But, Richard Pitino and the Gophers weren’t having any of that bullshit. They brought their A-game tonight. And while Thursday wasn’t very pretty, Friday was the opposite. It was beautiful.

ICYMI: @GopherMBB upset B1G co-champ Purdue to advance to #B1GTourney semifinals.

Here are the top plays.#MarchOnBTN pic.twitter.com/TaoPoRlhZB

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 16, 2019

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Jordan Murphy was banging down low like he was 7 ft tall and EVERYTHING was falling. His jump hook was unstoppable and his patience was tolling on the Purdue big men.

Amir Coffey was able to get out in space and run, which always makes the Gophers offense look better. But tonight, when those opportunities weren’t there, the offense still looked functional. When all else broke down, they even hit some off-balance late-clock shots. It was weird to see. Purdue is a good team so the game was still very close but the Gophers lead for most of the 2nd half.

Gabe Kalscheur hit big shots (mostly in the first half) and Oturu looked a lot less shell-shocked than he did in his first Big Ten Tournament appearance on Thursday. It was a fun, well-played game on all fronts for our favorite college basketball team. Michgan and Iowa are playing right now on Big Ten Network and the Gophers will play against the winner tomorrow at 2:30 PM in the semifinals.

Also, I think Richard’s job is safe.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

I hope you bet the over.

In an unbelievable turn of shooting fortune, the Gopher offense kept them in the game and even controlling the lead throughout the first half vs. #19-ranked Iowa.

I’m not sure where we found our shooting touch but it was a good thing we did because both teams were on fire and spouted off a total of 101 points in the first half alone…

The second half started off even better for the Gophers. Iowa couldn’t handle Minnesota’s offense no matter which defensive scheme they switched too… Hard to believe, I know. And Fran threw all of his defenses at us…

I saw a man, 2-3 zone, 1-3-1 zone, and a full -court trap. None of it worked. The Gophers were up and down the floor and scoring in all varieties. Fran was red.

Iowa couldn’t be held down forever though and they made it close in the last 4 minutes. They cut the lead to 4 and took control of the ball before the Gophers got a turnover and scored on the other end. The Hawkeyes never got closer.

It was a massive win for the Gophers, who are now 5-4 in conference play (15-5 overall) and hold big wins over ranked Wisconsin at the Kohl Center and now 19th-ranked at The Barn.

On Wednesday, the Illini come to town and the Gophers should be foaming at the mouth for a W after they were embarrassed in Illinois a few weeks ago.

Here are some highlights to tonight’s dub:

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Gophers Men’s basketball team closed last season’s Big Ten play with an overall record of 4-14. If the Maroon and Gold would have let one of those precious victories slip away, the program’s total number of inner conference defeats would have matched their Big Ten AP preseason ranking…

Annnnnnd that’s a wrap for the 2017-18 Gophers hoopsters. From preseason top-15 hype to missing the NIT.

— Phil Mackey (@PhilMackey) March 1, 2018

Depressing.

The 2017-18 campaign, both on and (especially) off the court, was bad a shit show.

Unfortunately, the few bright spots produced throughout the nearly four-month stretch fell grossly short of reaching quota. Nonetheless, that minuscule amount of manufactured light had one glaring beam noticeably shining through. What’s that shimmer, you ask? It’s Junior forward, Jordan Murphy.

Gopher basketball’s Jordan Murphy is the first player to earn Big Ten Player of the Week in three straight weeks since Evan Turner in November 2009.

— Nate Wells (@gopherstate) November 27, 2017

After similar production as a Freshman and Sophomore, averaging over 11 points and almost 8-9 rebounds per game, the 6’7″ San Antonio native’s game progressed leaps and bounds as he jumped to his Junior season. Murphy reiterated to society that the third time is absolutely the charm:

The double-double machine is currently preparing for his fourth and final collegiate season. But Murphy’s return, for what we hope will be an improved Minnesota squad, wasn’t such a sure thing, apparently.

Jordan Murphy checked out his #NBA options but decided to return to the #Gophers. @Marcus_R_Fuller writes: https://t.co/PHMMITG3Yj #B1G pic.twitter.com/qHUmtTDIat

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) May 8, 2018

Per Marcus Fuller’s Star Tribune article, the big man with NBA aspirations’, enjoyed an offseason that included mingling with minds associated with “The Association”. The reigning Big Ten rebounding champion decided to take his talents to the NBA’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee (“UAC”).

