It was nearly one year ago when Stephon Sharp, Gaston Diedhiou and Darin Haugh shared the court in the 2016 Big Ten Tournament, and at the time, it marked a new low for the Minnesota Golden Gophers program. With Joey King hurt, Carlos Morris booted off the team and the trio of Nate Mason, Dupree McBrayer and Kevin Dorsey, Jr., suspended, an eight-win Minnesota team limped into the conference tourney, folded quickly against Illinois and lost its 23rd game of the season by a 33-point margin.
Thursday night, the occasion was much more joyful.
Sharp, Diedhiou and Haugh, one of the team’s two seniors, all received playing time in the closing minutes of a rare laugher at Williams Arena, sending Minnesota to a 23-7 (11-6) record and its eighth consecutive win. “Great way to go out,” said head coach Richard Pitino. “We haven’t had too many comfortable wins like that.”
The Gophers used a 14-2 run before halftime to take a commanding 40-27 halftime lead and cruised to as much as a 24-point advantage in the second half. Minnesota shot 55.9 percent for the game, the team’s second-best shooting percentage of the year and the second time in three games they’ve shot 50 percent or better.
Arguably the only player who didn’t have a hot night was senior Akeem Springs, who was honored before and after the game and received thunderous cheers. Springs shot 1 for 6 and scored just three points. But his teammates more than made up for it.
Mason finished with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Jordan Murphy notched his sixth double-double in the last seven games with 20 points, 11 rebounds. Reggie Lynch was steady and stayed out of foul trouble once again as he scored 11 points, blocked six shots and grabbed six boards. McBrayer concluded with 16 points and had a stretch of 10 points in under four minutes in the second half, punctuated by his second spectacular dunk in as many home games.
It’s the Gophers’ balance that will make them tough to guard as March basketball becomes more meaningful. “We started clicking in February and March,” said Mason. “That comes with a lot of repetition in practice and just getting to know each other, how each other plays.”
Pitino has been quick to point out how Minnesota has become an ego-free zone where nobody complains about roles or minutes, and selflessness is the name of the game. That’s begun to manifest itself on the floor as the Gophers are sharing the ball better than they have all season.
Minnesota recorded 21 assists, one game after dealing 20 in a win over Penn State. It was the Gophers’ first time this year with back-to-back 20-assist games. “I think it’s four games in a row of 80-plus points,” said Pitino, “so they’re sharing it, they’re driving, they’re kind of cutting off of each other. Dupree has that baseline-drive bounce pass to Murph. Guys are looking for each other. You can tell these guys like playing with each other.”
The Gophers capped their home record at 17-3 with all three of the losses coming down to the wire — and many of the wins.
It was an enthralling year for Gophers fans that may have pondered taking a year off from buying tickets after watching the team go 7-10 at The Barn last season. Over 12,300 souls showed up to the home finale, and they didn’t have to sweat out the final seconds as they have so many times this season. “I do think that today was definitely the most poised yet comfortable and loose out there for sure,” said Pitino.
NOTES
- Springs’ poor shooting night may have been the result of a back injury, as Pitino indicated after the game. We’ll get an update on Springs’ health on Saturday.
- Haugh, the senior, was not able to score in his 3 minutes, 54 seconds of action, missing one 3-pointer. He did grab a rebound, however.
- The Gophers started the game 0 for 6 from beyond the arc. They finished the game 5 for 8.
- With the win, Minnesota moved into third place in the Big Ten. A win Sunday against Wisconsin would give the Gophers the 2-seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
