Minnesota Golden Gophers continue to search for answers down the stretch

Sunday added another disappointing loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers' resume as their hopes of making the NCAA tournament are slipping from their grasp. The Gophers took a seven-point lead into halftime against Rutgers and lead by as many as nine in the second half before falling 68-64.

The Gophers are now an abysmal 1-8 on the road this season that includes conference losses to Illinois, Nebraska and most recently Rutgers, all teams which the Gophers are ahead of in the conference standings.

Amir Coffey and Jordan Murphy have been the Gophers' most consistent players this year and could both find themselves on the receiving end of All-Conference honors by the end of the year. However, as the Gophers look to end the season on a strong note to punch their ticket into the tournament, others need to step it up.

Two local freshmen have been the bright spot for the Gophers in their more recent games. Gabe Klascheur and Daniel Oturu both combined for 41 points against Rutgers on Sunday with Klascheur going 6 for 6 from the three-point line.

Since sitting out the Iowa game on January 27 with a shoulder injury, Oturu has been one of the Gophers' more consistent players averaging 14.4 points a game and 7.5 rebounds a game on 55% shooting since returning.

Oturu had some midseason struggles and saw Eric Curry steal his starting spot briefly but after Oturu had 19 points and 9 boards against Purdue and followed it up with 12 points and 11 boards against Wisconsin, coach Pitino had no choice but to insert the freshman back into the starting lineup.

The bench has hurt the Gophers this year. Their lack of depth has hurt them in some of their close road games that could end up costing them a bid in the big dance. Sophomore Isaiah Washington has been inconsistent, to say the least. He has seen his minutes dip to dramatic portions this season including even not playing in some contests.

Washington is a pass-first point guard that hunts assists sometimes to the detriment of the team. What hurts Washington the most is his inability to shoot. He is currently a 30% shooter from the field and a 20% shooter from three. His ability to move the ball and find open guys for shots is a positive but his inability to shoot and his proneness to turning the ball over are reasons why Washington finds himself watching more than playing.

It's too bad that Pitino does not trust Washington because the Gophers lack any stable ball handler to run and orchestrate an offense. The point guard duties sometimes fall onto Amir Coffey who does most of his damage in transition, but in the half court, Coffey struggles to get guys the ball in the right spots to get the defense on their toes.

Senior Dupree Mcbrayer is someone who the Gophers trust the most in the half court offense to facilitate. McBrayer has been a solid four year player for the Gophers but most recently has struggled to make shots which makes it hard for the offense to find flow.

All in all the Gophers have three games left and the Big Ten Tournament to prove that they belong in the NCAA Tournament. If they were to win on the road against Northwestern and win either at home against Purdue or on the road against Maryland and win one game in the Big Ten Tournament that could be enough.

However, due to their lack of consistency on the road, there is no guarantee that will be the outcome. Who will step it up for the Gophers? Will the two freshmen continue their stellar play or will McBrayer have a breakout game and be the floor general the Gophers need?

Maybe a Washington sighting will be the spark to get the Gophers back into the tournament. If not, what looked like such a promising Gophers season will end in disappointment.