Formed in 1997, the UAC “consists of nearly two dozen NBA personnel who speculate on where players could be drafted, if at all.” After going back-and-forth with that group, the someday (hopefully) pro-athlete made his decision:

via GIPHY

This excerpt from NBA.com’s interview with the league’s Vice President of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe provides better insight into how the UAC actually works:

Sidebar: Knowledge is power.

When it comes to an appropriate reaction to Murphy’s calculated approach, I feel like Richard Pitino hit the nail on the head:

While some may have tunnel vision on the Maroon and Gold’s best interests, Minnesota’s head coach expressed that Jordan Murphy has “got to consider everything.” I’m not sure about you, but my interpretation of Pitino’s message is that he’s basically telling Jordan Murphy to stay woke.

With the way Murphy explored some non-bias, educated guidance, he seems to be properly caffeinated. Despite the details of the UAC sessions remaining private, it’s evident that the biggest questions surrounding the big man’s potential leap to the NBA, revolve around his size as a power-forward and his ability to shoot the rock from mid-range and beyond. The latter will be crucial to both his 2019 draft stock and the Gopher’s success in 2018.

Moving forward, regardless of how much attention the second-team All-Big Ten honoree decides to dedicate to his shooting stroke (for everyone’s sake hopefully that’s a lot of time), his main focus will now be on Minnesota’s 2018-19 campaign.

Richard Pitino landed some HUGE help Monday in multiple facets #Gophers #SkiUMahhttps://t.co/yYkwdWzgHh

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) May 8, 2018

For Murphy, as expressed in our above referenced piece, it’s the “on to the next one” mentality. Thankfully, his particular “next one” will take place while he wears the Maroon and Gold.

Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN)
MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Unlike their new athletic facilities, the University of Minnesota’s 2017-18 Men’s basketball team hasn’t lived up to expectations. The Gophers entered the season ranked as the 15th best team in the country. As of Thursday, Richard Pitino’s squad sits 11th overall in the Big Ten. That’s out of 14, if you didn’t know. The name of the conference doesn’t make that easy.

Drop it Dropped like it’s hot, drop it dropped like it’s hot. Both on and off the court, the program’s year has been an absolute shit show.

Positives associated with the Maroon and Gold’s campaign have been few and far between. There are PLENTY of things you can read right now on the Gopher Basketball Team (on and off the court) that are PLENTY negative. Try Google or Twitter. I’m not here for that (and I started writing this before any of today’s events unfolded).

Let’s look to the future of this basketball team because that’s something we can be positive about.

Jordan Murphy’s emergence is a good place to start. The guy has been dominant. But, I want to look even farther than that, but not quite 2018-recruit-farther. We’ve been down that road many times already.

Despite losing eight straight games, over the past five of those defeats (Jan. 30th – Feb 13th), Freshman (and VERY highly-touted) Isaiah Washington has taken his game to the next level.

Isaiah Washington has went from a guy you simply didn’t want to see shoot a three early in the year, to the second best shooter on the team right now (he’s now at 34% at the arc)

— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) February 14, 2018

During the past handful of contests, the Harlem native has averaged 16.6 points (47% FG), 4.4 assists, and 3.4 rebounds. Just as encouraging, despite a hiccup game (5 TOs) vs. the Hoosiers, he has only 3 total turnovers over the other eight halves of basketball.

In the Gophers’ contests on January 10th and 13th, Jelly shot a combined 5-25 from the floor. Per my Minnesota math, that’s only 20% shooting. Richard Pitino responded by holding the Freshman guard to a combined twenty minutes over the next four contests. Something appears to have clicked over that brief lapse in playing time.

Jelly’s current heater seems to have started on January 30th in Iowa when he was let out of his coach’s proverbial doghouse.

Any NCAA Tournament chances for Minnesota are dependent on what would be a miracle Big Ten Tournament championship. Since the year isn’t 1980 and this isn’t the Olympics (and we aren’t playing hockey), my mind is on the future. Our highly accoladed, aggressively confident, point guard of the future being light-years ahead of where he was just a few weeks ago, is good for my peace of brain.

