One thing is for sure, after president of basketball operations took two players in the first round, one top-10, this should be the most watched and highly anticipated Wolves Summer League since maybe Karl-Anthony Towns’ rookie summer? It was cancelled in Ant’s draft year (COVID).

Gabe Kalscheur makes 2024 Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League roster

On Sunday, the Wolves released their 2024 roster for Las Vegas next week. Beyond top picks Rob Dillingham and Terrance Shannon Jr., another interesting name stands out. DeLaSalle’s own, Gabe Kalscheur, made the team.

The former Minnesota Gopher turned Iowa State Cyclone is trying to prove to NBA teams that he is worth a spot on their G-League roster and his hometown Timberwolves are giving him that shot (again).

summer Wolves 🎰 pic.twitter.com/GUJhLiCR92

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 7, 2024

Kalscheur has been working out with the Minnesota Timberwolves for a few months, and even ended the 2023-24 G-League season with the Iowa Wolves, where he played 14 games, averaging 4.4 points per game, in 12 minutes played.

If he wants to stay in America and have a shot at finding his way to the NBA someday, the Minnesota native will have to get back to shooting the basketball the way he did when he first stepped foot on Dinkytown campus. Back then, Gabe was one of the best outside shooting prospects to ever come out of Minnesota.

Can Gabe Kalscheur still shoot…?

As a freshman, he shot 41% from deep and looked like one of the most promising young freshman in recent program history. But during his sophomore season, Kalscheur started to struggle with the pressure of playing for his home state team.

Related: Confirmed: Rob Dillingham Will Get Run with Timberwolves Immediately

And once those three’s stopped going in, the noise only got louder, and his shooting only got worse. His 3PT% dropped to 34% in 2019-20, then 24% in 2020-21… his last in Minnesota. In his first season at Iowa State, it dropped even lower to 23%, before finally coming back up to 35% in his final college season.

Unfortunately, moving the line back further at the professional level hasn’t helped. In his first G-League season, Kalscheur shot 28% from three point land, meaning this Summer League appearance might be his final shot before being forced into the real job world, or overseas.

Related: Maybe the Timberwolves Aren’t All That Interested in More PG Help?

Gabe is a great kid and he plays STELLAR defense on the perimeter, both of which play into why he is still getting NBA opportunities. But it’s time to prove he can still shoot the basketball from deep. You can’t be a “Three and D” wing if you can’t do the former anymore.

NEWS: The Iowa Wolves have added Gabe Kalscheur from the available player pool. Kalscheur will be available for Friday's game against Rio Grande Valley.

Welcome to the Pack, @GabrielKalsche1! 🐺

📰 https://t.co/YneBFYBA4p pic.twitter.com/nzRbIDB37G

— Iowa Wolves (@iawolves) February 19, 2024

Former Gopher Gabe Kalscheur signs with Iowa Wolves

Gabe went unsigned in last offseason’s NBA Draft and signed with the Washington Wizards G League affiliate. He has played 18 total games this season and things have not gone well. In just 10 minutes per game, Kalscheur is averaging 2.9 points per game on just 31% from the field and 21% from deep.

He’s supposed to be your classic 3-and-D player, which the NBA and G-League cannot get enough of, in today’s game, but he’ll obviously have to figure out whatever has gone devastatingly wrong for a kid who was supposed to be one of the best sharpshooters the University of Minnesota had ever seen, when he arrived on campus six years ago.

Kalscheur’s career with the Minnesota Gophers was a roller-coaster

Kalscheur helped contribute three state championships to his high school alma mater in Minneapolis, before starting all 36 games of his freshman season for the Gophers. He averaged 10.0 points per game that year, good for 4th highest on the team.

Related: Lance Stephenson is Dominating G-League for Iowa Wolves

Gabe also led the team in three point percentage (41%) and free throw shooting (75%). He scored double digits in 16 games that year, including four games where he scored over 20. One notable performance was his 24 point effort against Louisville in a 2019 NCAA Tournament victory.

Gabe Kalscheur caught fire with 24pts for @GopherMBB! 🔥🔥🔥#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/qei63QHlxv

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2019

As a sophomore, Kalscheur started 31 games and averaged a career best of 11.6 points per game and led the Big Ten in average 3-pointers made (2.5). But where Gabe was always at his best was on the defensive side of the floor. He led the 2020 Gophers with 31 steals and came in 3rd on the team as a freshman, with 28.

