Big Ten Tournament if it were held today; Gophers currently hold a spot

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gopherbadgerman said:
What if it’s one game better.but no NCAA tournament?
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To me....that wouldn't be good enough when combined with the fact that nearly the entire roster turns over again and will have to be rebuilt. But it would certainly get more dicey. At that point it might hinge on what they do in the Big Ten Tournament and if they qualify for any sort of post season tournament.

But long way to go before that scenario is even close to being in play.
 


MNVCGUY said:
To me....that wouldn't be good enough when combined with the fact that nearly the entire roster turns over again and will have to be rebuilt. But it would certainly get more dicey. At that point it might hinge on what they do in the Big Ten Tournament and if they qualify for any sort of post season tournament.

But long way to go before that scenario is even close to being in play.
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Never an excuse that doesn't work.
 


60's Guy said:
A couple of thoughts give me cause to pause...(1). The elephant in the room...the buyout.
(2) The perception: Did Ben get a fair chance? Are we discriminating? Pitino got 8 years.
But, Pitino won the NIT Championship and was Big Ten Coach of the Year...so did he earn more opportunity? Ya but, Ben has had almost completely different NCAA rules each year he has coached...definitely different moving landscape.

Therefore, it's pretty easy for me to see administration making a Pitino backroom deal...we'll give you one more year but you gotta make the NCAA Tournament...fail and your are gone without a buyout. Especially if we qualify for the Big Ten Conference Tournament....however silly low that bar is, I do believe it carries weight.
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I don't think the buyout will be an issue. 2 million seems like a lot of money but in the world of buyouts that is small change.

Pitino got 8 years but those 8 years included 2 NCAA tournaments, and the NIT championship you mentioned.

White I am sure there will be those outlets that would try to make any firing about race I don't think there would be any people without agendas who would think it was race related when looking at the teams performance over the 4 years.

It is a shame that Johnson's entire tenure has come at a time when the college landscape is extremely chaotic but that is all the more reason to bring in someone with more experience who is better equipped to deal with the constantly shifting landscape.

Going to take a strong finish for the team to even get us to the point where a strong case can be made for giving Johnson another year.
 


MNVCGUY said:
I don't think the buyout will be an issue. 2 million seems like a lot of money but in the world of buyouts that is small change.

Pitino got 8 years but those 8 years included 2 NCAA tournaments, and the NIT championship you mentioned.

White I am sure there will be those outlets that would try to make any firing about race I don't think there would be any people without agendas who would think it was race related when looking at the teams performance over the 4 years.

It is a shame that Johnson's entire tenure has come at a time when the college landscape is extremely chaotic but that is all the more reason to bring in someone with more experience who is better equipped to deal with the constantly shifting landscape.

Going to take a strong finish for the team to even get us to the point where a strong case can be made for giving Johnson another year.
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You and I agree about this discussion. I'm just not sure the administration will reach the same conclusion.
 

JZABR said:
Every time I post something showing a bit of an optimistic take (like North Texas being a pretty good team) I'm always grouped into the 'making excuses group' when I'm simply stating facts.

....(followed by multiple paragraphs filled with excuses)
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Heh
 

60's Guy said:
You and I agree about this discussion. I'm just not sure the administration will reach the same conclusion.
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Time will tell but if yesterday is any indication of how the remainder of the season is going to play out....the team isn't going to win enough games to even make it look like this season was on par with last year.

With attendance already in the tank, bringing Johnson back for another year would just crater it even more.
 




MNVCGUY said:
Going to take a strong finish for the team to even get us to the point where a strong case can be made for giving Johnson another year.
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Or even a fair case for that matter. I suppose with the remainder of the season and the Big Ten tournament (if they can get there) it's possible to have a strong finish without including a victory over Washington but yesterday's loss was a pretty big blow to optimism for the rest of the season.
 

I'm seeing that Iowa just lost Freeman for the rest of the year, and previously saw that NW lost Barnhizer for the year. I guess these bits of news bolster the Gophers' chances at playing in the BTT (especially owning the tiebreaker over Iowa).
 

60's Guy said:
A couple of thoughts give me cause to pause...(1). The elephant in the room...the buyout.
(2) The perception: Did Ben get a fair chance? Are we discriminating? Pitino got 8 years.
But, Pitino won the NIT Championship and was Big Ten Coach of the Year...so did he earn more opportunity? Ya but, Ben has had almost completely different NCAA rules each year he has coached...definitely different moving landscape.

Therefore, it's pretty easy for me to see administration making a Pitino backroom deal...we'll give you one more year but you gotta make the NCAA Tournament...fail and your are gone without a buyout. Especially if we qualify for the Big Ten Conference Tournament....however silly low that bar is, I do believe it carries weight.
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The buyout is tiny. And if you keep him on double secret, "NCAA's or you're fired" probation without giving him an extension you're just knee-capping his ability to recruit (poor Ben!) And who's buying season tickets or donating NIL $$ to that death march?

So if they keep him, he gets a contract extension and the buyout stays the same or goes up. The time to pull the plug is long past.
 
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formerlybis said:
I'm seeing that Iowa just lost Freeman for the rest of the year, and previously saw that NW lost Barnhizer for the year. I guess these bits of news bolster the Gophers' chances at playing in the BTT (especially owning the tiebreaker over Iowa).
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Gopher odds definitely just went up, one would think.

