Minnesota freshman Jordan Murphy might be hitting a new stride as the season draws to a close. The 6-6 forward followed up his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor with another double-double in the Gophers' 83-61 win over Rutgers on Tuesday night. But the most impressive thing about Murphy, for now, might be what he's NOT doing.
As coach Richard Pitino has pointed out many times, the points Murphy is getting are mostly the result of scrapping, fighting, pure will. His athleticism allows him to get putbacks and dunks that others wouldn't have access to. But his moves to the basket aren't totally polished yet and he's missing some easy buckets. Basically, Murphy is dominating despite not really knowing what he's doing out there. Assuming he can continue to develop and improve in those areas, the ceiling could be quite high.
"I think when he gets really good on the low block, he's going to be a bit of a matchup issue in this conference," Pitino said after Tuesday's victory. "He's extremely productive for a freshman. He kind of just makes plays happen."
Gold in the Barn: startribune.com/gophers
