THE FACTS: Minnesota opened the season with a dominant 85-50 win over the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The Gophers trailed early 1-3, but quickly went on a 14-2 run and never looked back. Bobby Durkin led the way for Minnesota with 16 points and shot 4/5 from three.
WHY IT MATTERED: With a mix of returning and new players, this game was important to see how they would come together. Offensively, they picked up where they left off last season with great ball movement and a high assist percentage. On
defense, this was some of the best swarming, team defense we have seen in some time. This was complementary play that would make PJ Fleck very jealous.
GAME BALL: Tonight’s game ball goes to the Gopher defense. All nine of the primary rotation guys played fantastic, swarming and stifling defense. The Fighting Hawks shot just 28.8% for the game and were 3/28 from three (1/21 at one point in the second half).
THE STAT: Last season, the Gophers led the nation in assist percentage, assisting on 71% of their made field goals. Michigan State was a distant 2nd at 67.7%. And nothing seems to have changed, as the Gophers had 28 assists on 34 made field goals. There were four different Gophers with at least four assists. If this style of play continues with a deeper and more talented team…this team is going to be very good.
TURNING POINT: There was no turning point, but Malick Kordel’s back-to-back-to-back dunks in the second half (which was soon followed by a one-dribble power dunk) really put the hammer down on the Fighting Hawks. The third dunk, an assist from Durkin, pushed the lead to 28 with 15:47 left. Kordel finished with 13 points and five rebounds.
UNDER THE RADAR: The Gopher rebounding was very good. North Dakota managed to snag 12 offensive rebounds, but they also missed 42 shots, creating a lot of offensive rebounding opportunities. The Gopher rebounding stats won’t jump out at you, but they were very good.
HOT: Bobby Durkin’s 16 points were nice, but his start to the game, going 4/4 from three and really helped to put the gas down as Minnesota pulled away. He finished 4/5 from three, 5/6 overall, but when he heats up, he is electric.
NOT: The entire North Dakota roster really struggled to shoot tonight. The 3/28 from three is really ugly and it was spread around for the Hawks. Zach Kraft, who shot 40% from three last year, was 1/8. Tyler Wagner, Champlin Park’s finest, was 0/4. And three other guys went 0/3.
GOOD MOVE: North Dakota, down 30, went to a zone and it briefly slowed down the Gopher offense that was having their way with UND’s man-to-man. It didn’t matter because the Gopher defense on the other end was
BAD MOVE: Coach Sather went back to man after the next timeout.
NOTABLE: There seems to be a solidified nine-man rotation for Medved. His first substitution brings in the trio of Kordel, Kai Shinholser and Nolan Groves while Grayson Grove, Asuma and Crocker-Johnson get a rest. He then rotates them back in for the guys who stayed and Malachi Palmer gets a few spot-minutes as the ninth. It appears that freshmen Nolan Anderson and Cedric Tomes would be the next two, if needed.
UP NEXT: Minnesota hosts St. Thomas in the dumbest game on the schedule. The Tommies opened their season with a 87-78 win over Presbyterian. The game will air on Peacock and tips off at 7:00 on Friday.
