On The Sports Show last night Sid questioned why the team took a bus to Chicago after Madison and spent three days there prior to the game. He hinted that it might have played a role in the flat effort.
Sid's wrong about that. The Gophers would have had 1 day (Friday) in MN then driven to Chicago on Saturday. No impact whatsoever.
Not exactly correct, either. If they didn't do the long bus trip, the other alternative would have been to fly to both locales. So, they could have flown into Madison on Wednesday, then flown home immediately after the game (as they usually do). Then be home late Thursday night, all day Friday, much of the day Saturday, and then fly to Chicago Saturday. Then fly home immediately after the game (as they did anyway).
The way they did it, they spent about 8 hours in a bus, one hour on a plane, and four nights away from home. Had they done it the other way, they would have spent about four hours on a plane and two nights away from home.
No excuses, but I think Sid has a minor point. I'm guessing those guys were absolutely ready to be back home on Sunday. I don't care what anyone says, travel like that takes its toll.
Also, they would not have driven to Chicago had they come back to Minneapolis. They charter a jet to play Northwestern.
Drive or fly, they would have gone to Chicago on Saturday. The 1 extra day (Friday) would have been in Twin Cities.
The bus trip is not why they L the game, nor even a factor.
The bus had the accident before the team was on it. That is why it hasn't been mentioned. If they were on it when the accident happened it would have been all over the news.
Drive or fly, they would have gone to Chicago on Saturday. The 1 extra day (Friday) would have been in Twin Cities.
The bus trip is not why they L the game, nor even a factor.
The team was most certainly on the bus when the accident happened. It occurred on I-94 near St. Paul. The bus clipped the back of a truck. The contact was about four feet from where Tubby was sitting. Broke the window on the door and the mirror on that side. The team had to wait for another bus to come out and they switched over to the new bus. They arrived in Madison about an hour later than expected because of it.
Tubby talked about it on the pregame radio interview on Thursday night. He said it was a minor incident that could have been much worse. Said the guys got a bit of a scare out of it.
On The Sports Show last night Sid questioned why the team took a bus to Chicago after Madison and spent three days there prior to the game. He hinted that it might have played a role in the flat effort.
It wasn't a completely unusual trip. It doesn't happen every year, but there have been many times when the team has stayed out for two road games. It happens when there are road games that either have a quick turnaround (a Thurs-Sat schedule, for example) or are close in geography.
Last year, the Gophers played consecutive games at Indiana and at Illinois and didn't return to Minneapolis in between. The team stayed in Indy and practiced there on Thursday and Friday before bussing over to Champaign. There were times under Monson where the team went a day early to a road game during the period between the beginning of the Big Ten season and when classes resume.
In addition, the team has bussed to Madison annually in order to save money. It is something that neither Monson nor Tubby is terribly excited about, but it's the reality.
Not saying it cost them the game. Saying it could have had a small impact. And, while they would have left on Saturday for Chicago, they also would have been in their own beds on Thursday and Friday nights. As it was, they were in a hotel for four nights, when it could have been two. They were stuck sitting around all day on Friday and Saturday.
Again, no big deal. I usually don't defend Sid, but I think he has a MINOR point. Not a big one, but a minor one. That is a long, unusual trip.