The echoing of the ball bouncing and sneakers squeaking on Williams Arena’s raised floor Wednesday night could be heard clearer than ever during a Gophers’ game.
The first official basketball game at the college or high school level played in Minnesota since the pandemic hit last season came, not surprisingly, in front of empty seats.
The only fans were cardboard cutouts behind the basket where the U’s marching band typically blared their instruments and the student section heckled the opposing bench.
Richard Pitino’s new-look Gophers made their season debut Wednesday with only simulated crowd noise to pump them up. Again, no surprise, having to generate their own energy was tough in a 99-69 opening victory against Wisconsin-Green Bay.
With college basketball teams across the country cancelling or postponing their opening games due to positive COVID-19 cases, just taking the court healthy was a win for Pitino’s squad.
Still, there was anticipation for these Gophers to make a splashy debut. They arguably have the most talent and depth in Pitino’s tenure with the program. That’s saying something going into Year 8.
Returning All-Big Ten third team point guard Marcus Carr led all scorers by tying his career-high with 35 points on 12-for-22 shooting, including 21 points in the second half. Gabe Kalscheur contributed with 17 points. Utah transfer and Austin native Both Gach looked impressive in his first game playing for the home state program, finishing with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Gophers overpowered their lowly Horizon League opponent with their size and length defensively in the first half scoring 26 points off 15 turnovers to take a 53-22 halftime lead.
With no scrimmages or games prior to Wednesday, the lack of a dress rehearsal of sorts before the big night was evident as the game ensued. Defensive miscues and turnovers off miscommunication were the result of having five of the team’s six newcomers who played still needing time to build chemistry.
A 33-point lead to open the second half dwindled to 70-60 after Amari Davis’ two free throws with 8:35 left in the game. Normally this would be the time when the cheering squad would get the crowd going to boost the team’s morale.
Instead Carr provided the spark with a three-pointer to answer a 10-0 run from the Phoenix, who had last beaten a Big Ten opponent with a win over Wisconsin in 2009. Gach followed with two free throws after being hacked on a strong drive through traffic. Kalscheur then drilled his first three-pointer of the game.
Carr eventually scored his 30th point a couple minutes later on a twisting layup plus the foul. He converted a three-point play to extend the Gophers’ lead to 84-63. Fans would’ve been hopping out of their seats.
Pitino looked for Carr to set the tone offensively at the beginning of last season, too. It wasn’t as smooth to start off with some early losses as the former Pittsburgh transfer tried to build trust with his new team.
The Gophers eventually realized they should play through big man Daniel Oturu, who turned into an All-American and the program’s first NBA draft pick since 2004. There is no Oturu on this year’s squad, but there could be more depth in the frontcourt.
Oturu’s replacement as the starting center is 7-foot Drake transfer Liam Robbins, who struggled to find his rhythm with foul trouble Wednesday. Robbins was joined in the starting lineup by redshirt senior Eric Curry, who is back after missing last season with his second major knee injury. Robbins had 10 points and nine rebounds. Curry had four points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
Robbins, Curry and graduate transfer Brandon Johnson (four points and seven rebounds) had never played together. Neither had Carr, Gach and Kalscheur, but it was Pitino’s new backcourt that seemed to figure things out quicker. Their next non-league warmup will be Saturday against Loyola Marymount.
Unlike last season with Oturu, the Gophers might need to lean on their perimeter until the rest of the talent on their team gets more experience playing during the pandemic.
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November 26, 2020 at 09:12AM
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Gophers basketball opens season with 30-point victory over Wisconsin-Green Bay - Minneapolis Star Tribune
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