Minnesota Will Only Go As Far As DeAndre Mathieu, Andre Hollins Can Take Them

Fans of Minnesota Golden Gopher basketball were understandably giddy about the possibilities for 2014-15 after watching coach Richard Pitino’s team claim the NIT title last April. Not only had the Gophers won 25 games and come home with some postseason hardware, they were also returning four starters heading into the next campaign. Add it all up, and most expected Minnesota to be back in the Big Dance once March of 2015 rolled around.

You’d be hard pressed to find much giddiness within the fanbase these days. We may only be in early January, but the 2014-15 season is already beginning to feel like lost territory in Minneapolis.

It’s hard to pinpoint where the Gophers’ biggest problems currently lie. In dropping their first three Big 10 conference contests against Purdue, Maryland and Ohio State, Minnesota has displayed a myriad of deficiencies that seem to be adding up quickly.

Perhaps most alarming has been the performance of a back court that was thought to be Minnesota’s strength heading into 2014-15. The combination of DeAndre Mathieu and Andre Hollins has been haphazard, a fate few saw coming as the Big 10 slate kicked off.

Hollins, who has always been more a jump shooter than penetrator, suddenly appears lost at key moments. The way Buckeyes’ freshman D’Angelo Russell terrorized Hollins in the opening half Tuesday seemed to suck the life out of both Williams Arena and his Gophers’ teammates.

Mathieu has also disappeared for long stretches. Against the Buckeyes, he committed an ill-advised foul late in the first half with the score knotted at 23-23. The end result? Mathieu sitting on the bench with Ohio State closing the frame on an 18-6 burst in taking a 41-29 edge into the intermission.

In Hollins’ case, some of his struggles are understandable. The Tennessee native is suffering from a painful case of turf toe, which has affected his jump shooting and quickness on defense.

Mathieu’s case is harder to figure. A returning double-figure scorer who was thought to be one of the conference’s better point guards, Mathieu’s assist numbers have dropped dramatically in league action. In Minnesota’s loss to Maryland, the diminutive playmaker finished with just one assist and five turnovers; against Purdue, he finished with one assist and four turnovers. Simply put, Mathieu needs to do better.

Thankfully, both seniors have enough season left to get it right. Three outings of an 18-game conference slate is barely a beginning, and the Gophers displayed the resilience to battle back against Ohio State with an inspired second half to force overtime.

Nevertheless, if Minnesota wants to take the next step and make it back to the NCAA tournament, they need more from Mathieu and Hollins.

Pitino will certainly give his two star guards plenty of leeway the rest of the season. Freshman Nate Mason has shown promise, and junior college transfer Carlos Morris possesses the kind of slashing ability the second-year coach craves in his up-tempo style. But at the end of the day, the Gophers can only go as far as Mathieu and Hollins will take them, and right now, Gopher fans may not feel like that’s very far.

Matt Johnson is a Big 10 basketball writer for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter at mattytheole or “like” him on Facebook.