The Gophers are struggling incredibly right now. After a Tubby tongue-lashing, we went to Iowa and snapped a near-historic losing streak for Tubby. Then, almost immediately, we went to University Park and lost to Penn St. With four winnable game to go, three of which are at home, the Gophers need to win at least three, if not all four, to make the Big Dance. Currently, we are on the outside looking in. The question remains to be answered whether we can win without Nolen and if Blake and the bigs are enough. Yes, there are plenty of things to point at for our struggles, like Devoe Joseph leaving, Al Nolen’s broken foot, forgotten big man Maurice Walker’s torn PCL, or how about if we still had once-Gopher Royce White. A few things are clear, however, if we are going to make a mini-run to end the season and get into the NCAA tournament, Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson have to play consistent and stop disappearing during games; Mbakwe has to dominate entire games, not just short spurts; and the freshman have to grow up quickly. Otherwise, it won’t matter if the Gophers have legitimate excuses for falling short this season or if Tubby Smith is to blame, because we will be a tournament afterthought in the NIT.
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