Gophers didn't win, but the Barn was alive again

When it was over, after a final desperation shot missed, Ethan Happ fell to the court and lay on his back, completely exhausted.

All 14,000-plus fans inside Williams Arena probably wanted to join him.

The old Barn got its soul back Saturday. Gophers basketball finally felt important again.

The outcome should sting with disappointment: Wisconsin 78, Gophers 76 in overtime.

The optics should give encouragement because the first sellout in two seasons felt like an event and the game exceeded anticipation.

Let's make this clear: A half-full view of an overtime loss isn't claiming moral victory. The Gophers dropped an important game that was winnable. They should be disappointed in their inability to close the deal.

But two hours of hellbent basketball in a rollicking arena that resembled a graveyard not too long ago felt refreshingly enjoyable. I find it hard to summon doom-and-gloom after watching two rivals fight and scrap with such gusto.

"There's not a lot that I can gripe about with these guys," Gophers coach Richard Pitino said. "That was just a very, very good college basketball game by both teams."

The teams traded body blows until the final seconds of regulation and then for another five minutes in OT.

Akeem Springs swished a three-pointer with 11 seconds left to extend the game but missed a three under pressure at the buzzer in overtime.

Neither team led by more than five points. There were 18 ties, 16 lead changes.

"I don't normally enjoy coaching during the games," Pitino said. "I actually kind of enjoyed it."

Who didn't? In entertainment value, this is what basketball fans in town have been deprived of for too long: A meaningful game with legitimate buzz. The lobby along the Oak Street entrance was packed 90 minutes before tipoff as fans waited for doors to open.

The teams answered the bell.

"If you're a fan," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said, "that was a heck of a college basketball game."

Ultimately, the Badgers made one more clutch shot, and their stars performed better than the Gophers' leaders.

The Gophers had no answer for Happ inside, and Bronson Koenig made the biggest shot of the game, a three-pointer with 44 seconds left in overtime that gave the Badgers the lead for good.

The 6-10 Happ turned into a one-man wrecking crew. He scored 20 of his 28 points in the first 11 minutes after halftime. He kept backing down Gophers centers all the way under the basket and then shooting layups.

Pitino faced a dilemma: If he doubled Happ, he would have left his defense vulnerable to the Badgers' outside shooting. He picked his poison and Happ dominated.

The Gophers somehow forced OT despite not scoring for a five-minute stretch late in regulation. In a blink, Springs turned the Barn delirious with his three-pointer.

Springs' offense offset another poor shooting performance by Nate Mason, who has seen his outside touch vanish since scoring a career-high 31 points at Purdue.

Since that game, he has made only 16 of 62 shots, including three of 14 Saturday. He has made only two of 14 three-pointers in that span.

Mason did contribute 10 assists vs. the Badgers, but the Gophers will struggle to reach their full potential if he doesn't regain his shooting touch.

They also need Reggie Lynch to stay out of foul trouble. The center was limited to 20 minutes before fouling out again. Jordan Murphy basically was a nonfactor as well.

Their teammates picked up the slack and then some, but those three leaders must provide more than what they did in the biggest game of the season.

The Gophers now have lost three consecutive games, their first losing streak. How will they respond? Pitino stressed positives afterward, but good teams minimize lulls and don't allow things to snowball into prolonged slumps.

The Gophers could have made a major statement but came up one shot short. That's the bad news. The encouraging part is that the Barn came alive and college basketball mattered again.

A loss is a loss, but this one sure beat the death march we witnessed last season.

Chip Scoggins • chip.scoggins@startribune.com