Related: Gophers Stumble Again Late but Recover to Extinguish On-Fire Rutgers at The Barn

In his last season with the Gophers, Kalscheur served as a team captain, but only started 21 games and his points per game average dropped to 9.2. Then, consecutive games started streak of 88 came to an end when he broke his hand during practice. Richard Pitino was fired that summer, and Gabe never played for the Gophers again.

Instead, he transferred to Ames, Iowa, and joined the Iowa State Cyclones, bringing two years of eligibility with him. Kalscheur started 57 out of 68 games he played at Iowa State and played a huge role for a perennial NCAA Tournament team while he was there.

The Cyclones secured two March Madness victories, with Gabe on roster. He was also named to the 2022-23 All-Big 12 Second Team and 2022-23 Big 12 All-Defensive Team.

CYCLONES MOVE ON 🌪

Gabe Kalscheur goes for 24 points as Iowa State beats No. 10 Baylor for the THIRD time this season 😳 pic.twitter.com/jeEFIWkmUk

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 9, 2023

Former Gophers, Marcus Carr and Gabe Kalscheur, working out for Timberwolves

On Monday, that pre-draft homework includes workouts involving two former Gophers, Marcus Carr and Gabe Kalscheur, who were backcourt teammates for two seasons under Richard Pitino (’19-’20, ’20-’21).

Today's draft workout prospects (continued):

Marcus Carr (Texas)
Michael Durr (UCF)
Landers Nolley (Cincinnati)
Markquis Nowell (Kansas State)
Drew Peterson (USC)
Jake Stephens (Chattanooga)

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) June 19, 2023

Both Kalscheur (who’s from the Twin Cities) and Carr left the Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball program after Richard Pitino was fired, following the ’20-’21 season and thrived at their new schools.

Gabe Kalscheur, who was touted as a “3 and D” star out of high school, landed at Iowa State. He averaged 11 points per game and helped Iowa State to two-straight NCAA tournament appearances. There’s no doubting Gabe’s defense or work ethic but he never lived up to be the type of deep threat (.321 career 3PT) he was hyped up to be coming out of DeLaSalle High School.

Marcus Carr is one of the prolific point guards to ever play at the University of Minnesota and that is saying something. Everything on offense ran through Marcus for much of his two years in maroon and gold, especially his last season where he averaged 19 points off 16 shots (38%) per game, playing more minutes than any other player in the Big Ten.

EXCLUSIVE: Every single person’s reaction to the Marcus Carr game pic.twitter.com/Ha4gpxcDEf

— The Barnyard (@BarnyardUMN) December 16, 2019

Carr was highly sought after when he hit the transfer portal, following the 2020-21 season, eventually landing at the University of Texas. At 23-years-old this last season, he led the Longhorns to the Elite 8, averaging a much more efficient (and team best) 16 points on 13 shots (43%) per game.

Expectations entering Draft night

Neither Carr or Kalscheur are expected to be drafted on Thursday but the Wolves care more about unsigned rookie free agents than most other teams, given the lack of draft capital they own. Marcus Carr is an intriguing prospect, in that regard, and if Kalscheur can regain his elite outside shooting prowess, great perimeter defense and high basketball IQ will always play.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Gabe Kalscheur stayed home. In 2018, three Twin Cities’ kids; Gabe, Daniel Oturu and Jarvis Omersa, bucked the trend of leaving Minneapolis to pursue their basketball dreams elsewhere. They wanted to prove that those hoops dreams could be reached with the Minnesota Gophers.

Daniel Oturu saw those dreams realized in maroon and gold, when he was drafted #33 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. But for the other two, their basketball dreams in Minnesota have ended in disappointment. Omersa left the team earlier this season and now, Kalscheur is transferring to Iowa State.

Minnesota transfer Gabe Kalscheur has committed to Iowa State.

Kalscheur – an All Big Ten level defender who scored 11.6 points per game as a sophomore, 9.2 last year – will transfer and play for new Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger pic.twitter.com/Wv0sGzyuXT

— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) April 10, 2021

Gabe came into Dinkytown as a freshman sharpshooter who had a passion for defense. But after his lights-out freshman season, the DeLaSalle graduate lost his shooting stroke and it’s now been missing for the better part of two seasons. Many hoped, myself included, that new Gophers head coach Ben Johnson and Gabe’s former high school coach, Dave Thorson, could steer Kalscheur back to his sharpshooting ways. But they won’t get that opportunity.

