Golden Nugz for 1.8.09

It's gameday and Tubby Smith's Gophers face their most difficult road test this season when the ball tips at Iowa tonight, and before GN gets to the Xs and Os, the tilt with the Hawkeyes does present a couple interesting story lines.

Todd Lickliter's team has two Minnesota products that were at least looked at by the Golden Gophers. Andrew Brommer, a freshman big man who is playing a bench role, looked like he was going to attend Minnesota before Tubby Smith took over the team. After watching Brommer this year, he seems like a freshman big man that needs significant work--and more work than RSIII or Colt 45.

The other Minnesota product is more interesting. A Minnetonka graduate, Anthony Tucker was lighting up the scoreboard for the Hawkeyes before getting charged with public intoxication after reportedly being found passed out behind a bar. Who hasn't been there?!?!

The Star Tribune picked up the Tucker angle.

Tucker was charged with public intoxication after he was found unconscious behind a bar just after midnight on Dec. 7. He registered a .19 blood alcohol level, more than twice the legal limit. He pled guilty and paid a $182 fine and was suspended indefinitely by coach Todd Lickliter.

Tucker missed the team's next two games, before returning to lead Iowa with 12 points against Drake five days before Christmas. But he's played only one minute in the team's past three games, which Lickliter attributes to Tucker's recent battle with mononucleosis, which caused him to lose eight pounds.

Tucker's illness probably means he will miss the game tonight. And that's good news for MInnesota, though a somewhat weary Tucker might not be all that effective anyway.

• A reporter covering the Auburn Tigers has this tidbit about the Ted Roof departure from Minnesota: "How the hiring went down: Roof was at lunch with Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster when Brewster received a call from Chizik asking permission to speak to Roof."
• ESPN's copy editors missed a headline, as Maize and Brew points out.
• A blog that happens to be pink has a question that obviously must be answered: "So,I just realized that Colton Iverson (Gophers) is wearing #45. Now, aside from the whole cutesy "Colt 45" thing, my issue with this is that HELLO, there is already a #45, and he can not be replaced. Dusty is, and always will be, #45! Iverson is a perfectly acceptable player, but Dusty Rychart is a large part of the reason that I am a gopher fan, watching him play was inspiring and fun. Plus, he's hot. How can someone else be #45? Did Dusty approve this?"
• Since this set of Nugz has obviously went in a strange direction, how about a story on Joel Pryzbilla's 80-year-old grandmother in-law causing problems for David Stern.