USA Today: College basketball's way-too-early preseason top 25 (#23. Mnnesota)

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Oh man can’t wait for some posters on here to spin this as a negative or ignore it all together... in all seriousness this should help spring recruiting
 


It's a shot in the dark...Gabe and Dan are a nice core but there is no depth. Even if Coffey returns we are losing one of the best players in program history to graduation. I think any fan of basketball whether you like the gophers or not should be able to see those things.
 

They have a very good core with Gabe and Oturu. Carr is not talked about much but average 1 points and 4 assists as a freshman. If Coffey returns our starting 5 will be as good as anyone: Oturu, Curry, Coffey, Gabe, Carr.
 


This is a "Best-case" scenario ranking in my opinion. Here is what this guy is evaluating:

1. Return of Coffey - currently absent from most draft boards and despite rumored Pitino hatred, I'd say his return chances are around 75% unless playing overseas is his goal.
2. Trust in Oturu development - between Gabe and Daniel, Oturu is the higher ceiling player. He adds 10-15 pounds of muscle and he could have Bruno Fernando level impact.
3. Gabe - Awesome shooter and active defender. Needs help getting his shot when offense isn't wide open like it was vs. Louisville which is where...…
4. Free Marcus Carr - comes in. A real PG should help steady the offense when we aren't in "Coffey vs the World" mode.
5. Increased shooting - Tre' Williams and Gabe should be better than McBricks and Gabe at the 3 line. Add in Carr and Coffey spot up 3s from SF should help a lot.
6. A healthy Curry and an improved Omersa - cross your fingers and hope!
7. Sam Freeman - needs to be at least Mats level and hopefully more if Curry is less than whole.
8. Maybe he knows about a grad transfer we are not aware of.
 

23rd? They must not hang out around here.

Don't they know our coach, players and entire program suck? Coach can't recruit or, well, coach. Players hate him. He ran off an all-world point guard. Has no idea how to assemble a team. Puts no effort into recruiting the endless supply of high-end Minnesota talent.

If only Patino would listen to the wise ones on Gopherhole. Then we would at least have a chance of making the NCAA tourney frequently, and maybe even cracking the Top 25.

Oh, wait ...

JTG
 

(Best Dick Vitale imitation)
We're Coming Baby!!! (That's what she said...)[emoji41]
 

rockford said:
23rd? They must not hang out around here.

Don't they know our coach, players and entire program suck? Coach can't recruit or, well, coach. Players hate him. He ran off an all-world point guard. Has no idea how to assemble a team. Puts no effort into recruiting the endless supply of high-end Minnesota talent.

If only Patino would listen to the wise ones on Gopherhole. Then we would at least have a chance of making the NCAA tourney frequently, and maybe even cracking the Top 25.

Oh, wait ...

JTG
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Good job on this one...even managed to spell his name wrong, like some of the posters. ��
 




Lakers612 said:
Oh man can’t wait for some posters on here to spin this as a negative or ignore it all together... in all seriousness this should help spring recruiting
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Why don't you get a life and stop worrying so much about other people's opinions? The amount of time you devote to complaining about others' opinions points to a real void in your own imagination or abilities to generate any other type of conversation that is interesting or informative.
 

Otis said:
This is a "Best-case" scenario ranking in my opinion. Here is what this guy is evaluating:

