Gophers fall to Purdue by one
It was only one point, but it fell to the wrong team as the Minnesota Gophers on Wednesday lost to number three-ranked Purdue, 58-59. This was despite sophomore center Ralph Sampson III’s college career-best 21 points and seven board performance on the night.
The loss all but assures that the Gophers, at best, will sneak into the NIT Tourney, rather than the NCAA, and all but seals this as the first time in about 20 years coached by Tubby Smith to probably fall short of achieving 20 wins.
Of course, it has been a season of distractions and unexpected absences. Top recruit Royce White, and top transfer Trevor Mbakwe and senior guard Devron Bostick have had legal troubles keeping them off-court, and point guard Al Nolan has struggled academically. That means this year’s team has been down three or four top players all season.
The surprise shouldn’t be that the Gophers aren’t living up to expectations; the surprise ought to be that Smith has kept the team so competitive while so short-handed and lacking in quality depth. This is the kind of team that causes most coaches to invest in hemorrhoid cream, after all…
