First off, if anyone wants to start a petition to get rid of Big Ten Network +, I will sign it in a heartbeat. You should not have to pay extra to watch these so many of these non-conference games.
I wanted to get this out with my initial five thoughts revolving the game tonight. They might be a little bit of overreaction, as I haven’t taken time to let the game sink in yet, but sometimes the best reaction is the gut reaction.
A dominating win for the Gophers as they beat Oral Roberts 80-57. It’s just one game, but it was good to see them come out and take care of business. We will have to do a bunch of that, given the soft schedule.
Five Thoughts from the win over Oral Roberts
- Dawson Garcia is a first-team all-Big 10 caliber player. Wow, was he dominant tonight. I had heard that he had improved a lot over the summer, but he showed it tonight. 30 efficient points on 11-14 from the field along with 4 for 5 from the three-point line. Not just the scoring dominance either. He also racked up 8 rebounds and was by far and away the best rebounder on the team. If he can continue to shoot the ball from three well, look out because that will open everything else up for not only himself but everyone around him.
- Femi Odukale will be a huge impact player off the bench. Just watching him tonight, he brings the energy on both sides of the ball, and that is the perfect bench guy. He isn’t going to light up the scoreboard most nights, however he makes the right play every single time. 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and four steals. His length can be a huge asset on the defensive side of the ball.
- Parker Fox continues to do everything right. A perfect 6 for 6 from the field giving him 13 points, he is always in the right spot on offense. That is something you can’t teach, maybe he gets that from his many years of experience! A perfect captain for this team as he leads not only with his play, but with his words and actions. You can tell his teammates love him and look up to him as an “elder”.
- One of my biggest negatives on this game and something I was worried about coming into the season. We might have a free throw shooting problem again this year. 9-17 tonight. That is not going to cut it in B1G play. Those are free points that you are giving away and can completely take the momentum from your team. Something we will have to watch in the coming games. The starters were good tonight, so hopefully it is just the bench players getting nervous in their first big ten playing minutes, as the bench was 0-7.
- Ben Johnson continues to impress me at how he gets his players to buy in to the team and play hard. His guys seem to radiate off his energy and always give their all. A wise coach once told me that hardwork beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Not saying the Gophers don’t have the talent to keep up (but we were projected last in the big ten which feels very egregious to me), however this team buys in and the energy can create positive momentum going forward.
Honorable Mention: Brennan Rigsby is so exciting to watch and a highlight reel waiting to happen at any moment. A great start for the Gophers. 1-0 is all you can ask for.
