Ben Johnson has more road victories this year than Pitino had all of last year







I will just say that the easiest road games didn't come until the end of the season after injuries had started piling up. I think Gabe Kalscheur was out against Indiana, and then we lost Liam Robbins as well for Penn State and Nebraska, and I thought we had lost a third player by then too, but if so, I don't remember whom. The Nebraska game was originally scheduled for 1/20/21 when we were at full strength or close to it and coming fresh off of handing Michigan their first loss of the season, and was delayed because Nebraska was having a COVID outbreak.

I know the team was playing below what they were capable of at the end, and I'm okay with moving on from Pitino, but when last year's team was at its best, the only teams we were playing on the road were ranked in the top 10. We played the hard road games when we were at our best and played the easy ones when we were at our worst, and ended up not winning any of them, and getting destroyed in a number of them.

Watched the whole game tonight and was excited to see the clutch bucket at the end, and for the Gophers to do their part to help win the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
 



Just want to say I am a massive pessimist… I get that 6-0 is probably a mirage. That said this is better than expected already. A road win vs is still a road win… I am excited for the future of this program with Ben Johnson in charge.
Will be interesting to see how people react when the losses start piling up. Hopefully people will remember the positive signs from this early stretch and remain excited about the future.

This team is really going to struggle during Big Ten play because we just don't have the size to compete in the conference. But this 6-0 start is super encouraging and watching the way the team plays and the smart decisions being made by the coaches, lends itself well to what they will be able to do when they have the talent to compete.
 



Will be interesting to see how people react when the losses start piling up. Hopefully people will remember the positive signs from this early stretch and remain excited about the future.

This team is really going to struggle during Big Ten play because we just don't have the size to compete in the conference. But this 6-0 start is super encouraging and watching the way the team plays and the smart decisions being made by the coaches, lends itself well to what they will be able to do when they have the talent to compete.
I'll be okay if it's just a difference in talent and athleticism if the players are playing hard and the team is playing good basketball with sound ball movement.

If it's stand around for 30 seconds and take bad shots, I'll be disappointed.
 

I'll be okay if it's just a difference in talent and athleticism if the players are playing hard and the team is playing good basketball with sound ball movement.

If it's stand around for 30 seconds and take bad shots, I'll be disappointed.
Based on early returns I will be super surprised if we end up seeing the team play poorly over the remainder of the season. I think the fundamentals will still be there but the size/talent gap will be too much to overcome. That said, I won't be surprised at all if this group manages to spring some upsets along the way.

Staying healthy with the short bench will be the key all year. If the injuries start to pile up at all it will really impact this team. if they can stay healthy for the most part they will give some Big Ten teams a real battle.
 

This team is really going to struggle during Big Ten play because we just don't have the size to compete in the conference.

But this 6-0 start is super encouraging and watching the way the team plays and the smart decisions being made by the coaches, lends itself well to what they will be able to do when they have the talent to compete.

There are two distinct statements there. I agree that Ben & staff deserve credit for the second but I also insist that they deserve some blame for the first. I hope they learn their lesson and don't take us into another season short handed in the front court.
 

So far so good.
Still a bad team but they’re playing hard and playing well for their talent.
Which implies if he can recruit better talent and they continue to play hard and well for their talent he has some upside. We have already exceeded my expectations
 
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It really is incredible we had 0 road wins last year. So another nice box to check off so we dont have to hear that "MN hasnt want a road game is 700+ days" all the time. Those are small things but I think not having to hear them is a nice thing.

The next 3 games are going to be interesting. We have had one of the easiest schedules in all of the country thus far. @Miss St, home Mich St and @Mich would be difficult for any team in the country. I would honestly be shocked if we won any of them but hopefully we can hang in there and compete. 3 blowouts could be a blow to the team but even an 0-3 stretch where we are in each game could be a boost. I will say I am TERRIFIED of Brooks/Dickinson coming up, Hughley is pretty bad and he owned us, Brooks/Dickinson are two of the better bigs in the country, it could be very bad down low.
 

There are two distinct statements there. I agree that Ben & staff deserve credit for the second but I also insist that they deserve some blame for the first. I hope they learn their lesson and don't take us into another season short handed in the front court.
I'm going to go out on a massive limb here and posit the crazy notion there's no lesson learning needed here...they didn't purposely go into the season short handed in the front court.
 

I'm going to go out on a massive limb here and posit the crazy notion there's no lesson learning needed here...they didn't purposely go into the season short handed in the front court.

Bad results can come from bad intent, negligence, or bad luck but the results all count the same. People often said that Pitino was unlucky but he seemed to be unlucky a lot. One is not to blame for a tornado destroying his house but one can be blamed for not having home insurance.
 

Bad results can come from bad intent, negligence, or bad luck but the results all count the same. People often said that Pitino was unlucky but he seemed to be unlucky a lot. One is not to blame for a tornado destroying his house but one can be blamed for not having home insurance.
So the staff made the conscious decision NOT to recruit more inside players?

Or could it be they were left a shit sandwich by Pitino and were UNABLE to recruit more inside players capable of playing in the B1G?

Again...there is no lesson to be learned here, unless you think Ben Johnson and staff weren't aware they would be undersized
 


So the staff made the conscious decision NOT to recruit more inside players?

Or could it be they were left a shit sandwich by Pitino and were UNABLE to recruit more inside players capable of playing in the B1G?

Again...there is no lesson to be learned here, unless you think Ben Johnson and staff weren't aware they would be undersized

Here's a question. Why do you care so much about what I think?
 