1. Return of Coffey - currently absent from most draft boards and despite rumored Pitino hatred, I'd say his return chances are around 75% unless playing overseas is his goal.
2. Trust in Oturu development - between Gabe and Daniel, Oturu is the higher ceiling player. He adds 10-15 pounds of muscle and he could have Bruno Fernando level impact.
3. Gabe - Awesome shooter and active defender. Needs help getting his shot when offense isn't wide open like it was vs. Louisville which is where...…
4. Free Marcus Carr - comes in. A real PG should help steady the offense when we aren't in "Coffey vs the World" mode.
5. Increased shooting - Tre' Williams and Gabe should be better than McBricks and Gabe at the 3 line. Add in Carr and Coffey spot up 3s from SF should help a lot.
6. A healthy Curry and an improved Omersa - cross your fingers and hope!
7. Sam Freeman - needs to be at least Mats level and hopefully more if Curry is less than whole.
8. Maybe he knows about a grad transfer we are not aware of.
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I disagree about that being a best-case scenario. I think it's very unlikely that Freeman will play at Stockman's level this season, as Stockman's play was essential in some of the team's big wins this year. I thought he played very well within their system, especially as he received more playing time.

As someone mentioned previously, if Coffey returns, I expect them to have one of the best starting fives. I'm also assuming that they will have a different look on offense, as currently, they don't seem to have the pieces necessary for an effective high-low. I believe some people are underestimating the impact that a point guard like Carr will have in opening things up for everyone else. If they find a decent forward (not counting on Curry much this upcoming season) and avoid injury troubles, I would probably expect that lineup to be better than 23rd, if they have a couple guys that can contribute off the bench.
 

Otis said:
This is a "Best-case" scenario ranking in my opinion. Here is what this guy is evaluating:

1. Return of Coffey - currently absent from most draft boards and despite rumored Pitino hatred, I'd say his return chances are around 75% unless playing overseas is his goal.
2. Trust in Oturu development - between Gabe and Daniel, Oturu is the higher ceiling player. He adds 10-15 pounds of muscle and he could have Bruno Fernando level impact.
3. Gabe - Awesome shooter and active defender. Needs help getting his shot when offense isn't wide open like it was vs. Louisville which is where...…
4. Free Marcus Carr - comes in. A real PG should help steady the offense when we aren't in "Coffey vs the World" mode.
5. Increased shooting - Tre' Williams and Gabe should be better than McBricks and Gabe at the 3 line. Add in Carr and Coffey spot up 3s from SF should help a lot.
6. A healthy Curry and an improved Omersa - cross your fingers and hope!
7. Sam Freeman - needs to be at least Mats level and hopefully more if Curry is less than whole.
8. Maybe he knows about a grad transfer we are not aware of.
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Don't forget about Peyton Willis. Will add guard depth and is probably the 2nd best shooter on the team behind Gabe. He'll be a key piece.

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Can we hire Jim Molinari? The defense the Gophers played in 2005 was money. I'd imagine he's looking for work. Texas Tech and Virginia has shown what a good defense can do, especially TT. You can always be competitive if you D up
 

mnhoopboy said:
Don't forget about Peyton Willis. Will add guard depth and is probably the 2nd best shooter on the team behind Gabe. He'll be a key piece.

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Good news on Willis, but it is hard to expect a lot from a guy who was escorted out of a middling to bad SEC team and ended up here. If he can really shoot and can guard a position, he will be a valuable piece to a decent team. If he can't guard, he will be a little used piece of a team that will be average at best.

I was gratefully surprised at the production from Gabe and Daniel this year as newcomers. If Willis can exceed expectations and Carr meets them, that is really good news. I am always cautious about imposing expectations on guys we have never seen play.
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
Can we hire Jim Molinari? The defense the Gophers played in 2005 was money. I'd imagine he's looking for work. Texas Tech and Virginia has shown what a good defense can do, especially TT. You can always be competitive if you D up
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Everyone loves living in the Twin Cities. Who do you push out if we bring back Coach Mo, one of the really good guys in college basketball?
 

#23 in Men's Basketball? Had to check to make sure I was in the right forum. That means the Gophs would be around a 5 seed in next year's tournament. Where is the improvement going to come from? Our best player this century is graduating and the team's other star might leave. There's no major immediate impact newcomer slated for next year.

