Scoggins: Gophers are playing host to NCAA tournament games because of trust

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EaganGopher22

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Athletic director Mark Coyle is being rewarded for keeping Williams Arena available this week.

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By Chip Scoggins
The Minnesota Star Tribune


The NCAA women’s basketball tournament will return to the Twin Cities this week because of trust. Trust and belief.
A group of Gophers players trusted the new coach enough to stay when uncertainty arrived. And an athletic director believed in a coach enough to reserve Williams Arena this week.
Everyone is being rewarded.
The Gophers learned on Sunday, March 15, that they received a No. 4 seed and will host No. 13 seed Green Bay at 5 p.m. Friday at Williams Arena. Coach Dawn Plitzuweit’s team earned the opportunity to host first- and second-round games after being awarded a top-16 seed by the selection committee on Saturday.
The school’s hunch proved right.

Plitzuweit’s coaching résumé is filled with NCAA tournament appearances prior to Minnesota. Athletic director Mark Coyle banked on that trend continuing with a decision that potentially left him open to second-guessing.
The boys high school state basketball tournament originally was scheduled to be held at Williams Arena this week. Coyle opted to keep Williams Arena available and force the Minnesota State High School League to push the boys’ event back one week in case the Gophers earned a top-four seed.
The Gophers had not been to the NCAA tournament since 2018 or played host to a tournament game since 2005.

Coyle believed in his coach.

Coyle undoubtedly would have caught grief had the Gophers not put themselves in position to host while Williams Arena sat dark and the high school basketball community waited impatiently.

“I did send a thank you text to our administration,” Plitzuweit said before the Big Ten tournament. “To have the confidence, the belief that our program would be in a spot where maybe we can do that was something that [we] had to take a leap of faith.”
 

I wonder why the MSHL did not attempt to find an alternative venue instead of pushing it back a week.

The Pav, Mariucci, Zygi Dome, Tommie facility, the X all seem capable of hosting the Tourney. I remember back in the day there was a year it was at the HHH Dome.
 

Ope3 said:
I wonder why the MSHL did not attempt to find an alternative venue instead of pushing it back a week.

The Pav, Mariucci, Zygi Dome, Tommie facility, the X all seem capable of hosting the Tourney. I remember back in the day there was a year it was at the HHH Dome.
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Seems very odd to me that alternative venues were not sought out. Perhaps they were but they could not make it happen.

I’m grateful to have the women’s team at home, though. A trip to the 16 would really jump start the fair weather fan contingent and boost the program.
 

Ope3 said:
I wonder why the MSHL did not attempt to find an alternative venue instead of pushing it back a week.

The Pav, Mariucci, Zygi Dome, Tommie facility, the X all seem capable of hosting the Tourney. I remember back in the day there was a year it was at the HHH Dome.
Click to expand...
This year is very unique. The NHL had an Olympic break and already Volleyball, HockeyX2, and Wrestling take place in St. Paul. Add concerts to all these venues and it's pretty busy.

The T-Wolves are at Home on Wednesday and Friday eliminating the preferred venue. Boys basketball gets 10,000 people on Championship Saturday and Target Center is needed.

This is not unprecedented. There have been breaks like this before and there have even been years where the boys play state before the girls.

St. Thomas holds 5,000 people and there is a rumor that the Girl's tournament may move there in the future. However if St. Thomas men, women or hockey are hosting games, it becomes a bit of a logistical nightmare.

There is a possibility that the Gophers become a perennial host eliminating the UofM from consideration.

Best solution is to move boys up before girls to use U of M and Target Center. Have the girls slated for UofM and St. Thomas and adjust as needed.
 



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