There are two distinct statements there. I agree that Ben & staff deserve credit for the second but I also insist that they deserve some blame for the first. I hope they learn their lesson and don't take us into another season short handed in the front court.
They didn't set out to build a roster that could be a contender this season. They did however set out to build a roster more capable of being competitive and then got hit with some bad luck on the injury front losing 2 frontcourt guys in Fox and Ihnen.

It was clear from early on the focus was on 22-23 and beyond based on the players they were bringing in. Guys who for the most part had 1 year left but were good solid basketball players from lower level schools.

That has translated to a team that plays hard and clearly has a high basketball IQ. They are limited (especially after the injuries) but they will go out and compete and are actually doing better on the court than most of us expected them to. They play like a team that has been together for a while as opposed to a collection of guys from all over the country that never played together prior to this season. That, above all else, has been one of the most impressive parts of the teams early success.
 

Because in today's society we all must think the exact same thing.... Thinking outside the box is not allowed
That's not at all true. You can think whatever you want, but if you don't think correctly, you're not allowed to participate in the society. That's the risk we take for thinking differently.
 

They didn't set out to build a roster that could be a contender this season. They did however set out to build a roster more capable of being competitive and then got hit with some bad luck on the injury front losing 2 frontcourt guys in Fox and Ihnen.

It was clear from early on the focus was on 22-23 and beyond based on the players they were bringing in. Guys who for the most part had 1 year left but were good solid basketball players from lower level schools.

That has translated to a team that plays hard and clearly has a high basketball IQ. They are limited (especially after the injuries) but they will go out and compete and are actually doing better on the court than most of us expected them to. They play like a team that has been together for a while as opposed to a collection of guys from all over the country that never played together prior to this season. That, above all else, has been one of the most impressive parts of the teams early success.

Why the long essay? I don't need lectures on the team. I appreciate what the coaches and players have done well. Here's some advice: don't talk to people like they just showed up for the first time today and don't know anything. Maybe you're like those people on the Progressive commercial: turning into your parents!

Here are simple facts from last night's game: two starting Pitt forwards combined for 25 rebounds and 27 points while Curry, Daniels, and Ogele combined for 6 rebounds and 8 points. Do you think that the staff, just maybe, could have made a little more effort to make some improvement to this portion of the roster?
 

Win on Sunday and Ben can start on the road 2-0 just like Pitino did in his first year. Unfortunately for Ben he drew Michigan instead of Penn State for his first road test in conference, but this is probably the best time to play Michigan due to the struggles of youth, so you never know.
 

Would Johnson like to have a more talented roster? Of course. They tried to land more big men, and failed. Losing Fox and Ihnen to injuries also has had a big impact.

But this is the roster he has, and he will have to make the best of it.

going forward, Johnson will need to upgrade the talent. and IF he can demonstrate that he is a competent coach, that should help him in recruiting.

I am impressed with what I've seen to date, and that does make me more optimistic about what will come next.

having said that, if I was Johnson, my #1 off-season target would be a quality big man in the transfer portal or as a grad transfer. put one more big body in the middle, and that can make a heck of a difference.
 

Worth noting, two of our "bigs" (Ihnen & Fox) are either out or most likley out for the season. Pretty sure Johnson didn't plan for that. How huge would it be just to have one of those guys?

Oh well, that's the hand Gophers have been dealt. Let's just treasure every win the Gophers get this season, including last night over an awful Pitt team. There aren't going to be (m)any once the calendar turns to January.
 

Worth noting, two of our "bigs" (Ihnen & Fox) are either out or most likley out for the season. Pretty sure Johnson didn't plan for that. How huge would it be just to have one of those guys?

Oh well, that's the hand Gophers have been dealt. Let's just treasure every win the Gophers get this season, including last night over an awful Pitt team. There aren't going to be (m)any once the calendar turns to January.
True, but Fox was hurt almost immediately after he signed and Ihnen is not a center. So he knew in April he was short at the 5 spot and convincing Curry to play and signing Ogele were the only remedies (successfully) pursued.
 

Worth noting, two of our "bigs" (Ihnen & Fox) are either out or most likley out for the season. Pretty sure Johnson didn't plan for that. How huge would it be just to have one of those guys?

Oh well, that's the hand Gophers have been dealt. Let's just treasure every win the Gophers get this season, including last night over an awful Pitt team. There aren't going to be (m)any once the calendar turns to January.
If they can take 2/3 from Miss St, Mich St., and Michigan, I fully expect you to fire up the "Wins By Tier to Make the Dance" thread.
 

Why the long essay? I don't need lectures on the team. I appreciate what the coaches and players have done well. Here's some advice: don't talk to people like they just showed up for the first time today and don't know anything. Maybe you're like those people on the Progressive commercial: turning into your parents!

Here are simple facts from last night's game: two starting Pitt forwards combined for 25 rebounds and 27 points while Curry, Daniels, and Ogele combined for 6 rebounds and 8 points. Do you think that the staff, just maybe, could have made a little more effort to make some improvement to this portion of the roster?

Will keep this brief so as not to offend you with an essay. In answer to your part in bold - Parker Fox 6'8", Isaiah Ihnen 6'9" and probably hoping to get more from Treyton Thompson 6'11" as well.
 

Will keep this brief so as not to offend you with an essay. In answer to your part in bold - Parker Fox 6'8", Isaiah Ihnen 6'9" and probably hoping to get more from Treyton Thompson 6'11" as well.
I don't see how they ever planned to play Ihnen at center and they only had a healthy Parker Fox for like a week.
 




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