The Gophers have gotten used to slow starts. Maybe even somewhat comfortable with the concept.
They've limped out of the gate in probably half a dozen games so far this season, often falling to early or halftime deficits. But in every game, they've staged something of a magic trick: they snap together, overcome the gap and usually ended up winning by double digits.
Not on Thursday. After falling into a quick 14-2 hole seven minutes into the first half, the Gophers struggled to simply pull even, and struggled much more to pull away.
Unlike their previous games under those circumstances, on Thursday the Gophers against North Dakota State were handed a rude awakening that despite their history, they won't always be able to rebound – even against lesser teams -- from a leisurely start.
So is Thursday's performance – barely slipping by at the end against NDSU -- a terrible sign of things to come? Or is it a more of a positive – that the Gophers were given a needed jolt with stronger opponents looming?
Is it a little bit good that the Gophers were scared right before Big Ten play?
"We're not going to be able to afford to come out like against Illinois," Rodney Williams said. "That definitely gives us an extra urgency, because we know come Big Ten play we can't do that because it's going to be a lot harder to dig ourselves out of this hole."
The Gophers have dominated their early schedule, heading into conference play with 12 wins and just one loss.
But with most of those games against less-than-impressive opponents – and the Gophers often winning by double digits – it might be easy for them to get ahead of themselves, regardless of what they say.
Thursday could serve as a heart-pounding reminder that they absolutely, most definitely can be beaten outside the conference … and certainly in it.
"Coach was saying that this team is going to scrap and he was right," Maverick Ahanmisi said. "It came down to the wire, In my head, I was just basically saying 'Thank god this game is over and we can start Big Ten play, with a win.'"
And hopefully for the Gophers, with a greater sense of urgency as well.
