The Gophers were flying high for the first six and a half games of the season, looking borderline unstoppable and playing at a very high level. But after they had their brains scrambled by a 5-on-3 tabloid game they’ve looked out of sync, unmotivated and excruciatingly pedestrian. Just what is going on with this team?
For one, their lack of depth has been exposed and taken advantage of. Teams know they just have to wear down one of the starting five players to poke a giant hole in the Minnesota armor. Lately that has meant luring the team into a game of brute force, where the same five players can only last so long.