As the Golden Gophers season winds down, so does the career of point guard Nate Mason.
Voted a first-team all-conference player his junior year, Mason has backed it up with another campaign that likely won’t get the recognition it deserves due to Minnesota’s declining record and fading relevancy.
Mason is currently averaging several career bests with 16.5 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game and better than a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. With at least five games remaining on the schedule, Mason — sitting on 1,643 career points — is likely to amass enough points to finish fifth on Minnesota’s all-time scoring list, perhaps just out of reach of former teammate Andre Hollins (1,765).
Hollins might have had a higher total if not for a tough stretch at the beginning of conference play his senior year, during which he shot 12 of 58 as the Gophers lost five games in a row. At the time, his struggles were chalked up to the proverbial senior slump, which Pitino often references. Players in their final seasons are often preoccupied with what their future holds, especially for a player that may not have clear-cut NBA talent.
There’s been no such skid for Mason, though, who has shot a sizzling 41 percent from 3-point range this year.
“I’ve not sensed that he feels sorry for himself,” said Pitino. “I would understand it. How many games ago we were sitting at 13-3? Now we’re 14-13. But Nate’s been playing really, really hard, so that’s been really good to see because that’s gotta be hard.”
Over the last eight games, Mason has missed just 14 minutes out of a possible 330, playing four games without taking a break, two of which went to overtime. He’s averaged 19.5 ppg during the stretch, but the Gophers have lost their last seven as injuries to Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer have depleted their depth.
“It’s definitely getting a little emotional coming down to these last four, five games here,” Mason said. “It’s been a long ride. I’m looking forward to the next step, but right now I’m focusing on the team and what we still have to accomplish in the season. We still have a pretty good chance to come out [with a winning record] this season and also in the Big Ten tournament to make some noise.”
Relentless optimism from a relentless player.
Mason has spent the season passing the torch, so-called, to freshman point guard Isaiah Washington, who is expected to take over the full-time starting job next season. The young phenom from Harlem will be, in essence, an extension of Mason’s legacy. The senior has taken it upon himself to mentor Washington, just as he was mentored himself the previous year by senior Akeem Springs.
“Somebody’s gonna have to step up and be able to lead,” said Mason. “It was hard for me to do that, especially when I was younger, so I’m trying to groom Isaiah a lot, get him out of his comfort zone, get him to speak up on certain things that he doesn’t think he should speak up on. It’s going to be hard for him to get out of his comfort zone, but he definitely has the talent, and it’s going to be fun to watch him play.”
Bridges back
Tuesday’s opponent is Michigan State, the nation’s top team according to the coaches’ poll and No. 2 according to the Associated Press.
The Spartans made a significant leap this season, thanks in large part to the return of sophomore Miles Bridges, who was urged by coach Tom Izzo to go to the NBA but opted to stay in college for at least one more season.
He is averaging 17.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and hit a game-winning 3-pointer against No. 3 Purdue over the weekend.
The definition of clutch ⤵ pic.twitter.com/nd9r4ViGXt
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 10, 2018
“I was hoping he’d go [pro],” said Pitino. “He’s really good. He approaches it the right way, loves college, loves Michigan state, plays hard, very, very talented.”
Bridges isn’t the only threat.
Center Nick Ward punished the Gophers for 22 points the last time the Spartans played at Williams Arena, and freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. is expected to be a high NBA draft pick in June.
The Spartans are favored by double digits on Minnesota’s home floor, where the Gophers have lost four in a row.
The matchup feels like Minnesota versus Maryland late in the 2015-16 season when the undermanned Gophers beat the top-10 Terrapins to snap a long losing streak. Then-senior Joey King famously cried tears of joy after the victory.
“It would mean a lot,” Mason said of a potential upset. “I was talking to B.K. (Bakary Konate) about it yesterday. I said I wouldn’t cry like Joey, but it would mean a lot, man. Just all the stuff we’ve gone through.”
Injury report
Coffey (shoulder) and McBrayer (left leg) continue to be day-to-day. McBrayer will need to determine whether he can play through the pain of the stress reaction that’s plagued him all season, and Coffey will also be a gametime decision. Pitino said they’ve done “a little bit” with Coffey, which could indicate he is making progress towards a return.
