A big difference from last season is that the Gophers can feel bad about how they played and miss one of their key players, but still come away with a victory.
That was the case in Friday's 57-45 win against Southern Illinois.
One of the things that frustrated Richard Pitino the most about his team was the lack of flow and execution offensively. Minnesota had just 13 assists, four below the season average.
Playing without starting center Reggie Lynch took away arguably the Gophers' best low-post scoring threat. But they could've made up for his absence with better ball movement to get open shots, especially in the first half Friday.
"We make ourselves look really, really good when we share the ball," Pitino said. "We get out on the break, share the ball and do good things. Today, we didn't do that. Fortunately we got the win."
Pitino pointed out that Minnesota gave itself a chance to win by defending the three-point line (Southern Illinois shot 2-for-17) and won the rebounding battle (44-37).
But the Gophers allowed the Salukis to stay in the game after shooting a season-low 38 percent from the field.
In the first half, the Gophers found themselves trailing 18-14 when Murphy scored back-to-back baskets, including an emphatic baseline dunk. Amir Coffey, who had a team-best 13 points, followed with a dunk plus the foul when Nate Mason found him in transition. Mason then scored a three-pointer and on a layup after forcing a 10-second violation on SIU.