To close, I want it to be known that I love me some Nate Mason. My Jelly centered mindset is no disrespect to our current starting ball-handler. With Mason being a senior and our conference record being 3-12, the situation is what is it. “On to the next one.”

With that being said, I hope the Gophers’ second leading scorer has one more thirty+ point performance before his collegiate career ends, next month. If ever there was a time for a final Mason explosion, and a much-needed Big Ten win, our next game seems like the one.

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

On Saturday afternoon, Jordan Murphy recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds. The performance, albeit during defeat, marked his 17th straight double-double to start the 2017-18 campaign.

He has now tied former Wake Forest Demon Deacon and 5 Time NBA Champion, Tim Duncan, for the longest such streak to start a D1 basketball season.

Murphy will now attempt to turn his double-double streak into a legal adult. If he is able to make it number 18 on Wednesday, the Gophers junior will be alone atop of the NATIONAL record books.

The San Antonio native has been a PROBLEM for opponents all season. Over his 31.1 minutes per game, the 6’6″ 20 year-old is averaging 18.9 points and 12.7 rebounds. Those numbers are an increase of 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds from his 2016-17 averages. #Gains

As mentioned, Jordan Murphy is from San Antonio. The future Hall of Famer he tied on Saturday, Tim Duncan, spent his entire 19 year NBA career playing for the Gopher forward’s hometown Spurs. “The Big Fundamental” was even Murphy’s childhood idol. Here at Minnesota Sports Fan, that’s what we call full circle.

Duncan’s Wake Forest Statistics (1993-94 through 1996-97):

Those last three years were aggressive. As one can see, there’s a reason he went first overall in the 1997 NBA Draft.

The man is a legend. He’s the “most boring” athlete of his generation, yet arguably the greatest power forward to ever play the game. In my opinion, he’s the best thing to ever happen to the satirical news organization, The Onion.

Here are some of their funniest Tim Duncan headlines:

• “Tim Duncan Reports 5th Straight Successful New Year’s Resolution”
• “Spurs Unveil Statue of Tim Duncan Recycling”
• “Tim Duncan calls out Geometric Angle Needed to Make Bank Shot”

Just as it was with Duncan, even during defeats like Saturday’s vs. Indiana, the double-double from Murphy is anticipated. It’s like clockwork. As fans, we’ve come to expect them.

However, one thing we haven’t come to expect is Amir Coffey missing basketball games.

Richard Pitino on Amir Coffey’s injury: “I don’t think he’s going to be back soon.”

— chipscoggins (@chipscoggins) January 7, 2018

Damnit. Let’s hope that injury doesn’t linger like a broken marriage.

In what has been a terrible period of time for the Gophers basketball program, Murphy’s accomplishment is a much-needed highlight.

An assumably stressed out and sleep deprived Richard Pitino seemed to agree:

Pitino on his disappointment in the outcome of the game, but how proud he is of Jordan Murphy. #gophers pic.twitter.com/yovZXCtzY5

— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) January 7, 2018

You can watch Jordan Murphy go for his 18th straight double-double on Wednesday.

Minnesota @ Northwestern starts at 8:00 PM CST and will air on Big Ten Network.

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

For the sake of catching R.E.M. cycles tonight, let’s do this.

Current Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (per @SBNation):

1) Michigan State
2) Purdue
3) Maryland
4) Minnesota
5) Ohio State
6) Michigan
7) Penn State
8) Northwestern
9) Illinois
10) Wisconsin
11) Indiana
12) Nebraska
13) Iowa
14) Rutgers

— Johnny Minnesota (@MNsportsNstuff) December 7, 2017

Big 10 Basketball Update:

Gophers:

There isn’t any sugar-coating the Nebraska loss. Tuesday’s game was uglier than me playing pond hockey. The Cornhuskers are Big Ten bottom feeders. The 78-68 shit show was the second defeat of the year for the Golden Gophers (8-2 overall). The only other came at home against a top ten Miami (FL) team.

Minnesota has been led so far, by Jordan Murphy. The junior forward has recorded a double-double in ALL ten contests. National outlets are mentioning his name as an early season contender for Player of the Year. Murphy ALREADY has 3 Big Ten Player of the Week awards in 2017.

