Sid Hartman: Hoffarber feels pain of U's recent slide

Watching the past three Gophers losses and the way they have blown those games, the player you feel most sorry for is Blake Hoffarber, the lone senior on the floor right now.

Hoffarber has been playing out of position at point guard ever since fellow senior Al Nolen broke his foot five weeks ago. He has given it his all, but with Saturday's 70-63 loss to Michigan, the Gophers have lost seven of eight games, including their past four at Williams Arena.

"It's pretty tough. I mean, it's always tough when you're a senior and not getting some wins," Hoffarber said. "But I mean, everyone, a freshman, a sophomore, whenever you're losing, at least to me, nothing's great about losing. I realize my time is running short and I don't want to go out like this. So we've got to start winning some games and playing like we have nothing to lose."

It's amazing to think that the Gophers could be 9-7 in the Big Ten and in good position to earn an NCAA berth, rather than 6-10 as they are today, had they not completely collapsed in the final moments of their past three games.

For instance, Penn State outscored the Gophers 9-3 in the final two minutes Feb. 17, as the Gophers saw a 63-60 lead turn into a 66-63 defeat in State College. On Tuesday at home against Michigan State, the Gophers led 47-39 with 4:31 to play but were outscored 14-1 from there.

Then on Saturday, the Gophers led 62-59 with three minutes left, but Michigan closed on an 11-1 run.

Asked after Saturday's loss if he had any idea why this has happened, Hoffarber said: "I don't know what it is. I don't know if we're just not mentally focused at certain parts of the game, or if people are getting tired, or what. But I think mostly it's just we've got to stay mentally focused. I think we just tend to lose our focus a little bit and they start going on a run and we start to freeze a little bit. You've just got to realize you've got to be more patient when that's happening, and move the ball around and just be confident with the ball."

"Generally, a point guard's purpose is to distribute the ball and get guys open and stuff like that," said Hoffarber, who went 3-for-7 from three-point range Sunday. "I've still been getting shots, but moving without the ball, I'm not worrying too much about trying to run back to the ball and set something up."

He said the Michigan game was such a big one for the Gophers, and losing the way they did didn't feel good.

"You've just got to put it in the past and you've got to realize that you have two more games left in conference and then we've got to do some damage in the Big Ten tournament," Hoffarber said. "We took that mindset last year going into the Big Ten tournament, and we're going to need to change some things and stay focused and stay positive."

Last year, the Gophers earned an NCAA berth after winning three games in Indianapolis and advancing to the Big Ten final, where they lost to Ohio State. This year, they might need to win the tournament to get an NCAA invitation.

Hoffarber has been a great kid, a great student, a great leader and contributor over the past four years, and he has been forced to play a position that is foreign to him. He is unlikely to get a chance to play in his third NCAA basketball tournament, which would be a Gophers record. The Gophers will really miss him next season.

Now in 2011, third base looks to be set with Danny Valencia. But the middle infield spots are not as settled, with Alexi Casilla and Tsuyoshi Nishioka the probable starters but by no means locks to finish the season there. And the bullpen is a big question, with the departures of so many key veterans.

"That's the great thing about spring," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We lost a lot of bullpen guys, and there's definitely spots open in the bullpen. We're not really set on the middle of the infield, we're hoping, but that's not settled. So when you come into spring training, you've got good opportunities to make this ballclub. We lost a lot of good personnel, so we're going to have some good job fights in spring training. And you know what, that's what it's all about, is guys coming in with an opportunity to show people what they can do."

Jottings • It was obvious on Saturday how much the Gophers missed guard Devoe Joseph, who transferred to Oregon. Joseph's AAU coach convinced him that Tubby Smith's style would keep him from playing in the NBA, unlike what they play at Oregon. Joseph will not be eligible to play until the second semester next season with the Ducks, and if he chooses to play then he will exhaust his college eligibility in that final semester. He could have played out this season, transferred and played a full year at Oregon in 2012-13. Great advice the kid got from somebody who was not looking out for Joseph's best interests.

• After playing two years in Australia, former Gophers forward Rick Rickert is having an up-and-down first year with Ludwigsburg out of Germany. Rickert is averaging just 7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game, both career lows overseas. He has appeared in 19 of the team's 21 games and is shooting 53.6 percent from the floor. ... Former Gophers guard Vincent Grier, playing his second season with Mersin Buyuksehir Belediyesi in Turkey, is averaging 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. ... Damian Johnson continues to have a great first season with the Oita Heat Devils in Japan, averaging 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game. Johnson has appeared in all 31 of the Devils' games, and they are 9-11 on the season. ... Devron Bostick is averaging 11.1 points and 5.1 rebounds for Hasapis Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus. ... Dan Coleman is having a nice season with JL Bourg Basket in France. Through 20 games, he is averaging 13.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 33.1 minutes per game.

• Henk Norel, the 23-year-old, 6-11 forward whom the Timberwolves took in the second round of the 2010 draft, is averaging 6.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for Club Joventut Badalona in Spain.