U men's basketball: The ball stops here

If you ever walk into Damian Johnson and Al Nolen's on-campus apartment, don't touch the remote. They're probably not interested in having the channel changed to "Entourage" or "American Idol."

The two Gophers men's basketball players, roommates and defensive standouts, prefer to use their TV to break down film. The joking starts when one sees the other caught on tape missing an assignment or messing up a chance to make an important play.

"We're always watching basketball together," said Nolen, a sophomore point guard. "We're always looking to see who's doing what, where, what's going on. We're just really, really good friends on and off the court, and I think that pays dividends on the court. Both of us strive to be good defensive players."

On their TV this week: the Dec. 20 Michigan State-Texas matchup and last season's 65-59 road loss against the No. 10 Spartans, Minnesota's opponent in its Big Ten opener at Williams Arena today.

The Gophers, No. 21 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/coaches polls, have a chance to make some noise in conference play, and they won't have to wait long to test their standing against two of the league's best squads. After Michigan State, the Gophers play host Saturday to No. 24 Ohio State.

The Gophers earned their first national ranking in six seasons after an 70-64 upset over then-No. 9 Louisville on Dec. 20, and they have their first 12-0 start since the late '40s. Wherever the Gophers go from here, the significance of Nolen and Johnson can't be overstated.

Johnson, a junior forward, said Nolen's work ethic has inspired him to become more deliberate about analyzing game film and look for ways to improve.

"Most of the time I walk in the room, he's watching game film from a couple of games before, seeing what he did wrong, what he does right and things that work," he said. "He's a real student of the game, and you gotta be impressed with that."

Entering today's matchup against the Spartans, few doubt Nolen and Johnson -- who are tied for second in the Big Ten with 2.33 steals per game -- will have to play well if the Gophers are going to pull off the upset.

After beating Louisville, Cardinals coach Rick Pitino jokingly offered Nolen a scholarship after his 18-point performance. Johnson, who also is second in the Big Ten with 2.33 blocks per game, helped hold projected NBA lottery pick Earl Clark to six second-half points. Their collective defensive pressure -- Nolen on the perimeter and Johnson in the paint -- has been instrumental to Minnesota's first 12-0 start in 60 years.

"He motivates me a lot on the court," Johnson said about Nolen. "He'll get going, then I'll get it going. We motivate each other really, so we have a real bond."

When the two friends seemed sluggish in Sunday's 82-56 victory against High Point, Gophers coach Tubby Smith noticed.

He said Nolen and Johnson's intensity level in every game, whether high or low, directly affects the rest of the team.

"They're the key to our defensive and offensive flow," Smith said. "They set the tempo from the start on both ends. And they're two critical people on our team."

Both players struggled at different points in their careers.

Prior to his freshman year, Nolen wasn't as focused academically as he said he needed to be at Minneapolis Henry, and was only accepted to Minnesota during the summer before the start of the school year. Today, he's not only one of the league's top defensive players, but he's also one of his team's most vocal leaders. That's a strong contrast from the more methodical and laid-back Nolen that rarely spoke up a year ago.

"I think I've grown a lot as far as my leadership," he said. "Just talking with Coach over the summer, watching a lot of film, I think just helped me a lot with my leadership. ... I'm also attacking the basket a lot more and being aggressive."

Johnson, who attends school more than 1,200 miles away from his hometown of Thibodaux, La., didn't want to quit after his freshman season, but he also didn't rule out transferring after averaging 1.6 points and 9.9 minutes per game. Johnson said Smith's staff helped him realize his potential.

"I thought about it, transferring, at times, but I said I just can't let anything stop me," Johnson said. "And I just said no matter what, next year I'm going to get on the court and I'm going to do whatever I have to do to get on the court. So I just stuck with it and fought it through."

The continued improvement of both players also has been felt on offense. Johnson and Nolen have expanded their games and have become more dependable scorers. Johnson's 10.7 points per game is second on the team, and Nolen's 8.0 ppg is fourth.

Although they get more attention for their defense, some of their other skills sometimes go unnoticed.

"People just give them credit for being great defenders," sophomore guard Blake Hoffarber said. "But I think they do a bunch more in their game that people don't even notice. They both fill up the stat sheets and make us play better when they're out there."