Some of coach Tubby Smith's first words in the post-game presser were: "Overall, there's a lot of things we need to work on."
But he said those words -- ie., he didn't yell those words -- and inferred there are a lot of positives to draw from the Gophers' 71-58 win over Bemidji State in their first exhibition game of the season. Of course, clearly there were negatives as well.
- Let's go over some of both:
The good:
Andre Hollins had a mostly positive performance Tuesday. He had eight assists -- six in the first half -- and showed intelligence in finding the open man and making good passes. Smith said he was pleased overall but would like to see him push the ball more in transition. - Trevor Mbakwe looked as good as advertised: 8-for-9 from the field, 17 points, 11 rebounds, a smattering of dunks, and he scored when the team needed it.
- Rodney Williams and Ralph Sampson III did their parts. Sampson was 1-for-4 from the charity stripe and missed some shots, but ended with 15 points. Williams didn't shoot much, but went 6-for-6 from the line.
- The team was active on the boards and showed flashes of intensity. Stretch those flashes for more than a couple minutes at a time and the team could have the kind of high-octane offense Smith envisions.
The bad:
- Bemidji State unloaded 10 three-pointers, unveiling a defensive shortcoming for the Gophers, who just watched them fall.
- The Gophers' second unit struggled to score or defend very well and at times didn't seem on the same page. In the second team's first stint, Bemidji State -- which started out down 8-0 -- went on a run to come within two points.
- Play generally dropped off in the second half. The Gophers shot 53.6 percent in the first and slumped to 45.2 in the second.
The ugly:
Collectively, the Gophers ...
went 12-for-19 from the free throw line -- 6-for-13 without Williams' stellar performance. - made just 1 of 7 three-point attempts.
- had 10 turnovers in the first half.
