As Keita Bates-Diop's free throw bounced off the rim Wednesday, Gophers center Bakary Konate reached up and snatched it — a rebound that led to a Nate Mason layup, cutting Ohio State's lead to one.
But that moment, coming with 13 minutes to go in a game the Gophers ultimately lost 78-63, was one of the few recent bright spots from their centers.
As the down-and-out Gophers head into their toughest test yet this season — top-ranked Michigan State comes to Williams Arena on Saturday for their Big Ten home opener — their poor play in the post takes a large share of the blame for their five losses over the past six games.
On both ends of the court, the Gophers are getting bullied in the paint. Offensively, they are making only 45.2 percent of their two-point attempts, which ranks 266th nationally. Ohio State posted 42 points in the paint to the Gophers' 26, and they were outscored in the paint by more than nine points per game in those five December losses.
Sophomore centers Konate and Diedhiou combined for only two points and two rebounds against the Buckeyes.
"They're young," senior Carlos Morris said. "It takes time. Some guys develop and blossom different than other guys. They've just got to get ready, man. They've got to step up."
Konate and Diedhiou were pegged as raw big men with high potential when coach Richard Pitino's staff recruited the pair. Both had previously played in Africa and Europe before arriving in the Twin Cities last summer. They played spot minutes as freshmen but were forced into larger roles this year with Konate starting and Diedhiou backing him up after Mo Walker and Elliott Eliason graduated.
Their transition to American basketball has come firmly in the spotlight, a reality that will continue when the Spartans come to town with three centers — including one of the conference's most lauded freshmen, Deyonta Davis — in tow.
