Gophers made their hosts comfortable

The Gophers held a Super Bowl pre-party at the Barn on Sunday and fulfilled their obligations as hosts by making their neighbors feel as comfortable as possible.

During Wisconsin's 63-47 victory, the Gophers men's basketball team offered the Badgers everything but bean dip and a Barcalounger. The Gophers also held form: It's February, and they have yet to beat a team that can be described with superlatives as lofty as "good."

Entering the Big Ten schedule, Tubby's team looked promising and tough-minded, like a group willing to expend a great deal of effort and emotion on a daily basis.

Supposedly winnable home games against Indiana, Michigan State and Wisconsin have exposed the Gophers. They're as soft and mysterious as guacamole.

Tubby Smith's dreams of having a 10-deep team have been replaced by the reality that he has few players he can trust to show up against a quality opponent.

Even the supposedly improved defense lapsed Sunday in the face of a team that can shoot. Wisconsin was 57.7 percent from the field in the first half -- against a supposedly strong defensive team, on the road, in a joint known for a tough shooting background.

What should be most concerning for fans of this program is that in three Big Barn Games -- the kinds of games that brought out the best in Clem Haskins' teams -- these Gophers are trending downward. They put up a strong effort against Indiana, only to lose at the foul line. They wilted against a struggling Michigan State team, and failed to show up against a pretty good -- and very well-coached -- Wisconsin team.

"I don't know how that can be," he said. "I don't know how your mind can not be there. You're playing Wisconsin, your archrival."

At home. "This one was probably worse than the last one," Smith said. "The last one [against Michigan State], we at least gave ourselves a chance. This one we didn't have a chance."

Say this for Smith: He doesn't mind publicly displaying his disgust for lousy play. After a turnover early in the second half, Smith's son, Saul, the assistant coach, waved his hand in the air. It was difficult to discern whether he was expressing disdain or waving in substitutes, but Tubby quickly called all five starters off the court.

It was a sad commentary on the game that this move produced one of the loudest ovations of the day.

Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan also called all of his starters off the court -- after calling a timeout with 37 seconds left to play his deep reserves.

Smith is still waiting for the three senior starters -- Dan Coleman, Spencer Tollackson and Lawrence McKenzie -- to show up. Tollackson managed six points and just one rebound. Coleman went scoreless in the first 10 minutes and finished with nine points and four rebounds. McKenzie finished with five points, two rebounds and two assists.

They were all outplayed by Wisconsin sophomore guard Trevon Hughes, who grabbed hold of the game quickly and never let go, finishing with 20 points, three rebounds, three assists and six steals in 32 minutes.

A little-known sophomore on the road trumped the Gophers seniors: That's a bad sign for Minnesota, but this is the Big Ten, and there is always a soft stretch of schedule ahead.

The Gophers' next three games are against Northwestern, Iowa and Illinois. A winning Big Ten record remains a possibility. Even more heartening for the Gophers is that, in this league, they could build a winning record without breaking form and beating a good team.