So much for a high note to end season

There weren't any surprises or new results. No game-winners or clutch free throws. No postgame pile-ups or "Tubby!" chants. Just the same bad movie that has played over and over again since late January.

The Gophers fell to Penn State 66-63 Sunday at Williams Arena in their final regular-season game because of their inability to make plays in the final minutes. Senior Blake Hoffarber's three-pointer at the buzzer scraped the front of the rim, seconds after he had cut Penn State's lead to one with a trey. Talor Battle (game-high 22 points) hit a pair of free throws before Hoffarber's final attempt.

Hoffarber's earlier three-point play put his team ahead 57-56 with nearly two minutes to go, but the Gophers were in a 64-60 hole 90 seconds later.

The Gophers (17-13, 6-12 Big Ten) have lost nine of 10. Their failure to execute in close games has contributed to most of those defeats and their position as a likely NIT participant.

"We just didn't have the ability to knock the shots down and they made the big shots and we didn't. Once again that's been our problem in just about every loss," coach Tubby Smith said. "We haven't really been a team that's made clutch shots all year long or finished games the right way. Today was just a carryover from our past losses."

After their final regular-season game last year, the Gophers broke out of the status quo and shocked doubters with a run to the Big Ten tournament title game and an invitation to the NCAA tournament.

This year's squad doesn't have the same vibe. Last year's Gophers ended the regular season with a 35-point romp over Iowa. These Gophers finished Sunday with the same instability that has led to the first five-game losing streak in Smith's coaching career.

Smith said the Gophers have to make significant progress before Thursday's first-round game against Northwestern to equal last year's success in Indianapolis.

"We've got a long ways to go," he said. "We've got a lot to do between now and when we play Northwestern. But we're capable. We've got talent."

After finishing ninth in the Big Ten, the Gophers need a conference tournament championship to guarantee their third NCAA bid under Smith. But they probably won't have Al Nolen to help them.

"I don't see it happening. Put it that way," Smith said.

If the Gophers get past Northwestern, a team that defeated them last week, then they will play No. 1 Ohio State on Friday. The Buckeyes beat the Gophers twice by a combined margin of 16 points.

Their run in the 2010 conference tourney proved that a run is possible. Players and coaches agree they will need Hoffarber, who scored 17 points in his final regular-season game at Williams Arena, to lead the way.

"I think we gotta run him off more screens. Everybody knows Blake's going to touch the ball if we're down in late-game situations," said Rodney Williams, who scored 14 points Sunday. "We just gotta do a better job of setting screens and getting him open."

The Gophers need to feed Hoffarber in Indianapolis. He matched a conference high with 15 shots Sunday. He struggled from long range (2-for-7 from beyond the arc), but late in the game he made plays because he had the ball in his hands. The Gophers missed their best chance to interrupt Penn State's momentum when he didn't.

Ralph Sampson III, a 6-for-25 shooter on three-pointers this season, caught a pass at the top of the key after a late timeout and the Nittany Lions (16-13, 9-9) up 62-60. He then airballed a three with plenty of time on the shot clock.

"I guess that was him trying to make a play. Twenty-five seconds on the shot clock. I don't know, he was wide open, I guess he thought he could make it," Smith said.

To impress again in the Big Ten tournament, the Gophers will need Sampson and other experienced players to play beyond their perceived potential, Smith said.

"The guys that are veteran players have got to give us more. They've gotta step up and play extraordinary. They've gotta go beyond what they think they're even capable of doing," Smith said.

Throughout their slide, the Gophers have grown more comfortable with the idea of playing in the NIT. They haven't won since Feb. 13. And they know their chances of pulling off multiple upsets in the conference tourney are slim. But they still believe they can end their year with something positive.

"We're just going to play hard and hopefully send Al and Blake off on the right note, whether it's the NIT or the NCAA [tournament]," said Trevor Mbakwe, who recorded his 18th double-double of the season (10 points, 14 rebounds). "We just want to win games."