We are all talking about Duke’s Marvin Bagley, III, and we should. But, don’t forget about Minnesota’s Jordan Murphy, who is averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds with 8 double-doubles. Stud. pic.twitter.com/val98KLkAq

— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) November 30, 2017

Perhaps the most positive news out of Gopher’s camp has been the return of Dupree McBrayer. The Queens native missed the Miami contest due to a “leg infection.” As that’s an injury you don’t hear of often, there was concern regarding his status. Any worries were put to bed when he returned for the Rutgers contest. It was GREAT to see him back. With depth being my main concern, a long-term injury is the LAST thing we need.

The current polls have Minnesota ranked 14th. They were released prior to the blemish in Lincoln. Fans can fully anticipate that we will be dropping in next week’s version, no matter what happens Saturday vs Arkansas. The Maroon and Gold will now play 5 straight out of conference games, before returning to Big Ten action in early January.

Rest of the Conference:

Surprise, surprise, the team from East Lansing tops both the polls and power rankings. Someone go convince Tom Izzo to retire. PLEASE! Pitch him on sipping cocktails in Barbados with Rihanna, or something. We need to get the perennial conference powerhouse out of here.

Michigan State is currently 3rd in the country. They bolster a 8-1 record. Their only loss came against 1st ranked Duke. Future lottery pick, Miles Bridges, is leading Sparta with 15.4 points per game.

ICYMI: Miles Bridges dunked on his own teammate tonight. pic.twitter.com/caRQwyOx42

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 1, 2017

As of Friday; MSU, Ohio State, and Purdue are all 2-0 in conference play. The 11 other teams ALREADY have at least one Big Ten loss. 

Ohio State is a football school and always will be. The Power Rankings currently have the F**keyes sitting behind the Gophers. I’m writing their asses off.

To Ohio State Football,

Sorry, not sorry.

From:
Iowa Hawkeye Football pic.twitter.com/HZd4AdPAbC

— Nick (@Nick14Held) December 3, 2017

That’s not the Case Keenum (see what I did there) for the Boilermakers. Even with Caleb Swannigan leaving for the NBA, they’re good. SB Nation has them just behind MSU. However, their losses to Tennessee and Western Kentucky look just as bad, if not worse, than MN’s two blemishes.

April fools came early (or late) for Maryland who was ranked third before the season started. They have three losses already. One of those was AT HOME vs. St. Bonaventure. St. who? Exactly. They snuck out of Illinois with a one point victory. If they blew that one, the Terapins would already have four losses. There’s a reason they didn’t receive a single vote in the latest polls.

Minnesota will resume Big Ten Play on 1/3/2018. In the interim, let’s run these non-conference games: Arkansas, Drake, Oral Roberts, Fl. Atlantic, and Harvard.

Next: Minnesota @ Arkansas (5:45 CST. Saturday, 12/9)

Johnny Minnesota @mnsportsnstuff

Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Alabama had to play basketball with only 3 players for longer than 10 minutes.

This is so hell lmao. Minnesota gophers played 5 on 3 vs Alabama basketball for the last 10 minutes of the game ???? pic.twitter.com/0jEYOMG7jE

— Jag City (@RealJagCity) November 26, 2017

How did this happen?

• Dupree McBrayer (MN) and Dazon Ingram (ALA) got tangled up after an Alabama bucket. Words were exchanged and a little shoving ensued.
• The ENTIRE Alabama bench ran on the court during the slight altercation. All 7 of those players were ejected. The Tide were now left with only 5 available bodies.
• Ingram fouled out with 11:37 left. Coach Avery Johnson is now down to 4 bodies. The game continues with only 9 men on the floor.
• Less than a minute later, John Petty injured his ankle and was forced to leave the game. It was now 5 on 3 and remained that way until the final buzzer.

Alabama is about to play this basketball game with 4 players

5 vs 4……. in basketball….

Think there’s a hockey mind in the building that can help with the 12 minute power play? pic.twitter.com/0U6feNAw0C

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 25, 2017

A two man power-play in a basketball game! Has anyone ever seen anything like what happened Saturday evening? The Lakers finished a game with 4 players in 2014. That’s one more athlete than Bama had, though. If it’s a first for you, you’re not alone. Minnesota’s, Jordan Murphy, is with the us.