Gabe Kalscheur was always the first player in the gym and the last person to leave. He amazed Richard Pitino with his commitment and his absence is really going to hurt this program if Johnson can’t find a suitable replacement..

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Ben Johnson has done a lot of selling lately. He sold Mark Coyle on hiring him and then he sold himself to the public in his introductory press conference. Most recently, he’s sold three transfer portal targets on playing for the Minnesota Gophers next season, before selling local high school basketball coaching legend, Dave Thorson, on joining his assistant staff.

Now, Ben and Dave need to turn around sell their fellow DeLaSalle alum, Gabe Kalscheur, on exiting the transfer portal in favor of a return to Dinkytown with them. Remember, Dave Thorson coached Gabe at DeLaSalle and reportedly has a great relationship with him.

The Gophers need leadership, defense, shooting and stability. We know Gabe provides three of those things and he came in with the ability to provide all four. If Gabe’s old coach can help him tap back into that deep stroke he could become one of the best wings in the Big Ten on a team that is suddenly lacking high-end scorers and talent.

Top available Shooting Guards in the transfer portal right now. Still a lot of good options, especially on defense.

1. Armaan Franklin, IU
2. Ian Martinez, Utah
3. Desi Sills, Ark
4. Micah Peavy, Tech
5. Gabe Kalscheur, Minn
6. James Reese, N Tex
7. Connor Harding, BYU pic.twitter.com/woBL5oDxaR

— Evan Miyakawa (@evanmiya) April 8, 2021

Who’s Pursuing Gabe?

Matthew Bain of USA Today says Wisconsin, Iowa State and Clemson have touched base with Kalscheur. Badger fans are obsessed with reeling him in but GopherIllustrated.com insider, Ryan James, seems hopeful that Gabe returns now that Thorson and Johnson are both on the Minnesota bench. Nothing is guaranteed in 2021, however.

So until Kalscheur makes an announcement, Gopher faithful will be left with more questions than answers.

Just heard from Kalscheur. Clemson is also recruiting him.

— Matthew Bain (@MatthewBain_) April 5, 2021

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

We should have expected a bunch of Minnesota Gophers to enter the transfer portal this basketball offseason. That’s 2021, especially when there’s a coaching change. But when Ben Johnson was named the new head coach a couple of weeks ago, Gabe Kalscheur’s name was the last I thought I’d see entered. Both he and Johnson graduated from DeLaSalle High School and nobody expected Ben to lose someone that close to his network, when he’s supposed to close the borders on Minnesota.

But I shouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore..

Minnesota guard Gabe Kalscheur is in the transfer portal, source told ESPN. Averaged 9.2 points this season. Minnesota native.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 1, 2021

GI talked to a source close to the situation today and this decision is something that Kalscheur has closely been considering since the end of the season, long before the Gophers began their search for a new head coach. Kalscheur has a strong relationship with Ben Johnson as Johnson recruited Kalscheur to the University of Minnesota and both are DeLaSalle Islander products. Gabe is going to strongly consider staying at the University of Minnesota while looking at a carefully selected group of other programs.

Ryan James – GopherIllustrated.com

Others around the internet have echoed the same analysis and inside information on Kalscheur’s transfer status. Apparently, he wants to test the new college athlete free agency waters but is still “strongly considering” a return to the Gophers. We’ll see how strong that consideration is soon. Gabe is Minnesota’s best defender and one of the best in the country. If he could regain the shot we were promised when he committed back in 2018, he’d be All Big Ten.

Others Re-Commit to Gophers

Not all Gopher basketball news that dropped today was bad. Ben Johnson received re-commitments from two Gopher wings (via Marcus Fuller – Star Tribune), both Isaiah Ihnen and Both Gach. Ihnen is yet to show his 4-star potential and Both Gach struggled mightily in his first and only season in maroon and gold.. but both guys are bursting with untapped potential. As it looks… Ben might need them.

I've also heard today both Both Gach and Isaiah Ihnen will return to the #Gophers for next season. https://t.co/3fsxc16QVj

— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) April 1, 2021

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team is off to a 9-2 start for the first time since 2017-18, when they were ranked as high as #12 in the nation.

They’ve pulled it off despite TERRIBLE offensive basketball out of their wings. But the Gophers are ranked in the top-25, you say? How bad can it be?

