Cold shooting derails U's chance at an upset

The Gophers stayed close with the Badgers on their home floor, only to be done in by a series of missed layups.

By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune

Last update: February 18, 2008 - 1:09 AM

MADISON, WIS. -- Asked Friday by reporters about the Gophers men's basketball team's faint NCAA tournament hopes, senior guard Lawrence McKenzie interrupted with a disgusted look.

"You can never, never give up," he said.

For a while Saturday against Wisconsin, the Gophers might have made their fans believe.

And then, like their once promising season, everything unraveled. Their shooting. Their rebounding. Their late-game poise.

After McKenzie's three-pointer tied the score with 8 minutes, 44 seconds to play, the Gophers missed seven shots in a row, including four layups. Ultimately, their 31.3 percent shooting from the floor in the second half doomed them to a 65-56 loss to the No. 15 Badgers in front of an announced 17,190 at Kohl Center, all but ending Minnesota's NCAA tournament hopes.

The Gophers had made Wisconsin look ordinary all afternoon on its home court, but they fell apart at the end with the game on the line.

"It's kind of been our whole deal this whole year," Gophers said senior center Spencer Tollackson, who finished with only four points and one rebound in 12 minutes. "We haven't really been able to close out the games. I thought we did some things well tonight. Some guys stepped up. We just couldn't finish it."

With 7:07 left, Brian Butch made both ends of a one-and-one, putting Wisconsin up 47-45. At the other end, Gophers forward Dan Coleman missed a driving layup, then fouled Marcus Landry after the Badgers forward pulled down the rebound.

Landry made two free throws, and after three more Gophers misses on one possession, Michael Flowers hit a three-pointer that put the Badgers' lead back to seven.

"I mean, it was like the turning point; I missed a pivotal close one," said Coleman, who finished with 10 points. "And that was a huge bucket that we needed. At that point and time, it would've been a big lift for us."

Wisconsin (21-4, 11-2 Big Ten) capitalized off the Gophers' late-game comedy of errors, finishing with a 20-11 run, with 13 points coming at the foul line.

The Gophers (15-9, 5-7) fouled out of frustration, took ill-advised shots and lost their cool in the final minutes after failing on the simple scoring chances that could have turned the game in their favor.

"We missed easy shots," Gophers coach Tubby Smith said. "It's a low-scoring game. Every point counts."

Freshman guard Al Nolen provided one bright spot for the Gophers, getting the start and finishing with six points, five assists and three steals, while helping hold Wisconsin's Trevon Hughes to 11 points. Hughes scored 20 in the first meeting between the two teams, a 63-47 Badgers victory Feb. 3.

With their NCAA tournament chances all but dead, the Gophers can at least have a positive outlook on the future if players such as Nolen continue to excel. But for this season, an NIT bid likely will have to do. Although that's more than last season's 9-22 Gophers could expect, it's not what this year's team wants.

"We're definitely playing for pride," Tollackson said.

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