Throughout the ups and downs for Richard Pitino's Gophers this season there was a common theme that continued to rear its ugly head from beginning to the end.
This was Pitino's worst shooting team during his eight seasons with the program, but you couldn't tell his players that.
It took an impressive defensive effort and late clutch shooting against Northwestern on Wednesday to carry Minnesota to the Big Ten tournament second round in Indianapolis.
The 13th-seeded Gophers kept it close again on Thursday afternoon against No. 5 seed Ohio State with defense and timely baskets down the stretch, but they fell short this time in a 79-75 loss at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Marcus Carr, who is likely to enter the NBA draft early again after this season, led the Gophers (14-15) with 24 points on 7-for-24 shooting in what could be his last college game.
Pitino is expected to find out about his uncertain future with the program now that the season is over.
When he looks back on his tenure, he would be hard pressed to find another squad that had this much confidence in their shooting that didn't have the numbers to back it up.
The Gophers finished the regular season last among high major conference programs in shooting from the field (39.4%) and three-point range (28.6%). Both were school-record lows for a single season.
The best chance Minnesota had to compete Thursday was to make it an ugly game. That's how the Gophers beat Northwestern 51-46 in Wednesday's Big Ten tournament opener, their fewest points in a win since 2009.
The Buckeyes (19-8), who entered the postseason on a four-game losing streak, weren't equipped for shootouts, either. They were comfortable grinding it out — and that's just what happened Thursday.
Ohio State's 12-point lead was cut to 74-71 on Both Gach's layup that capped a 21-12 run for the Gophers down the stretch.
Following two missed free throws from Justice Sueing, the Gophers pulled within 75-74 after Carr's three-pointer with 13 seconds to play in the game.
After a timeout with eight seconds left, E.J. Liddell hit two free throws that gave the Buckeyes a cushion. Carr was fouled on the ensuing possession and hit one of two free throws, but the Gophers couldn't rebound his miss on the second foul shot.
Pitino had no inside scoring presence with 7-footer Liam Robbins missing his fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle. Robbins' absence was significant in the rematch vs. Ohio State since he had 27 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in the 77-60 win Jan. 3 at Williams Arena.
No Robbins meant the Gophers had to rely on their jumpers. Forget that they were ranked 340th nationally in three-point shooting percentage.
In the second half, the Buckeyes led 46-33 after Duane Washington Jr.'s three-pointer, but they weren't able to pull away from the pesky Gophers.
Minnesota's backcourt of Carr, Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Tre' Williams combined to shoot 6-for-30 from the field in the first half, but that didn't kill their confidence.
The trio combined for 13 points during a 16-7 run that was capped by Williams' three-pointer to cut Minnesota's deficit to 53-49 with 7:38 to play. Mashburn had 18 points on 8-for-22 shooting.
Robbins and Gabe Kalscheur (broken finger) were not able to return to help the Gophers make a Big Ten tourney run to keep their postseason goals alive. Minnesota finished the season losing 12 of its last 16 games after a promising start.
The Star Tribune did not travel for this game. This article was written using the television broadcast and video interviews before and/or after the game.
The Link LonkMarch 12, 2021 at 04:58AM
https://www.startribune.com/richard-pitino-s-gophers-finish-season-with-hard-fought-loss-to-to-ohio-state/600033105/
Richard Pitino's Gophers finish season with hard-fought loss to Ohio State - Minneapolis Star Tribune
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