Well through four conference games, it’s been worse than what Richard Pitino could have dreamed up in the darkest of his nightmares.

Minnesota’s two losses this season have come in Big Ten play and both have been complete ass-kickings. The final tally only showed a 12-point deficit vs Wisconsin on Thursday, but anyone who watched that game knows better.

The sad truth is this: If Richard Pitino doesn’t start getting more consistent play from his wings (mostly Gabe Kalscheur and Both Gach) on the offensive end of the floor, then the future will hold more blowout losses than it will exciting wins.

This isn’t 1990. Basketball games are won with spacing and outside shooting. If your wings are shooting under 18% from 3PT, you aren’t going to win very many games, especially in the Big Ten.

Starts with Gabe and Both

It’s almost impossible that Gabe Kalscheur is the most consistent offensive wing the Gophers have. At a walloping 32% from the field and 22% from 3PT, the fact that he leads the wings in both categories says everything.

Both Gach played pretty well during the non-conference schedule but, since Big Ten play has started, he’s been a shell of himself. Look at those numbers. He’s shooting 20% from the field and has more turnovers (9) than he does field goals (6).

The starting wings are important to this Gopher defense. Gabe is their best perimeter defender and it’s not close. Gach provides length that is rare to have out on the 3pt line. But what they bring on defense can only take them so far.

Glimmer of hope vs Wisconsin?

#22 did show a dull spark midway through the Wisconsin game. Here’s to believing it’s a sign of better things to come.

Gabe Kalscheur has a dozen points hitting a couple threes and 3 of 5 attempts. The rest of the team is 3 of 26 including Liam Robbins and Mashburn having missed all of their combined 11 attempts.

— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) December 31, 2020

Gach and Kalscheur will both need to find their confidence on offense if the Minnesota Golden Gophers are going to keep winning. The turnaround needs to start on Sunday vs the #25 Ohio State Buckeyes.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Richard Pitino’s 2020-21 Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team is an enigma. Even after two big time victories over top-30 teams, it’s hard to know where they go from here.

It won’t be long before we know a lot more because the most difficult stretch of their Big Ten schedule is only getting started. But… waiting for real-time results sucks and what the am I here for if not to predict the future for our readers?

Speaking of predicting futures, I’ve been pumping Pitino’s Transfer U (2020-21) for months. This is a roster that has talent oozing from the sides like an overstuffed PB&J sandwich.

So now that we’ve seen this Gopher squad in both its best (vs Iowa) and worst (@ Illinois) light, I think it’s time to re-evaluate the expectations for this roster and just what it will take to make another run at the NCAA Tournament.

The Good

Same old Marcus Carr

If we’re going to talk about what is right about this roster, the conversation can’t start without Marcus Carr.

Carr has picked up right where he left off last season. He ranks near the top in just about every conference scoring category and assist category.

He’s the clear leader on this team and the Gophers will need him to put them on their back throughout the season. He’s up for it, though.

If your answer to who the best guard is in the #B1G isn't Marcus Carr, you're lying. pic.twitter.com/6mHDch5Hmm

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) December 26, 2020

On a nightly basis, the Minnesota Gophers will go as Marcus Carr goes. He can win games by himself because he’s that type of player and, because he is a point guard, the ball is always in his hands. At the same time, if he doesn’t have it on any given night… his team probably won’t either.

Luckily, there’s no sign of Marcus slowing down anytime soon and he seems determined to dance in March and get drafted in April. He knows better than anyone, that leading a Gopher run in the former will rocket his stock in the ladder.

Transfer U (especially big men)

Richard Pitino’s experiment with Minnesota Transfer Portal U has been a budding success in 2020-21. The Gophers went out and found 3 of their 5 starters in the transfer portal and all of them have contributed in major ways.

The latest came on Friday night when Brandon Johnson (Western Michigan grad-transfer) went ballistic from beyond the arc, knocking down 8/9 from 3-pt land and single-handedly downing the Iowa Hawkeyes in OT.

Drake transfer Liam Robbins leads the Big Ten in blocks per game and hit the OT 3-pointer that iced the Hawkeyes.

???? LOGO LIAM! @GopherMBB x @liamrobbins_ pic.twitter.com/8LFzjpBuj1

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) December 26, 2020

Utah transfer, Both Gach gives Marcus Carr a scoring threat on the wing that he hasn’t had since arriving on campus, even if his start in maroon and gold has been slower than expected.

