Gophers dominate Hoosiers

MINNEAPOLIS -- The tall forward with the No. 1 across his chest was jumping and screaming, his face bright red, with 40 seconds left in the IU-Minnesota men's basketball game Saturday afternoon.\nFor IU fans, it was the wrong No.1.\nInstead, it was a blonde-haired freshman that was celebrating the Minnesota upset of the Hoosiers. The Golden Gophers came back from a 11-point deficit to defeat IU, 88-74.\nRick Rickert led Minnesota in its disruption of the Hoosiers' winning streak with 27 points in 32 minutes, and in the process, made a strong push for his candidacy for the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award.\n"My game plan was to come out and guard (Rickert), and make him play for every basket," IU coach Mike Davis said. "But he's a big time player. Hands down Freshman of the Year. You walk in here in his situation and score 27 points, which is just outstanding. I know a couple of baskets he made we had hands in his face."\nBut this freshman phenomenon, who scored 19 points in Minnesota's upset of Ohio State and a previous career-high 26 against Penn State, was less than phenomenal at the beginning of the game. Rickert started with two missed shots under the basket and an early foul.\n"Basically, I played like crap, to put it bluntly," Rickert said. "We all started off not as well as we should have, but after a while, we got into the flow."\nShortly following the first foul, Rickert was taken out of the game for a chat with his coach, Dan Monson. While on the bench, Monson advised his big man to stay calm, be patient and that the shots would come.\n"He started the game very anxious," Monson said. "I took him out right away and just said 'We're going to get you plenty of shots. Just settle down, make sure you're playing defense and getting rebounds.' I think he did a good job tonight, where early in the year, when he had bad starts, he never got in the rhythm."\nRickert didn't have to wait long for his shots to start falling.\nLess than two minutes after being taken out, Rickert returned to the game, and made back-to-back shots under the basket.\nRickert drew a foul from IU's Dane Fife following his four-point run, and within a minute, had six of his ten first-half points.\n"In the flow of the game, once he hits a couple of shots he calms down," Minnesota senior Travarus Bennett said. "His skills are way better than average big men. He wanted to win, and concentrated the whole game for us."\nThe 6-foot-10, 202-pound post player had a better start to the second half, although at first it seemed he was going to be as jumpy as he was at the start of the game. He missed his first shot, and picked up his second foul soon after.\nBut Monson didn't have to take out Rickert as he did in the first half. He scored 17 of the game-high 27 in the second half, including a reverse under the basket shot, and two trey's. Rickert's calmness appeared near the end after he went five-for-eight to end the game. He shot 50 percent from the field, and was 7-of-10 from the free throw line.\n"I like him today," Monson said. "Rick is a player who is just scratching the surface as a player. I think he's getting more comfortable, and I think our team's getting more comfortable with what he can do and where they need to get him the ball. Our guards did a good job of getting the ball inside in the second half."\nBut Rickert's versatility under the basket and from the perimeter drew comparisons to the IU's Jared Jeffries.\nDespite similarities off the court, they were Mr. Basketballs of their home states and McDonald's All-Americans, their game style on the court is similar.\nJeffries can shoot the trey or dominate from the inside, and Rickert proved Saturday he could do the same. \nBennett, a senior forward, said that he saw similarities between the two, but thought Rickert was a better shooter, while Jeffries was more aggressive. \nDavis agreed that the resemblance between the two was undeniable.\n"Yes, yes, yes. They're cut from the same mold," Davis said. "(Rickert) can step out and hit the three. Defensively, I think Jared is better. But this guy is an outstanding player. The sky's the limit. If he stays four years, Minnesota will definitely be competing for a Big Ten championship. They are now. He's a good player"