Ultimately, I'd guess it comes down to Iowa, Rutgers, Penn State, the Gophers, and Washington fighting to avoid being the other 2 dropouts (assuming Northwestern is one). If Chris Collins gets the Wildcats now minus Barnhizer to the Big Ten Tournament, he's a miracle worker. And I'm comfortable saying Nebraska will be in the top 15.

Remaining schedules based on 3 tiers -- Tier 1 (MSU, Purdue, Michigan, Maryland, UCLA, Wisconsin); Tier 2 (Illinois, USC, Oregon, Indiana, OSU, Iowa); Tier 3 (Rutgers, Nebraska, PSU, Northwestern, Gophers, Washington)

5 teams for final 2 spots:

Iowa (4-6)
Tier 1 (4 left): Purdue, Wisconsin, @ Maryland, Michigan State
Tier 2 (2 left): Oregon, @ Illinois
Tier 3 (4 left): @ Rutgers, Washington, @ Northwestern, @ Nebraska

Rutgers (4-7)
Tier 1 (3 left): @ Maryland, @ Michigan, @ Purdue
Tier 2 (4 left): Illinois, Iowa, @ Oregon, USC
Tier 3 (2 left): @ Washington, Minnesota

Penn State (3-8)
Tier 1 (3 left): @ UCLA, Maryland, @ Wisconsin
Tier 2 (2 left): @ USC, @ Indiana
Tier 3 (4 left): Minnesota, Washington, Nebraska, @ Minnesota

Gophers (3-8)
Tier 1 (2 left): @ UCLA, Wisconsin
Tier 2 (2 left): Illinois, @ USC
Tier 3 (5 left): @ Penn State, Penn State, Northwestern, @ Nebraska, @ Rutgers

Washington (2-8)
Tier 1 (1 left): @ Wisconsin
Tier 2 (4 left): @ Ohio State, @ Iowa, Indiana, @ USC, Oregon
Tier 3 (4 left): Nebraska, Northwestern, @ Penn State, Rutgers

I fear the loss to Washington could end up being the killer. To me at this point in time it just kinda' feels like Gophers will finish 1 win shy of what they'll need.
 



howeda7 said:
The buyout is tiny. And if you keep him on double secret, "NCAA's or you're fired" probation without giving him an extension you're just knee-capping his ability to recruit (poor Ben!) And who's buying season tickets or donating NIL $$ to that death march?

So if they keep him, he gets a contract extension and the buyout stays the same or goes up. The time to pull the plug is long past.
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To be clear...I was shocked when Ben was hired. I'm past ready for a different coach. I'm just stating how I feel the administration might see it, since he is still here.

Not even our administration would consider giving Ben an extension, I don't believe.

Not that many people are even paying attention to Gopher basketball...so the administration giving Ben another year, so their conscience is clear, isn't going to make much noise other than on Gopherhole. They are not going to sell it as a one year make or break year but as a reward for a tough year with the late transfers and injuries making local guy Ben the deserving choice going forward because of the remarkable job he did being competitive every night in the face of adversity beyond his control. "We think the future looks bright with Ben at the helm."

Security for coaches is overrated in 2025...players are only committing to a one season.deal.
Not at all advocating for this plan...but truly will not be surprised if it happens.

Paying more attention to politics this past year has made me go many, many times..."Wait, what??? You are saying you think it is a good idea for (fill in the blank)" And the other side then doubles down with ideas that are insanity to my logic. What tells us the administration sees it as we do? They did, eyes wide open, hire Ben.
 

60's Guy said:
To be clear...I was shocked when Ben was hired. I'm past ready for a different coach. I'm just stating how I feel the administration might see it, since he is still here.

Not even our administration would consider giving Ben an extension, I don't believe.

Not that many people are even paying attention to Gopher basketball...so the administration giving Ben another year, so their conscience is clear, isn't going to make much noise other than on Gopherhole. They are not going to sell it as a one year make or break year but as a reward for a tough year with the late transfers and injuries making local guy Ben the deserving choice going forward because of the remarkable job he did being competitive every night in the face of adversity beyond his control. "We think the future looks bright with Ben at the helm."

Security for coaches is overrated in 2025...players are only committing to a one season.deal.
Not at all advocating for this plan...but truly will not be surprised if it happens.

Paying more attention to politics this past year has made me go many, many times..."Wait, what??? You are saying you think it is a good idea for (fill in the blank)" And the other side then doubles down with ideas that are insanity to my logic. What tells us the administration sees it as we do? They did, eyes wide open, hire Ben.
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I'm sure the U Administration is not above worrying about getting scolded for not giving Ben a "fair chance". But even the local media who barely pay any attention to college basketball and are in the "Poor Ben" camp are now acknowledging it's over. Not even Jim Souhan will be able to feign outrage. Interest in the program is as low as its ever been. They cannot afford another season of descent into apathy.

And who are we kidding? Giving him another prove it year is pointless. He has exactly one meaningful returning player. He's not suddenly going to start hitting HRs in the portal that he didn't hit this time. Next year's team will likely have as much chance of making the NCAA's as this year's team did. None. They won't even have anyone close to as good as Dawson Garcia. They would very likely be worse, not better.
 

Grab the 15th slot and play like the 87 Twins. Go out on your shield. Crying and quiting is for criers and quitters.
 

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