Nolen goes down, but U steps up

ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Over the past three weeks, Al Nolen has played some of his best basketball. For the bulk of the Gophers' 69-64 victory at Michigan on Saturday, however, he could only play cheerleader.

But the 15th-ranked Gophers didn't get discouraged while their starting point guard missed the second half because of what coach Tubby Smith called a sprained right ankle.

They just filled in the gaps.

Two freshmen, Maverick Ahanmisi and Chip Armelin (12 points combined), along with senior Blake Hoffarber (six assists, no turnovers), shared point guard duties with Nolen sidelined. They were efficient.

And the Gophers shot better from the floor than they had all season, 63.4 percent.

"It's tough but that's been the story of the season, when one guy goes down another one [has to] step up and I think Mav and Chip did a great job [filling] his shoes," said Trevor Mbakwe, who shared the team lead with 13 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. "Hopefully we'll have [Nolen] for next game. If not, guys are going to have step up again."

In December, freshman center Mo Walker suffered a season-ending knee injury. Junior guard Devoe Joseph left the team earlier this month.

The senior captain landed awkwardly on a defensive sequence late in the first half of Saturday's game. He grimaced and limped to the bench, after playing only 11 minutes.

Without Nolen, the Gophers still managed a strong second half.

After overcoming a nine-point deficit to take a 31-29 halftime lead, the Gophers (15-4, 4-3 Big Ten) came out of the break on a 7-0 run. Ahanmisi capped the rally with a three-pointer that extended the edge to 38-29.

The Wolverines (11-9, 1-6) wouldn't fall easily, responding with a 12-2 rally of their own to go ahead 41-40 on Darius Morris' three-pointer with 11:19 to go.

From there, the Gophers manhandled a Michigan team that lost its sixth consecutive game. They outscored their opponent 20-9 over the next nine minutes, seizing a 60-50 advantage with 2:12 to go.

Smith praised his team's ability to win without Nolen but also acknowledged his significance to the program.

"He was playing extremely well," Smith said of Nolen. "Al's been the key to our resurgence for the last few weeks. ... He'll be fine. I think we'll get him back, get treatment. But it tells me a lot about Blake, about Maverick, about Chip, those guys.

"... When he said that he turned his ankle, I was a little less concerned. It's the same foot [that cost Nolen five games earlier this season], but it wasn't really the part where the stress fracture [was]."

Later on, Nolen communicated with concerned fans via Twitter, telling one of his followers that he "messed up my foot but its been a nagging injury."

The last time the Gophers visited Crisler Arena, they lost by 28 on March 2. But Nolen's injury simmered the joys of the team's first Big Ten road victory this season and first over Michigan since the 2007-08 season.

His teammates hoped for the best.