Avoid Early Disaster

This part of “the good” has been underrated. This is a Minnesota Gophers basketball team that had only one COVID summer to get acquainted with each other. Carr and Kalscheur are the only starters who have played together, prior to this season, and their most important bench player is a freshman, Jamal Mashburn Jr.

Still, the Gophers have started this 8-1 with quality wins over Saint Louis and Iowa. Nobody would have foreseen those victories when this same Minnesota team was struggling to defeat UND and Loyola Marymount a couple of weeks ago, or when they were getting beaten by 30 @ Illinois to start Big Ten play.

The Gophers have 6-straight games coming up on their schedule vs top-25 ranked opponents. If they can win even 2 of them, they’d finish this ridiculous 7-game stretch with a 3-4 record and major schedule relief on the horizon.

There really isn’t a cakewalk game on the Big Ten schedule for any team this season because the conference is so stacked. Still, three top-25 teams in 12 games looks a lot easier than seven ranked teams in seven games.

That’s the stretch the Gophers are currently entering game-2 of.

The Bad

Gabe Kalscheur

Luckily, others have helped pick up Gabe Kalscheur’s offensive slack and Richard Pitino continues to give him big minutes. But fuck, Gabe is going to have to hit shots eventually, if he is going to help the Gophers make a run at the postseason.

Kalscheur is shooting under 30% right now from the field and under 20% from beyond the 3-pt line. That hasn’t stopped him from launching them, though. Gabe currently leads the Big Ten in 3-pt attempts…

Either start hitting them or stop shooting. You can’t do both. We’re a quarter of the way through this season. When does this move from a “slump” to Gabe Kalscheur’s new “normal”?

Inconsistent wing play

Ok, we’ve talked enough about #22’s struggles. Everyone who plays wing for the Minnesota Gophers needs to be better. Both Gach has played well enough, as mentioned above, but he’s yet to really put his stamp on a big game like we’ve seen from Robbins and Johnson, his fellow 2020-21 transfers.

Isaiah Ihnen arrived here from Germany, just before his freshman 2019 season got underway. He’s continued to develop and all of the physical tools are there for him to look like a poor-man’s Kevin Durant.

The kid is 7-ft tall and feels more comfortable shooting 3’s off the catch or dribble, than he does going to the rim. Still, he has to understand the size advantage he has at the college level. He has a full foot on some of his defenders. Get a post game. Until then, Ihnen will just be a streaky shooter with a lot of upside.

Sophomore, Tre Williams, was showing a lot of promise early in the season but his minutes have been cut as Big Ten play has been fired up. I’d like to see him get more time on the floor if Gabe can’t turn things around offensively.

Extending our post presence out to the 3-pt line will not win Big Ten games all season. The wing play needs to improve if the Gophers are going to keep winning games.

Brandon Joseph was clearly on the nice list this year. @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/mwMSIRewzF

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) December 26, 2020

Sustainability

Yes, winning is sustainable for the Gophers and I only expect them to get better as the year goes on. They should continue gel as a team, both on and off the court, as they get to know each other better.

The wing shooting really can’t get any worse, so if we are beating Iowa right now, how well can the Gophers play when that area improves. Honestly, we have more talent there than anywhere, so I expect improvement sooner rather than later.

I’d be shocked if the Minnesota Gophers MBB team isn’t dancing in March and I’d be even more surprised if they aren’t top-25 on Monday.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

On paper, the 2020-21 Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team is way more talented than the team we saw in 2019-20. Daniel Oturu was a great college basketball player and his loss will hurt all season. Liam Robbins + Brandon Johnson won’t fill his void.

But the additional talent and depth that this Minnesota team has in the backcourt, compared to last season, is a night and day improvement. Adding Both Gach and Jamal Mashburn Jr has completely changed the outlook of this group and Tre Williams is a completely different player in his sophomore year.

But that’s on paper

But as we learned on Tuesday night in Champagne, basketball isn’t played on paper. The Gophers walked into a pent up orange tornado of basketball rage vs the Fighting Illini earlier this week and I’m hoping it was the punch in the mouth they needed. Welcome to the Big Ten. It’s time to wake up.

They took a phony 6-0 record into that game and got it stuffed right back down their throat by Kofi Cockburn (pronounced like it’s spelled). It was a humbling 92-65 experience and Richard Pitino’s fighting Gophers got back on the plane with fluffy tails between their legs.

