Morris active with other guards struggling on Saturday

Fans watching Carlos Morris launch shot after shot -- with nothing but time left on the clock, no less -- in Minnesota's loss at Maryland might have been frustrated.

The Gophers weren't sharing the ball as they normally did and in stretches, it seemed like no one was even touching the ball outside of the eager wing.

But coach Richard Pitino -- who has cited Morris' shot selection as his greatest struggle many times -- didn't pull him, and he didn't reprimand him after the game. Why?

Morris was the only starter making any offensive noise.

Mo Walker was being doubled after a strong first half. Joey King never got it rolling. DeAndre Mathieu was allowing an abundance of turnovers to get him off his game. And Andre Hollins -- well, simply isn't looking like Andre Hollins these days.

Hollins and Mathieu combined for just six points, three assists and six turnovers.

"They're not new to this, they know what to do," Morris said of the pair of leaders afterward. "They've just got to keep working. Get in the gym. They know what to do. They've been here before."

But Hollins in particular is having trouble getting out of what has become a legitimate slump.

In the last four games, senior Hollins -- still the face of Minnesota basketball -- has failed to score in double digits, going 10-for-33 (30.3 percent) from the field in that span.

On Saturday, Hollins also had three rebounds and two steals, but defensive and rebounding effort aside, the Gophers simply can't afford for Hollins to struggle so much offensively. Verse Maryland, Hollins didn't look comfortable from all over the field. He passed up open shots in three-point land after his jumper clearly wasn't falling (he went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc). He didn't seem inspired to drive into the basket -- where Pitino thinks he's most effective -- at all.

What's the problem? It's hard to say. Hollins hasn't exactly been the most consistent player throughout his career.

Acknowledging the rut, Pitino sent a bit of a message postgame, challenging his shooting guard to work harder.