Live blog/open thread: Gophers vs. Xavier

First, are you pondering this from CBSSports.com, one of the most ridiculous reports we have ever seen put out there?

Auburn is "close to hiring" Tubby Smith as its new basketball coach, a source that I trust told me Thursday night.

It could be nothing, but it is known that the school might be looking for an African-American coach. And Tubby getting back to the SEC would make sense. It's not the pressure cooker of Kentucky. It's a new building and a lot of rebuilding with the Tigers.

A source that he trusts? Is that even a source close to the situation? And "it could be nothing" right after dropping that first-paragraph bombshell? Sorry, but the early part reads as close to fact, and the latter part reads as pure speculation. Pretty bad.

That said, we are not here to talk about Tubby's situation. We are here to offer you a live blog/open thread forum for today's game, which tips off shortly. We'll be updating fairly frequently for those who can't watch. And if you are following along, jump in with your thoughts in the comments.

Oh, and if you would like to see some NCAA bracket talk from a guy currently standing in 15th place out of 27 teams in his own pool, check out the work we did on yesterday's "Good Question" with WCCO's Jason DeRusha.

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Final assessment: The Gophers' season ended the way it existed for much of the year -- with moments of sustained excellence, greater fits of inconsistency and frustration (looking at you, Mr. Westbrook) and an overall question about where things go from here. Will Tubby Smith really leave for Auburn or another school? Will Royce White, Trevor Mbakwe and and incoming recruits have a chance to make in impact? There's no doubt the program is in better shape than when Tubby arrived. But we also would say there's no question the expected payoff hasn't arrived yet.

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If Minnesota was the better team in the first half ... well ... that certainly isn't the case in the second half. Xavier made the better adjustments and, most importantly, has kept its poise much better. In tossup games like this, the team with the best player is often the team that wins. Jordan Crawford is the best player on the court. Lawrence Westbrook has 2 points in the half. And at 57-46 with 5 minutes left, it sure looks like Xavier is on the way to a victory. It's not over yet, but ...

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Minnesota is starting to wear down and settle for deep threes instead of moving the ball. It's 52-44 Xavier with a little over 7 minutes to go. A fresh Westbrook is back in the game. The Gophers -- it probably goes without saying -- could really use a quick 5-0 or 6-0 burst to get themselves back in a more comfortable position down the stretch. Otherwise we could be looking at another 1-and-done at the tourney.

Second update, second half: Xavier 47, Minnesota 42 with 11:21 left. Jordan Crawford is taking this thing over, but Minnesota is hanging in there. This game feels like it will remain tight as long as the Gophers can weather the storm. That said, the confidence level in a victory is not nearly as high as it was at halftime. A different Xavier team has shown up for the start of this second half, and the Gophers will have to answer.

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First update, second half: Bad first possession, with a nice drive by Crawford to set up a three-point play. Crawford is starting to get going, and his sweet scoop layup was an eye-opener. He just drained a 3-pointer as well, and the quicker pace right now clearly favors Xavier. It's 40-36 Xavier at the 15:20 mark, with Devoe Joseph about to go to the line. Minnesota needs to tighten up on defense and get the slow the pace a little.

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Halftime update: All knotted at 26 apiece. Our mantra continues: Minnesota looks like the better team. Xavier looks like the team getting the breaks (three out of bounds tossups all went to Xavier, including two that were overturned from Minnesota's ball to Xavier's, and one call that was flat-out wrong). If the Gophers continue to get some of the same looks for Hoffarber, similar production from Westbrook (he was flat-out fabulous with 15 points, including a tying three in the final minute that was a huge momentum play), more great defense from Iverson and ANYTHING from Joseph, Johnson and/or Sampson, and we like the chances of the local squad advancing to round two. Want a predicted final score right now? Minnesota 64, Xavier 58. Note: We've been known to be wrong.

Fifth update: At what point does a point of optimism become a point of concern? The Gophers have largely been in conrol of this game on the defensive end and have kept Xavier's Crawford in check. Yet here we sit with less than 4 minutes left in the first half, and Xavier has a 20-19 lead. Ralph Sampson is giving Minnesota nothing. Colton Iverson and -- gasp -- Lawrence Westbrook have been terrific. Hoffarber has missed two wide-open looks from 3. Game plan from our standpoint, for the Gophers: keep doing what you're doing, ride Iverson in the second half (he has two fouls and likely won't see the court again until then), and hope Hoffarber starts making his shots. Also, Joseph and Johnson haven't done much offensively. They could spark a run at any point.

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Fourth update: 6 team blocked shots in first 12 minutes, including 3 by Iverson.

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Third update: 9-0 run for Minnesota, keyed by defense and just aided by Westbrook's nothing-but-net three pointer.. It's 17-15 Gophers as Xavier calls a timeout with 7:48 left, and -- not being a homer here -- we really think Minnesota looks like the better team here. A little bit of better luck early (Westbrook's banked three early notwithstanding) and the Gophers could be up 6-8 points.

Second update: Cobbs and Bostick are in. Offense is looking pretty ragged. Don't like this lineup. Minnesota didn't score in that four-minute segment. 11-8 Xavier with a little under 12:00 left in the first half.. That said, Minnesota still looks plenty active on defense and hasn't been rewarded for some of its hustle. This game should be close -- would be surprised if either squad opens up more than a 10-point lead.

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