I bet the folks in Minnesota never envisioned a day where they’d have a 5 on 3 Power Play against a team from Alabama, nor does Alabama know what a 5 on 3 Power Play is https://t.co/3JTK1IMi8n

— Josh Gross (@josh3302) November 26, 2017

Jordan Murphy on crazy Alabama game: “It’s probably one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever been part of college basketball-wise. I don’t even know if we’re going to watch much film on it.” #Gophers pic.twitter.com/5qt4pNZEyE

— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) November 26, 2017

In what may be the strangest part of this story, Alabama outscored us during their short-handed stretch. That’s correct. Kind of embarrassing for MN, but not as embarrassing as only fielding 60% of a starting lineup. It seemed just as odd for the Minnesota players as it did for those of us watching. After a 28-19 Bama run, it was a one possession game with a few minutes remaining. Ultimately, the Gophers stayed undefeated with a 89-84 chaotic victory. In a losing effort, Collin Sexton was unbelievable. The freshman phenom finished the game with 40 points.

It was nice to see Richard Pitino’s team stay….mostly….discipline during the altercation. Moving forward we should take the Hockey approach. Always dress a goon. ALWAYS. Keep that brute on the bench for when things get heated. Amir Coffey wants to swing on someone, but would get suspended for doing so? Our goon farmer tackles the opponent to the Barn floor. He hits the showers a hero, while Coffey stays on the court. There are a couple of “Row The Boat” LBs that have some extra free time…

Here is the whole thing. It also shows how the crowd played a role, better than the national Facebook broadcast did.

Johnny Minnesota @mnsportsnstuff
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Jordan Murphy is first Gopher with consecutive Big Ten player of week honors https://t.co/PZ9wj6QBRn pic.twitter.com/QBT5P7k4Qw

— StribGophersBB (@StribGophersBB) November 20, 2017

Congratulations Jordan! It must feel good to stand alone in Minnesota history. Someone contact the people at Guinnessworldrecords.com ASAP.

Only three other athletes in our program’s history have won the award twice in one season. Gophersports.com lists Kris Humphries, Joel Pryzbilla, and Quincy Lewis as the other talented two-time recipients. If Murphy won the first two weeks, you can reasonably expect him to win AT LEAST one more this season. Once that is accomplished, he’ll join Lewis as the only three-time recipients in one year.

Sports are like business. If you’re crushing, let your numbers do the talking. Talk to us, Jordan Murphy:

The San Antonio native has played out of his mind thus far. 3rd Team Big Ten last year must not have been enough. The Big Ten Player of the Week is averaging 24.8 PPG and 12.8 RPG, while shooting 61.4% from the floor. Murphy is on the fast track for 1st Team in 2017-2018. If he stays anywhere near these numbers, he’ll be a staple in the conferences POY conversations.

The Gophers Junior plays a hell of a lot bigger than you’d expect from his 6’6″ frame. That IS NOT a misprint. Both GopherSports.com and ESPN.com list Murphy at that size. Basketball players are notorious for adding a couple of inches to their actual height. It looks better when opponents and scouts are doing their research.

Are we doing the opposite here with Jordan Murphy? The young-man seems a lot taller than 6’6″ to me. Maybe he just plays like it.

At the end of the day, height is just a number. NBA scouts will pick it apart, but screw them. You know who else is 6’6″? Charles Barkley. An absolute rebounding machine at the pro-level. On the opposite side of this conversation is the 7’0″ Brook Lopez. As a starter last year in Brooklyn, he averaged 5.4 RPG. That’s an unacceptable number from a 28 year-old man with that kind of size. When it comes to rebounding, athleticism and tenacity trump height 7 days of the week.

Charles Barkley rebound right there. https://t.co/ZWfgryfbII

— Peter Stringer (@peterstringer) November 21, 2017

Murphy never will be Charles Barkley. Barkley is a Top 50 All Time NBA Player. It’s just an example of size being overrated. Chuck is a national Treasure, so I like to bring him up whenever possible. If you’d prefer a different comparison, ask.

