Jason Burke was back as the lone defender for a two-on-one near the end of the game after the Golden Gophers broke through the Wildcats’ press.
The senior somehow got a hand on the Minnesota pass, then frantically searched for the loose ball as it trickled between his legs. Both his hands grazed the ball, but Minnesota came away with it.
Minnesota forward Rick Rickert then hit a layup to end NU’s run at what had been a 27-point Minnesota lead. From there the Gophers (15-7, 7-4 Big Ten) closed out a 73-61 victory.
The Cats’ (10-13, 2-10) comeback from 44-17 was capped at 62-57 when junior Jitim Young grabbed an offensive board and sunk the put back for two with 2:26 remaining.
NU found itself in the 27-point hole after Minnesota’s press stumped the Cats for the first 25 minutes. NU didn’t reach double-digits until freshman Evan Seacat hit a 3-pointer to make the score 32-11 with 3:55 left in the first half.
“It was embarrassing how slow we came out,” said Young, who led all NU scorers with 18 points.
The Cats didn’t score in the game’s first 6:31, and before Seacat’s trey, NU had more turnovers (10) than points (8).
“We worked against the press all week but we just didn’t handle it,” NU coach Bill Carmody said. “We got flustered, the guys dribbled into traps like we tell them not to, and (Minnesota) took advantage.”
And even when the Cats broke past midcourt, their cold outside shooting (4 of 26 from beyond the arc) allowed the Gophers’ zone to stay compact and limit the Cats’ backdoor opportunities.
Parker started the second half on the bench for the first time this season, but when he got back on the floor Young had a message for him.
“We just got sick of (the press),” Young said. “I told T.J., ‘Lets break this. We’ve got one of the best backcourts in the league, there’s no reason teams should be able to press us.'”
And that was that. Minnesota’s press yielded two layups in a row and the Gophers stopped the full-court press midway through the second half.
“They got in desperation mode,” Minnesota coach Dan Monson said. “And that’s dangerous for a team to be that way on their home court.”
NU dominated Minnesota 40-18 during the 13 minutes before the ball evaded Burke’s grasp.
After two offensive rebounds and 15 points in the first half, the Cats pulled down 15 offensive boards and netted 46 points after the break.
“It was great to see, but why’s there two distinct playing styles?” Carmody said. “Can’t we have that all game?”
