Ralph Sampson III got out to a hot start, scoring six of the Gophers first 10 points against Iowa on Wednesday – but when the team needed him most, the senior did was he has done far too often this season: disappear.

Consider this: those first three shots Sampson took were all from at least 8-10 feet out. When the Hawkeyes went to zone defense, Sampson was overwhelmingly boxed out, despite the fact that Iowa really had no real size matchup for him.

“I was very disappointed we didn’t get the ball inside. I need Ralph to go to the rim, attack the basket, not settle for jump shots and be stronger with the ball,” Smith said with clear frustration in his voice. “I just think he needs to catch the ball closer to the basket where people can foul him and he can use his size – I mean, he is 6-11.”