Let’s take a moment and appreciate what we have in Minnesota right now for big men (especially if you include KAT…but we’ll leave that for another article and another day… he won Western Conference Player of the Week last week..). It has literally NEVER been like this. Jordan is only one half of the best front court in the Big Ten. Murphy’s front-court teammate Reggie Lynch won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last year averaging 3.5 blocks per game. He’s averaging 5.5 so far this season…. Reggie’s eligibility runs out after this season. Even without his return, the future big men for the University are promising.

Richard Pitino has landed some big recruits already in his tenure, one of them being Minnesotan and current Sophomore, Amir Coffey. Some put his newly signed 2018 big man out of Cretin Derham Hall, Daniel Oturu, ahead of him in Pitino’s recruiting trophies since he’s been in Minnesota.

And Dan isn’t alone. Murphy will still have a year of eligibility left after this season, giving him one year with Oturu. Oturu would come in and start on most teams in the Big Ten but I doubt he will on this team. Let’s not forget about Eric Curry who was lost for the season to a devastating knee injury before the year could even get started. He will receive a medical redshirt and be just a Sophomore next year. If you’ve forgotten how good Curry was in his first year, let me refresh your memory. He played 20 MPG as a Freshman on a team that won 24 games.

And 2019 you ask??? How about another 6’9″ PF out of Minnesota? This one would be forever implanted in Pitino’s “Mount Rushmore” of recruits.

Minnesota is back in action tonight vs. Alabama A&M. As always, Go Gophers! Let’s make it 5-0. Do me a favor and cue the damn highlights:

Johnny Minnesota  @mnsportsnstuff & Boss-Man Eric @RealMNSportsFan
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Have a game, Jordan Murphy!

Junior forward posts 35 and 15 in 92-77 win over USC Upstate. pic.twitter.com/D1YluLMi6d

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) November 11, 2017

Our next animal costume will be Jordan Murphy. That guy’s a beast!

— The Barnyard (@BarnyardUMN) November 11, 2017

I like to think I’m a math guy…maybe even a little “Rain Man-ish”. It has its pros and cons. Trust me when I tell you that Jordan Murphy’s numbers yesterday were absurd; nearly unheard of in college basketball. It may not even take a brain, let alone a math one, to figure that out…. but I like to tell you how smart I am. Last season, as a Sophomore, the Gopher big man averaged 11.3 Points and 8.8 Rebounds per game. Those are really good numbers. The 8.8 rebounds were good for 4th in the Big Ten. I fully anticipate the PPG to climb closer to 15, which would put him near the top-ten in the conference.

Also expect Murphy to finish 2017-2018 averaging a double-double. That’s saying something. Averaging a double-double doesn’t happen, in college basketball, like it does in the NBA. Caleb Swanigan was the only player to do it last year, in the Big Ten (18.5 PPG/12.5 RPG). He went in the 1st round of the NBA draft this year. Before Swanigan last season, NOBODY in the Big Ten, averaged a double-double since Draymond Green (16.2 PPG/10.6 RPG) in 2011-12…. Both Green and Swanigan won the Big Ten Player of the Year in those seasons… It’ll be hard to beat Miles Bridges this year, no matter the numbers Murphy or anyone else puts up…

This team is extremely well-rounded and appears to be even more unselfish. That’s what’s so exciting. Any of the four returning starters can take over a game. Dupree McBrayer can rattle off scoring streaks like a young JR Smith (the good version of JR). Isaiah Washington is a playmaker. The flashy Bronx guard will blow the roof off of the Barn and you’ll see #JellyFam sprayed all over campus. This squad can come at you from all angles.

Final Score:#Gophers 92, USC Upstate 77

Jordan Murphy is the player of the game with a career high 35 points with 13 rebounds in the first regular season game of the year.

Next game Gophers will head to Providence on Monday to play Head coach Richard Pitino’s alma mater.

— Jack Warrick (@WarrickJack) November 11, 2017

The Gophers are back in action on Monday to face Richard Pitino’s alma mater, Providence. He might not say it, but I’d imagine this one means a lot to our fifth year coach. The players should be full of a little extra piss and vinegar come tipoff. Let’s do this Little Ricky. You’re ready. We’re ready. Keep on rowing vs. Providence. Finish Top 3 in the Big Ten. Dance and Advance.

Johnny Minnesota @mnsportsnstuff
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Sources: BigTen.org, Basketball-Reference, Star Tribune, sports-reference.com

Photo: Star Tribune