Takeaways: Gophers give away chance for quality win over Iowa
Minnesota Gophers center Daniel Oturu (25) reacted after he fouled out in the second half of the Gophers' 70-52 win over Wisconsin. ((Photo by Renee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - It was there for the taking, and then everything fell apart for the University of Minnesota men’s basketball team against Iowa Sunday afternoon.
In front of a sellout crowd at Williams Arena, the Gophers had an 8-point lead with 5:25 to play. They didn’t get another point, and the Hawkeyes scored the last 11 to steal a Big Ten road win.
Minnesota has now lost four of its past five games and is on very shaky ground for Selection Sunday. Here are takeaways from Sunday’s loss, the second for the Gophers at home in Big Ten play this season.
Huge missed free throws
Despite an offensive collapse in the last five minutes, the Gophers had a chance to tie the game with 3.8 seconds left and potentially send it to overtime. Daniel Oturu grabbed a loose ball and was fouled by Iowa star Luka Garza, who fouled out on the play. Oturu got a 1-and-1 opportunity, and missed the front end to effectively end the game.
Oturu finished the game 3-of-7 from the free-throw line, and the Gophers as a team finished 6-of-12 at the charity stripe in the loss. Free throws are only free if you make them, and Oturu’s miss proved costly. Making both likely sends the game to overtime, and with Garza out, the Gophers would’ve had a huge advantage in overtime. They got to the 8-point lead late in the second half with Iowa’s top player on the bench with four fouls. It’s an opportunity Oturu, who has been a star for Minnesota most of the season, would love to have back.
No points last 5:25, only 3 shots taken
One could argue the game shouldn’t have come down to Oturu missing at the free-throw line, but it did because of Minnesota’s offensive ineptitude in the last five minutes. Payton Willis made a 3-pointer with 5:25 to play to give the Gophers a 55-47 lead. It was the last points Minnesota would score.
The Gophers had 10 turnovers in the second half, and five of them came in the last five minutes. In that same span, Minnesota managed just three shots from the field, including Marcus Carr’s prayer from beyond half-court that had no chance. Oturu traveled before scoring, Gabe Kalscheur had Oturu for a lay-up that was turned over by Garza, Alihan Demir dribbled into the mid-post before turning it over and Carr had a miscommunication with Kalscheur and Oturu before throwing a pass to nobody and promptly out of bounds.
Minnesota had a chance to step on Iowa’s throat, up with five minutes to play. Instead, nobody took over and the Gophers gave the game away.
Gophers shooting struggles continue
Richard Pitino stressed after the Gophers beat Wisconsin 70-52 that he has a better shooting team than the statistics would indicate. Well, numbers don’t lie. The Gophers shot just 21-of-59 (35.6 percent) from the field in the loss to Iowa. That includes 7-of-25 (28 percent) from three-point range against an Iowa team that’s 13th of 14 teams in the Big Ten.
Through 24 games, the Gophers are 11th in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (41.8 percent) and three-point percentage (31.9 percent). Nationally, they’re 269th in field goal percentage, 255th in three-point percentage and 219th in scoring. Simply put, the offense has to be better if the Gophers have any chance of making the NCAA Tournament.
The path to 17 wins?
Despite an ugly finish and losing to a rival in a game it felt like the Gophers had to win, there remains a path to the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota has home games left against Indiana Wednesday, a top-10 team in Maryland and the regular season finale against Nebraska. The Gophers’ three remaining road games are Indiana, Wisconsin and Northwestern.
The loss to Iowa hurts, because it’s an opportunity lost for a Quad 1 win. The Gophers need to finish their last six regular season games 5-1 to feel comfortable about their NCAA Tournament chances heading into the Big Ten Tournament. Otherwise, they’ll need to make a run at the league tournament, likely into the weekend.
Is Richard Pitino on the hot seat?
If the Gophers can find a way to earn an NCAA Tournament berth, it will be the third in four years for Richard Pitino in his seven seasons with the program. If they don’t, it will lead to questions and speculation about the program heading into the off-season.
Pitino signed a two-year extension in April of 2019 and is under contract with Minnesota through the 2023-24 season. Should Athletic Director Mark Coyle decided to move on after this season, Pitino’s buyout is $2 million in April. Last year’s win over Louisville in the NCAA Tournament was Minnesota’s first in the Big Dance since 2013, and Pitino has led the Gophers to four winning seasons in his six-plus years. He was also the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2017.
Coyle might have a decision to make on his basketball coach if the Gophers aren’t dancing in March.