I'll be pleasantly surprised if the Gophers can maintain after the loss of Murphy. Being notably better is hard to imagine.
 

cjbfbp said:
Why don't you get a life and stop worrying so much about other people's opinions? The amount of time you devote to complaining about others' opinions points to a real void in your own imagination or abilities to generate any other type of conversation that is interesting or informative.
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Did you write this as sarcasm in light of how much time you complain about Pitino? Very funny.


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cjbfbp said:
Why don't you get a life and stop worrying so much about other people's opinions? The amount of time you devote to complaining about others' opinions points to a real void in your own imagination or abilities to generate any other type of conversation that is interesting or informative.
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I’m not the one-trick pony that incessantly complains about the failed state of the program despite all the evidence to the contrary. For real, you post 4x more than me and 95% of your posts are just contrived concern about Pitino. Maybe you should spend less time worrying about me and more time reflecting on your own presence on here. As for me, I’m going to call out and mock any feverishly negative post not reflected in reality.

Ryan James said today that Sherfield will be making his decision next week between Minnesota, Wichita State, and Wake Forest. People were worried that Purdue and Texas Tech we’re making a late run for him but it appears we are in the lone driver seat. That means the Pitino would have signed two 4-Star guards this class to go along with Oturu, Kalaheur and likely Coffey.

USA Today is projecting us to be a Top-25 team next year.

That’s the state of this program right now.

I get you want to freely hate on the program without any push back. Well sorry that’s not going to happen
 

That's extremely generous. Do they know that Murph is graduating?
 

A bit over rated but if Coffey comes back and all the stars align it might be a possibility. Lots of if's at this point.
 

The team I always point to when considering the next year was Monson's 10-6 Gopher team that included Hagan, Coleman, Lawson, Grier and Arob as the starting 5 (IIRC). That team became a team that was more than the sum of its parts. They came together, played defense and worked together to their strengths the year after a miserable team that included NBA bound Kris Humphries. What could the next Gopher team be? They will have to add talent but maybe it comes together in a way that they are just different and better as a team than this year.
 

I think we are a top 25 team if both Coffey returns and we get a starting caliber grad transfer PF. But until then, I wouldn't put us there.
 

I buy it. Coffey returns. Oturu is already becoming a beast. Gabe is a sharpshooter. We have a couple of options at point. Considering the numbers Carr put up as a Freshman in the ACC....I'm not concerned about him. He should be solid.

PF is the big question mark. Omersa was shaky his first year. I don't see why he couldn't take a step forward. And while he was nowhere on offense....those last few games....he made some really impressive plays on defense. And Curry is not gone. We all know that injuries have weakened what looked to be a really promising career....but he was coming into this year injured. Now I know that he got injured again towards the end of this season....but how serious is the injury to his foot? Surgery serious? If not....and he's ready to go start of the season.....who knows?

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 

cjbfbp said:
Why don't you get a life and stop worrying so much about other people's opinions? The amount of time you devote to complaining about others' opinions points to a real void in your own imagination or abilities to generate any other type of conversation that is interesting or informative.
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Exposing horrible fans is a calling that is not for most (primarily because most people do not spend a lot of time around wounded MN fans). For those who are called - it is a life long pursuit. Whenever you guys jump on GH to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt you will have people calling you on it.

You should probably plan on getting used to it.

Maybe you guys should consider going after the Texas Tech coach. Obviously their fans and University did not want it bad enough and they need to raise their standards. Thoughts?
 

CPTMidnight said:
Exposing horrible fans is a calling that is not for most (primarily because most people do not spend a lot of time around wounded MN fans). For those who are called - it is a life long pursuit. Whenever you guys jump on GH to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt you will have people calling you on it.

You should probably plan on getting used to it.

Maybe you guys should consider going after the Texas Tech coach. Obviously their fans and University did not want it bad enough and they need to raise their standards. Thoughts?
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Preach it!

