NCAA train still was going strong, even with consecutive losses to Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State.

At last look, the Gophers remained in the Top 25 in the Ratings Percentage Index, getting much credit for victories at Purdue and Northwestern, and few demerits for the lone nonconference loss at Florida State.

The first hint that things might take a turn in the second half came when Lynch was called for his second foul in the first three minutes. That already was the sixth foul called in the half by the officials.

Mike Eades, Larry Sciotto and Kelly Pfeifer had called a total of eight fouls (four on each team) in the first half. They called 28 fouls, 14 on each team, in the second half.

I didn't know which was which, but one of these intrusive clowns went so far as to call consecutive lane violations on Maryland as Jordan Murphy was flinging free throws.

Back in the day, the NBA gave free throwers three to make two. Saturday, Murphy was given four to make two, which he accomplished in Wilt Chamberlain style.

The Gophers had taken early control with a 17-1, five-minute burst to make it 21-9. Maryland eased back within hailing distance but didn't get even until Anthony Cowan's drive made it 54-54 with 10 minutes left.

The audience in Williams Arena has become so well-trained watching this act that many decided to escape the sight of the failed landing.

The Gophers were down 82-78 with 25 seconds left, Maryland's 6-10 Damonte Dodd was at the line, and there went hundreds of spectators up the aisles.

Still, most of the Gophers hardcores that I hear from continue to forgive Pitino the Younger for his shortcomings. And I would guess as these early departees made way to their vehicles, you still could hear the excuse, "We have such a young team."

Guess what? Maryland started three freshmen on Saturday: Justin Jackson, Kevin Huerter and Cowan. They combined for 55 points and played 95 minutes.

Melo Trimble, the star junior guard, was so impressed with the freshmen that he spent most of his time helping them. He had nine assists, no turnovers and was content with nine shots and 13 points, 4.4 below his average.

"Yes,'' Trimble said. "Definitely.''

Maryland came to Williams Arena with a veteran team and a No. 6 ranking last February. The Gophers were 0-13 in the Big Ten. The Terps played horribly and lost 68-63, and several hundred members of a small crowd rushed the court.

This time, Trimble said: "Justin and Kevin were hitting shots. I was going to be a leader and keep getting the ball to them. And for me … no turnovers was crucial."

Springs stayed dangerous all afternoon, finishing with 23, but what became crucial was Lynch fouling out (of course), Coffey not scoring in the second half and Nate Mason (2-for-10) returning to his wayward ways as a shooter.

Add it up and the Amazing Pitinos defied victory again. The RPI might still indicate NCAA, but the Big Ten standings — halfway home at 3-6 — say young Richard could be getting a shot at another NIT title.