In many ways, the Gophers' game today vs. lowly Penn State was every bit as important as Tuesday's win over No. 1 Indiana.
One could argue even more important.
For the win over the Hoosiers to mean anything, it has to be a part of something larger – Minnesota picking up the pieces and actually improving. They'll likely get into the NCAA tournament regardless, but keeping the momentum heading there is another story.
No, Saturday's matinee wasn't exactly the most exciting game the Gophers have had all year, but it was critical in several ways:
They showed continuity after an emotional win: The Gophers didn't come out flat. They didn't take Penn State for granted. They focused on the fact that they would be veryVERY embarrassed if they had let this one slip. And in a game where both teams were subject to an emotional letdown, that role was all Penn State's. Coach Tubby Smith had been vocal about his team's propensity to get too high and too low with the year's fluctuations – that the Gophers maintained their focus shows a real awareness on their part.
They kept their intensity, even after beating Penn State down quickly: I won't make too much of this because the Nittany Lions actually played quite poorly. But the Gophers' defense did have something to do with Penn State's cold shooting. And after taking a 16-0 lead to start, it would have been easy to relax a little. The Gophers didn't do that, keeping their own game at a high level throughout, even though they could have easily gotten away with a sloppier performance.
They gave the first hint that they may have actually improved in the turnover realm: Minnesota has held turnovers to ten in each of the last two games – not a easily dismissed statistic for a crew that has struggled with ball handling all year. The Gophers have had consecutive "good" turnover games before – against Wisconsin and Nebraska. Is this destined, like that streak to end or has something finally clicked with this team? Smith says he thinks the flex offense the Gophers are using is helping with that.