Being a sports fan is supposed to be fun! There are times to be critical about the state of things, but spring time after an NCAA appearance and win is not one of them. One can be hopeful at this point in time without being delusional.
 

stocker08 said:
I buy it. Coffey returns. Oturu is already becoming a beast. Gabe is a sharpshooter. We have a couple of options at point. Considering the numbers Carr put up as a Freshman in the ACC....I'm not concerned about him. He should be solid.

PF is the big question mark. Omersa was shaky his first year. I don't see why he couldn't take a step forward. And while he was nowhere on offense....those last few games....he made some really impressive plays on defense. And Curry is not gone. We all know that injuries have weakened what looked to be a really promising career....but he was coming into this year injured. Now I know that he got injured again towards the end of this season....but how serious is the injury to his foot? Surgery serious? If not....and he's ready to go start of the season.....who knows?

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Yup, and the glaring hole at PF is only magnified concerning Jordan Murphy was an anchor at that position for years. I too am hopeful Curry can seize the starting job.

I think Curry and Omersa could hold down the spot for much of the season, but I worry about health and sustainability in conference play (Omersa fouls a lot). If Hurt doesn't leave, he too offers a body at PF.

You would think that our situation would be ripe for a grad transfer, but oddly I have this weird feeling we won't add another PF this cycle. Most grad-transfer big men will probably be scared off by Oturu and the prospect of Curry coming back from injury. If the grad-transfer is highly sought out, I would imagine they could compete for a starting job here, but why would that player risk it when there will undoubtedly be opportunities elsewhere?

I'm not saying that our PF situation is so good that we won't be able to attract a grad-transfer big. That would be ridiculous. But the fact that we have Oturu and Freeman to hold down the Center position, we are working with a thin pool to begin with. And if we miss out on the top 3 or 4 or 5 big men grad-transfers, whose to say that the other options would be so much better than Curry/Omersa/Hurt?

All I do know is that Pitino seems to be content with forgoing a high school PF in the hopes we can snag one of the stud in-state 2020 recruits at that position
 

I am also in the camp that thinks we could be a top 25 team if Coffey comes back and we land a serviceable 4 to start right away. A starting lineup of Carr, Gabe, Coffey, grad transfer, and Oturu sounds fairly nice. The depth probably wouldn't be great but I think that Omersa and Freeman could eat enough minutes at the 4/5, and I would hope that Willis/Williams/hopefully Sherfield could eat minutes at the 1/2/3.

Conversely, if Coffey is gone, even with a solid grad transfer at the 4, I think that we might finish 8th-10th in the B1G and have a pretty disappointing season. If this would happen I would attribute it to lack of forwards other than Oturu and maybe a little bit to inexperienced guards. I honestly feel like the majority of success we could have will hinge on whether or not Coffey comes back. I will choose to ignore the Konzo thread or whatever his name is.
 
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bga1 said:
The team I always point to when considering the next year was Monson's 10-6 Gopher team that included Hagan, Coleman, Lawson, Grier and Arob as the starting 5 (IIRC). That team became a team that was more than the sum of its parts. They came together, played defense and worked together to their strengths the year after a miserable team that included NBA bound Kris Humphries. What could the next Gopher team be? They will have to add talent but maybe it comes together in a way that they are just different and better as a team than this year.
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Nice effort at the analogy. That was one of my favorite teams. I'd say one of the big differences is that the core of that group was together for at least three years, and all three of Hagen, Arob and Lawson were major over achievers who had something to prove and did it. I don't see that kind of chemistry in this group. The similarity would be the core are Minnesotans who are playing for something deeper than just a goal of making it to the next level. If our Minnesota kids have that fire in their belly, who knows what could happen.
 

bga1 said:
Preach it!

Being a sports fan is supposed to be fun! There are times to be critical about the state of things, but spring time after an NCAA appearance and win is not one of them. One can be hopeful at this point in time without being delusional.
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Agree. I remain hopeful. Now we are picked 23rd, go out and do it. Go Gophers !
 

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