Souhan: Gophers bad night sets ominous tone very early in season
Ben Johnson's roster is as thin and fragile as a glass thermometer.
The Gopher men's basketball game against Michigan on Thursday night might have been an accurate barometer.
In the second Big Ten game of Johnson's second season as Gophers coach, Michigan beat his team, 90-75, after taking a 24-point lead in the first half and stretching it to 32 in the second half at Williams Arena.
The Gophers didn't play defense, didn't always box out, failed to move the ball to create open shots and chased portions of the small crowd out of the arena before the game ended.
Other than that, it was a wonderful night at The Barn.
"I felt they were so comfortable out there,'' Johnson said of the Wolverines. "I didn't feel we had any presence out there defensively.''
What might be the low point of Johnson's short tenure at Minnesota can only be redeemed by a peek into the future.
Johnson has size and talent arriving next year, in the form of five-star, 7-1 center Dennis Evans and four-star, 6-6 guard Cam Christie.
If someone is mentioning next year's recruits early in a column about a game, you know the game didn't go well.
"It's disappointing for me because it's not how we practiced the last two days,'' Johnson said. "This was one of the rougher starts we've had where we didn't have a physical presence defensively.''
Johnson also has lost key players to injury this year, leaving his roster inexperienced and heavily dependent on two players — junior forward Jamison Battle and sophomore forward Dawson Garcia.
After Michigan opened that 24-point first-half lead, it was junior point guard Ta'Lon Cooper who led something of a comeback.
He hit a bucket to make it 37-17. After Garcia hit a three-pointer, Cooper drew a foul and hit two free throws. His three-pointer cut Michigan's lead to 40-27, prompting a Michigan timeout.
Cooper was also the player thumping teammates' chests in the timeout huddles, and grabbing them by the wrist to offer instructions during free throws.
The Gophers defense allowed Michigan to shoot 53% from the field and 58% from the three-point line in the first half.
Just 91 seconds into the second half, Michigan had scored seven straight points to make it 54-33.
"Wait 'til next year'' is a baseball lament, and a college basketball marketing slogan.
Add Evans and Christie to Cooper, Battle and Garcia, and Johnson should for the first time have a team capable of competing in the Big Ten.
This season, Johnson needs to get maximum offensive involvement from Battle, a clever player who needs the ball to help his team.
"We've got to see if we can do more to put him in a better position to get shots,'' Johnson said. "Obviously, teams are going to key on him.''
On one possession midway through the second half, Battle drifted to the left corner and was wide open for a three-point shot. His teammates didn't even look at him.
The Gophers are 4-5 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. Even after cutting the deficit on Thursday night during garbage time, their point differential in the conference is minus-34. They have lost four straight, with their closest margin in that stretch being nine points.
The crowd at The Barn on Thursday was small — generously estimated at 10,004 — and eager to leave once the Gophers failed to challenge Michigan in the second half.
As with Lindsay Whalen and the women's program, when you hire an inexperienced coach primarily because of their potential recruiting prowess, you have no choice but to wait for results.
Whalen is in her fifth season, and the talent has arrived. She's starting four freshmen and a sophomore, including a future star in Mara Braun. Whalen is making obvious progress.
The wait for Evans and Christie could feel long as a Minnesota winter, but Johnson should be viewed similarly. He was hired to recruit, and his best recruits will arrive next season.
Until Evans and Christie arrive, fans may find themselves glancing at their watches, or calendars, during games.