Back to the drawing board…

This loss was depressing, embarrassing and sobering… but it wasn’t devastating. Richard’s 2020-21 roster was jumbled together in a COVID hurry. Both Gach didn’t have his waiver approved to play until just weeks before the season.

Throw in a handful of cream puffs early in the schedule, just to build some empty confidence, and a pissed off Fighting Illini team with two NBA lottery picks in its starting-5, for the Big Ten opener. And poof.

It was the perfect brew for a big time Big Ten reality check… and that’s exactly what happened. The Gophers got their clocks cleaned. But, how devastating is this loss, in reality? It’s not.

Nobody picked Minnesota to win earlier this week vs Illinois. As of now, there’s nothing for Richard Pitino to “turnaround” or “get back on track”. At 6-1, his squad is exactly where they should be.

But, if you watched that game (or the highlights above) some things clearly need to change if Minnesota is going to compete in the deepest conference in college basketball. It’s a lot to ask but all four of the improvements below aren’t just “possible”. They’re easily “feasible”.

#1. Wings NEED to be better.

This conversation starts with Gabe Kalscheur.

I’m sick of seeing this dude miss shots. You were specifically brought here to make 3-point shots and you’re shooting 17.2% on the season from deep (29% FG).

I’m sick of waiting for Gabe to get better. You can hold every high school record in the state and have the most beautiful stroke in the country… but if the balls don’t go through the hoop, it doesn’t fucking matter. Pitino has better options at his disposal this season. If Gabe can’t improve on offense then he needs less minutes, period.

Engaged Both Gach is crucial.

Getting Gach to transfer from Utah could prove to be one of the biggest recruiting wins in Richard Pitino’s tenure at the University of Minnesota. Without him, this team would not have the talent to compete in the Big Ten over the next couple of seasons.

He’s long, athletic and skilled. When he’s engaged on defense and knocking down outside shots on offense, he can be your team’s best player. He showed us that first hand last season when he went off vs the Gophers in Utah.

After triple-doubling against MVSU, Utah's Both Gach had a handful of wow-plays in win over Minnesota. 6-6 sophomore wing averaging near 18-5-4. Needs to add strength, improve handle in tight spaces, but he's become a tough shotmaker, sharper transition scorer, capable in PnR. pic.twitter.com/K5xK46xST2

— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) November 19, 2019

But vs Illinois, he was a shell of himself. He posted an utterly disgusting box score line of 1 point, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 26 minutes of play. How does that happen when you have Marcus Carr drawing most of the defense’ attention? It can’t.

Gach has all the tools to be the 2nd-best player on this team but he needs to want it more than he did on Tuesday night.

#2. Liam Robbins MUST adjust to Big Ten

I knew Liam Robbins was in trouble vs Big Ten big men when he was getting into early foul trouble vs Loyola Marymount. That proved true vs Illinois when Robbins was racking up personal fouls like like they were gift cards on Christmas Day.

When Robbins was in the game early, the Gophers were competitive. As soon as he went out, Kofi Cockburn (pronounced like its spelled) took over and the game was over by the time Liam re-entered.

Robbins will be a good player in the Big Ten but how quickly he can adjust to the physicality of this conference will go far toward dictating how competitive the Gophers are in 2020-21.

#3. Jamal Mashburn Jr needs to grow up fast

Jamal Mashburn Jr has looked just like one would expect a talented young true freshman to look, especially with a limited offseason and preseason. There are times, both offensively and defensively, where Jamal Jr looks to be seeing the floor well and playing fast. Other times, he looks lost.

Growing pains are to be expected… but they can’t last very long if this team is going to win games in 2020-21. Pitino needs to be able to trust Mashburn Jr to play big spot minutes at any time.

Marcus Carr is a great player but he can be a loose cannon, oftentimes playing out of control when fatigued. Last year, there was nothing Richard could do about it. He had nobody else to handle the ball and even a bad Marcus was better than no Marcus Carr.

If Jamal Mashburn Jr can help Pitino spell Carr at the right times, and even create a spark off the bench throughout the season, it would go a long way in making it a success.

There's a familiar name. ????

Jamal Mashburn Jr. is stuntin' like his daddy for @GopherMBB.

cc: @jamalmashburn pic.twitter.com/TDZFtw17yR

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 16, 2020

#4. Prove it Time for Richard Pitino

The offense has looked like shit this season and that’s on Richard Pitino to improve. Can he come up with an offensive game plan better than 4-handoffs and a Marcus Carr isolation dribble drive?

