Minnesota knocks out Penn State with lights-out shooting

It took almost an entire 40 minutes for Minnesota to reach 50 points against Iowa last Thursday. Sunday afternoon in Williams Arena, the Golden Gophers cracked the 70-point plateau against Penn State. Just a few days after a discouraging offensive outing, Tubby Smith's ballclub played their best game of the young Big Ten season.

Minnesota's 79-59 lashing of the Nittany Lions didn't just enable the Gophers to win a battle of the Big Ten's two fresh-faced surprises. Far more significantly, the impressive 20-point victory answered some urgent questions about UM's ability to score. Smith--a national championship coach--will always get his teams to play active defense, but after the ugly escape at Iowa, the Gophers needed to tell the conference and the nation that their 14-1 record wasn't smoke and mirrors. Sooner or later, Minnesota needed to max out at the offensive end in order to boast an appreciably well-rounded attack.
 
Against Penn State, the Gophers silenced their doubters for one afternoon... partly by design, and partly by pulling off one of the most impressive shooting displays you'll ever see in 2009.

The design in Minnesota's offensive onslaught came in the form of 15 chippies produced by superior effort and half court efficiency. The Gophers' 63-percent shooting performance (30-of-48) was built on the back of their ability to get 15 made field goals from layups, put backs, and dunks. At one point in the second half, Minnesota gained 5 straight field goals from layups. With the easiest shot in basketball greeting them consistently, it's not surprising that Tubby's troops made most of their field goal attempts.
 
In addition to good design and execution, the Gophers also maxed out because they truly did achieve perfection--not just above-average quality--in one aspect of today's competition: three-point shooting.
 
While Penn State hit 9-of-27 triples, the Gophers hit all nine of their threes. Amazingly enough, Minnesota didn't acquire its 9-for-9 stat line by riding the hot hand of one player. Six different players hit at least one trifecta to set The Barn on fire.
 
Of the many young men to take part in the shooting barrage was bench player Devron Bostick. In just 16 minutes of action, the guard hit two shots behind the arc to lead what one could call the Bostick Three Party. All told, Bostick went 7-for-8 from the field to lead all scorers in tandem with PSU's Talor Battle, who needed 38 minutes of court time to register his own 19-point total. Bostick's remarkable shooting efficiency provided the scoring punch that everyone in the Minnesota camp has been looking for. Step-up performances such as the ones provided by Bostick and fellow guard Paul Carter (5-of-6 shooting, 2-of-2 on threes, and 14 points in just 20 minutes) will give the Gophers the quality depth they'll need while their young frontcourt gains a greater feel for the offensive side of the game.
 
Minnesota hasn't yet sunk its teeth into the toughest stretch of the Big Ten schedule. Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan and Illinois will sorely test Tubby Smith's ability to get sustained point production from a lineup that's still young. However, with this win over Penn State, the Gophers gained early leverage over a Nittany Lion team that's fighting them for Big Ten positioning. If players like Devron Bostick can continue to shoot the ball with notable accuracy, Minnesota will be able to handle the tougher challenges that lie ahead.

> Find more Big Ten football news online at Big Ten Fans!