Minnesota kicked off their 2021-22 season with an exhibition match against local Concordia St. Paul, an NCAA Division 2 team. The Gophers came away with an 80-67 win, and these are some of my takeaways from the game!
Minnesota came out firing from three early, and kept their lead for the length of the game to knock off Concordia St. Paul at home. Led by transfers Jamison Battle and Payton Willis, Minnesota knocked down 11 threes while shooting 38% from beyond the arc. Battle, who finished with a team high 24 points, showcased his offensive versatility all night long. Whether it was draining threes, putting the ball on the floor to get into the paint, or posting up smaller forwards, he was putting points on the board with efficiency.
Minnesota's Defense
It wasn't a great performance defensively for Minnesota as they allowed 67 points, but there were some positives. Right from the jump Minnesota's off-ball defense and rotations looked crisp. If one guy got beat, all of his teammates were in the right spots to rotate and cut off the man as well as make any necessary switches. Was impressed with how Jamison Battle moved his feet against some smaller guys, and held Marcus Skeete (one of Concordia's best players) scoreless in 13 minutes. Luke Loewe made an impact by taking two charges, and I thought most of the guards played strong on-ball defense.
Rebounding Struggles
I think one of the reasons that this game wasn't a blowout was due to a lack of dominance on the glass from Minnesota. I know they'll be one of the smaller teams inside in the Big 10, but against Concordia St. Paul they had the size advantage. It didn't show on the glass though as CSP pulled in 15 offensive boards, and actually outrebounded the Gophers 43-41 on the night. On multiple occasions I saw Minnesota players getting a hand on the ball, but just weren't able to collect the board and possessions were kept alive for Concordia.
Contributors Off The Bench
In terms of scoring, not much came from the bench last night. The Gophers got just 10 points combined from the five non-starters who saw time, including 6 from Sean Sutherlin. I could see him hovering between that 6th man slot and possibly a starting role throughout the season. I though he did a nice job of providing an extra rebounding presence as someone who attacks the ball out of the air (6 boards in 18 minutes). He also made plays offensively by getting into the paint where he was either able to elevate and finish at the rim, or draw in a double team and locate the open shooter. Treyton Thompson wasn't used much offensively, and the 6'11 freshman was often paired with another big on the floor to avoid having him guard the opponent's strongest player. Fellow freshman Abdoulaye Thiam was aggressive but just couldn't get anything to fall. He finished with 2 points on 1-8 shooting. Hopefully he'll find the shooting stroke that he displayed at the juco level and will be able to provide an extra scoring spark off the bench this season.
Key Players For Minnesota
Jamison Battle: 24 points, 8 rebounds
Payton Willis: 23 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds
Eric Curry: 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
Sean Sutherlin: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists (off the bench)
What's Next?
The Gophers will have a week to prepare before their first official game at home against Kansas City on Tuesday, November 9th at 7:00pm. Kansas City was picked to finish 6th in the Summit League preseason poll, and features 6'8 junior Josiah Allick who is coming off a 15 ppg sophomore season.
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