” … When it came down to crunch, the Gophers had both points on the floor at the same time — Joseph and Al Nolen — but didn’t really have a guy to run the show. This is the glaring deficiency in Minnesota. Nolen is a very good on-ball defender. And Joseph can shoot it. But neither is what you’d call a playmaker with a dependable handle.
“Talor Battle knew this. He almost looked like a snake stalking a scared mouse when Joseph attempted to work the dribble on him with PSU up two and a minute left. Joseph crossed over right in front of Battle — a fatal error for a guy who’s not too sure of his handle. And Talor picked him clean by timing the dribble and batting it off Joseph’s ankle. Joseph lost track of the ball, looking fractically between his own legs, but Battle already was snapping up the loose ball and heading the other way.
“Battle is such a slick converter near the rack on such breakaways that he can look over his shoulder, time the trailing defender, cross to the opposite side of the rim and draw the foul just after he’s released his little running banker. It’s a great move for any small player to have in his repertoire.
“This is the play that had as much to do with the decision as any. It should have been front and center in the story. …”