If not, it’s going to be a long season. I’m willing to cut Little Ricky a bit of slack because he hasn’t had a lot of practice time. Age isn’t an argument, though. This is a veteran team that needs to find a way to gel together in a hurry.

If Richard can make that happen, it would be his best coaching performance of a young career. If not, this will be a long and terrible season of Minnesota Gophers basketball and the call for Pitino’s job will be louder than ever.

Pitino’s life has been basketball and his connections spread farther and wider than any young coach in the game. There’s really no excuse for coaching and offensive strategy being a problem for a team this talented.

Another test on Sunday

The Gophers will play the last non-conference game on their schedule on Sunday, when the Saint Louis Billikens come to Williams Arena. Saint Louis is turning into the next mid-major powerhouse and have climbed into the top-25.

Minnesota is going to be a big underdog at home in this matchup. The Billikens are 9-0 vs the spread in their last nine games (according to OddsShark.com) and the Gophers just got dominated on Tuesday. Sounds like an opportunity to change some minds.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

With all of the insanity surrounding the Minnesota sports landscape over the last couple days, it’s been very easy to lose track of the Gopher basketball team.

All eyes were on them tonight at The Barn though. With a win over our overly-family-friendly neighbors to the East, the Gophers would be able to pocket another much-needed Q1-ish victory.

With a loss though, they’d be 22 games into the season, with a 11-11 record. That’s a lot of wins that still need to pile up with time running out.

Fortunately, none of those thoughts really had to cross anyone’s mind once the game started. The Gophers jumped out to a lead early and never looked back. They were shooting like I dreamed they would when the season started.

Hell, Gabe Kalscheur even rose from the dead and went 3-5 from deep (before missing his next 3, sshhhhh), finishing with 11 points and playing lock down defense on Brad Davison.

Payton Willis is an absolute game changer, when on the floor and feeling healthy. In his return, he led the team with 21 points. He might be even more important to this lineup than previously thought, especially if Gabe is going to continue riding the struggle bus.

Sweet scoop for Gabe Kalscheur. ?

It’s a double-digit lead for @GopherMBB at The Barn: pic.twitter.com/WThJGLf7CA

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) February 6, 2020

.@GopherMBB continues the trend of the home teams torching the nets tonight. ?

It’s Minnesota 45, Wisconsin 32 at the break: pic.twitter.com/dogeVxCSXJ

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 6, 2020

Bad night to be a Badger at The Barn. ?

It was a career night for Payton Willis, and that’s the score that held in @GopherMBB‘s win over Wisconsin: pic.twitter.com/twsSmuCgJa

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) February 6, 2020

The clear difference on offense, from the very beginning of this game, was the Gophers desperate need to get into the lane and create offense from there. Wisconsin wasn’t putting up much of a fight and we definitely came into the game with that being the focus.

Dan Oturu scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. He also got his 3rd foul before we reached the 18-minute mark of the 2nd half.

Pitino rolled with him in foul trouble and it paid off. He would eventually foul out but the game was far out of reach by then.

Marcus Carr just plays so much better when he doesn’t need to take over the game. He finished with 12 points of his own, along with 9 rebounds and 10 dimes, just missing out on a triple-double.

Ope, just sneak right past ya there. pic.twitter.com/LfttC94hOT

— Minnesota Men’s Basketball (@GopherMBB) February 6, 2020

It comes down to outside shooting with this team. If they can bomb at an average level, they are going to win a lot of games. If they get hot, they can beat anyone.

And tonight, that anyone was Bucky Badger… my favorite opponent to beat the shit out of.

Oh, and another positive…. Brad Davison didn’t come after anyone’s testicles. Whenever you can get through a game against him, without that happening, it’s a win.

The Gophers move to 12-10 and will travel to Penn State on Saturday before waiting an entire week to host Iowa the following Sunday.

? Final Stats ?

Payton | 21pts (career-high), 5reb, 2stl
Dan | 17pts, 14reb, 4blk
Carr | 12pts, 9reb, 10ast
Gabe | 11pts, 3reb
Gophers | A very satisfying 'W'

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) February 6, 2020

“That was probably the most efficient game we played all year.”

– @CoachPitinoMN joined @stephenbardo to discuss @GopherMBB‘s convincing win over Wisconsin: pic.twitter.com/X7KOoj4CEE

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) February 6, 2020

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan