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cheeseheadgophfan

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They are undersized. They are ridiculously short-handed. They lack a ton of talent...but

They play so hard. They play within the system. They share the ball. They seem to have great chemistry. They all know their roles and play it to the best of what they have.

I watched the San Fran and Santa Clara and was never so disgusted watching Gopher basketball. I predicted they would go winless in B10 and I was dead serious. They have surpassed my expectations 100 times over. I didn't think Langston Reynolds was worthy of playing at the YMCA and he is now one of my favorite players to watch. He's down low on FT's boxing out against 7 footers and playing his ass off.

How many really good Gopher teams have we seen go into Illinois and get blown off the court? A lot. And they got ZERO help from the refs today.

We have a coach. He has a system that I think would think would be very attractive to play in. If we can at least be competitive in terms of NIL, we are about to return to some good times for Gopher basketball. I've forgotten what March Madness is like. We will be there soon.
 



Six guys that battle their asses off, what could have been without the injuries
 

cheeseheadgophfan said:
They are undersized. They are ridiculously short-handed. They lack a ton of talent...but

They play so hard. They play within the system. They share the ball. They seem to have great chemistry. They all know their roles and play it to the best of what they have.

I watched the San Fran and Santa Clara and was never so disgusted watching Gopher basketball. I predicted they would go winless in B10 and I was dead serious. They have surpassed my expectations 100 times over. I didn't think Langston Reynolds was worthy of playing at the YMCA and he is now one of my favorite players to watch. He's down low on FT's boxing out against 7 footers and playing his ass off.

How many really good Gopher teams have we seen go into Illinois and get blown off the court? A lot. And they got ZERO help from the refs today.

We have a coach. He has a system that I think would think would be very attractive to play in. If we can at least be competitive in terms of NIL, we are about to return to some good times for Gopher basketball. I've forgotten what March Madness is like. We will be there soon.
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100%
 




Agree with everything in the op. They play so hard and play as a team! Extremely well coached and the effort is always there. Of course I wish the USC and Wisconsin games turned out differently, but the foundation is really being set by this squad for the future.
 

We could easily have 2,3 more wins in conference. Lost by a total 14 points in the last 3 games. This team is fun to root for. It really is Team Together.
Out west, I was so frustrated that I shut the Santa Clara game when it was a 30+ point deficit. I know i don't speak for myself either.
But they turned a corner, developed some real great chemistry, they share the ball and they get the most out of the talent they got. Do I wish they would have a slightly bigger rotation with Turner clogging up the paint or just providing some size? Absolutely. But I trust Niko. If we can get to some post season tournament, I'd say that's a massive overachievment. The style plus the NIL should be able to attract some real nice talent and bigger crowds. Fans like us appreciate hustle and playing the game the right way.
 




What seems to clear to me is guys get better during the season under Niko and during his previous stops guys got better year to year. You look at Roddy, Clifford, Stephens and Tonje, none of them were obvious NBA guys or the top contributer on the team when they got to CSU. JCJ may be challenging Tyson for best player on the team now, I would expect him and Asuma to take steps as leaders next year with Durkin, Shainholster and Grove being solid role players. I did think Willis provided good energy at the start of the year and Vailola he had a six sense for the ball when it came to rebounding, and was a good passer with good hands to run the offense through. It'll depend how well they both bounce back from their injuries. Omot a complete wild card, I doubt he's the same guy he was at UND after two years of injuries. I think Anderson will be the most ready of freshman to contribute. The big man is raw and will need a year but very athletic and great potential, will bring more to the table than Turner but not enough for major minutes. Tomes has an abily to fill it up that none of our guards currently possess. As Clem would always say you can run all the offense you want but against good teams you need a guy who can bail you out when the offense breaks down. We don't have a shooter like that right now and Tomes won't be that next year, but if he can adjust to the level of play and play good defense, he's small and that's inevitably going to hurt him at times, but if he's in the right spots, I think he can be a really good player as an upperclassmen. Still think 7-13 with how depleted our roster is but if Niko can continue to develop guys like he did at CSU and factoring in how Tyson has done, that will be a good selling point in the portal, I think he can increase the talent level here. Thorson knows defense, Niko knows offense, we are in good hands.
 







It’s the first time since NIL started I don’t feel helpless. Yes, more money obviously makes things easier, but the right mix of quality players (not necessarily even elite) bought into the system will get us back to the tournament.
 

I hope wealthy gopher fans are watching and see what Niko could do with a little bigger budget.

Same with potential transfers and recruits. I am optimistic that a lot of guys will want to play for Niko.
 

Gophers1992 said:
I hope wealthy gopher fans are watching and see what Niko could do with a little bigger budget.

Same with potential transfers and recruits. I am optimistic that a lot of guys will want to play for Niko.
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Reminds me, I need to better understand the new Big Ten sports revenue sharing, not sure how much it will cut the gap between rich and poor in the Big Ten -- before NIL comes in.

Other people here know more, I am still fuzzy about this.

From Google AI (warning may not be right):


Impact on the University of Minnesota (Gophers)
  • Increased Investment: Minnesota's Athletic Director, Mark Coyle, allocated a substantial portion (around 15%) of the initial pool to men's basketball to boost its competitiveness.
  • Budget Allocation: Roughly 75% of the funds go to football, 15% to men's basketball, and 10% split among women's basketball, volleyball, and men's hockey, plus some other scholarships.
  • Strategic Spending: Coyle invested heavily in men's basketball, giving coach Niko Medved a strong pitch to improve the program.
  • Budget Challenges: While providing funds, the overall NCAA changes, including back pay, add complexity to athletic department budgets, though Minnesota seems committed to this investment.
Impact on Minnesota Basketball
  • Men's Basketball Boost: The program received a significant financial uplift, exceeding typical allocations at some schools, to help it compete in the Big Ten.
  • Recruiting Advantage: The direct investment and new coach's discussions around this money make the program more attractive to recruits.
  • Women's Basketball: Also benefits from the shared pool, though to a lesser extent than men's basketball, as part of the overall allocation.
Key Takeaway: Minnesota is using the new revenue-sharing model to aggressively invest in its basketball programs, especially men's, to improve performance and compete better within the high-revenue Big Ten conference.


The Big Ten's new revenue sharing, born from the House settlement, allows schools to share up the 22.5% of revenue directly with athletes, starting July 1, 2025, primarily benefiting Football, Men's & Women's Basketball, Volleyball, and Men's Hockey, with Minnesota prioritizing boosting its Men's Basketball budget significantly to attract talent, while also covering other sports and roster cap scholarships from this pool, aiming to make Gopher athletics more competitive despite budget pressures from NCAA changes.



MY PERSONAL ADD: I have heard Coach Niko Medved is still way behind other teams in NIL and working with a major competitive disadvantage, from people who seem to know. So I'm not sure how much better this is getting.
 

Fair to say it’s a well coached team lacking B10 talent across the board?
 


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