Gophers-Stanford game preview

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Gophers at a glance: A couple weeks ago, Gophers coach Tubby Smith had yet to notch a single victory in a postseason tournament while at Minnesota. Now he has four, with a potential NIT championship hanging in the balance Thursday. Freshman guard Andre Hollins has become a true leader for the Gophers, and again led them in scoring in the semifinals with 20 points and five assists. Rodney Williams's 20-points-plus streak ended at four games, but the forward continue to produce at a high level. Tuesday, he had 18 points and nine rebounds. Turnovers continue to be a significant problem for the Gophers, who had 21 Tuesday.

Stanford at a glance: The Cardinal might not have had the same tough conference competition as the Gophers, but there's no denying what Stanford has done in the NIT, winning three of their four games by double digits. Against UMass in the semifinals, four players scored 12 points or more, and Josh Owens added 12 rebounds to his 15 points. Freshman guard Chasson Randle leads the team with 13.8 points and 3.3 rebounds a game ... Stanford, like the Gophers, has a young nucleus of players that make mental mistakes at times, but have a lot of promise.

 

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NIT could be key step for Dawkins



It may only be the NIT, but tonight?s championship game against Minnesota in New York could be an important step for Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins.

In his fourth season at Stanford, the former Duke all-American and longtime first assistant to Mike Krzyzewski appears to be gaining traction.

It?s not been an easy path for the 48-year-old Dawkins.

After his first three teams finished 20-14, 14-18 and 15-16, there was some speculation that the rebuilding task was too much for Dawkins to handle.

Even though Stanford got a four-point win over N.C. State early and gave Syracuse a scare in the preseason NIT title game, the Cardinal could do no better than 10-8 in Pac-12 Conference play.

It wasn?t until March that Dawkins? generally young team clicked. With six wins in the past seven games, the Cardinal (25-11) could begin next season as the league favorite regardless of what happens tonight in Madison Square Garden against Tubby Smith?s Gophers (23-14).

Four of Dawkins? starters are either freshmen or sophomores ? 6-1 Chasson Randle (14 ppg), 5-11 Aaron Bright (11.6 ppg), 6-6 Anthony Brown (8.8 pgg) and 6-9 Dwight Powell (5.7 ppg).

?Our guys have really worked and stayed with it all season,? Dawkins said after Tuesday?s 74-64 semifinal win over Massachusetts.

?Having gained this experience throughout this tournament, I think will bode well going into the future. I think this will help us understand how to win games in this type of atmosphere, which will make us a better team in the future.?

 

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Recapping the Gophers' postseason push



THE GOPHERS' POSTSEASON PUSH

In case you missed it, here is how the Gophers reached Thursday night's NIT title game against No. 3-seeded Stanford:

First round: After receiving a No. 6 seed in the 32-team tournament, the Gophers went on the road and defeated No. 3-seeded La Salle 70-61. Rodney Williams led the way, scoring 21 points while playing all 40 minutes. Austin Hollins (16) and Andre Hollins (13) also scored in double figures.

Second round: Minnesota jumped out to a 12-point halftime lead and cruised to a 78-60 victory over No. 2-seeded Miami, which just missed making the NCAA field. Williams again scored 21 points, while Minnesota shot 58.3 percent from the field.

Third round: The Gophers fended off a late charge from fourth-seeded Middle Tennessee State, winning 78-72 to take their third consecutive NIT road victory. Williams and Andre Hollins each had 24 points, with Hollins supplying several clutch free throws late.

Semifinals: On the big stage of Madison Square Garden in New York, Andre Hollins led the way with 20 points -- including five in overtime -- to give Minnesota a 68-67 victory over No. 1-seeded Washington. Williams scored 18 points, his fifth consecutive game with at least that many.