Game VS. Kansas next year

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boston.gopher

boston.gopher

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From Sid:

"...Bill Self, basketball coach at Kansas University, has indicated that the Gophers and Jayhawks will play a home-and-home series with the game this year on national television. The Gophers are reported to have dropped North Dakota State to add Kansas..."

I can't wait to see how we match up with Aldrich if he stays.
 

Quite the upgrade in schedule!

I assume this probably means that Cole will stay.
 

The Barn will be insane that night with KU looking like a preseason #1 team. Aldrich will come ready to play in his hometown and he will be a good measuring stick to see how far the young guys in the post have come. Aldrich isn't as physical as Pittman from Texas but he is a physical big man. I'm guessing that Sampson and Iverson will use that Texas game as motivation to bulk up and play tougher in the paint. If Collins returns, and it's looking like he will, I don't think the Gophers will have an answer for him. I've wanted this series ever since Tubby came to the U and assumed it would eventually happen. I'm glad it's happening when both teams are loaded with talent. KU has never played in a place like the Barn and I'm quite certain that the Gophers have never experienced an atmosphere like they will in Lawrence. Nothing will keep me from being at both games.

As a lifelong Gopher fan but KU alum, this will be the only time in my life I've ever cheered against the U in hoops.
 

C'Mon Tubby - Grow A Pair!

Ditching NDSU and scheduling a patsy like Kansas?

Whatever will happen to our RPI?

;)
 

WOW!! If this is true, what a HUGE upgrade on the schedule, reward for the fans and challenge for the team. This would be a dream matchup for me and an absolute must for a road game when we travel to Lawrence.

I hope this comes to fruition.

Go Gophers!!
 


ChestHair said:
The Barn will be insane that night with KU looking like a preseason #1 team.
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I didn't see it mentioned that this first game will be in the barn. Did you see that elsewhere, or did I just miss it?
 

Hey, Bleed...will you have trouble cheering against KU? ;)
 

Robb said:
I didn't see it mentioned that this first game will be in the barn. Did you see that elsewhere, or did I just miss it?
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It doesn't make sense to have KU visit Minnesota when Cole is a rookie in the NBA. Most just assume that this is in large part to reward Cole with a home town visit. Also, the U can't afford to have too many road games this upcoming season if they are in Anaheim for three games and possibly on the road for the ACC/BT Challenge.
 





Robb said:
I didn't see it mentioned that this first game will be in the barn. Did you see that elsewhere, or did I just miss it?
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If Cole Aldrich is still on the team, it most certainly will be a home game in Williams Arena.

I think this is a Kansas tradition to bring players back to their home state.

Someone mentioned they played in ND for Boschee (sp?).
 

anticallihan said:
If Cole Aldrich is still on the team, it most certainly will be a home game in Williams Arena.

I think this is a Kansas tradition to bring players back to their home state.

Someone mentioned they played in ND for Boschee (sp?).
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They played at North Dakota in 2001.
 

KANSAS/MINNESOTA SERIES NOT SET

Robb said:
I didn't see it mentioned that this first game will be in the barn. Did you see that elsewhere, or did I just miss it?
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I figured the first one was at the barn because the U had to drop another home game to make this work. I shouldn't have assumed though.

We also shouldn't assume this is true. Looks like Ol' Sid jumped the gun....shocking, I know.

KUsports has their finger on the pulse of all things KU. They refute Sid's story.

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2009/apr/12/ku-minnesota-not-set/?mens_basketball
 






Maybe Lakes can give us a scouting report seeing as the Gonzaga of Minnesota lost to Kansas in the First Round.
 


What Up Guy said:
Really, you think one game will sway Aldrich to stay? Come on...
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No, actually, I don't.

I assumed it meant that it could be a potential match-up based on his hometown origins, coupled with the fact that most recent reports say that he is planning on staying at Kansas at least another year. Seems to be an interesting year to schedule such a game when we haven't had done so in our recent history as a program.
 

I have heard the story of KU playing in ND for Jeff Boschee back in the day. But do schools really do this? Schedule games based on one individual player's personal history or where they happen to grow up. Is this a Kansas thing? Its just seems ridiculous that schools would actually pick their non conference games based on a players request when there are so many other factors at hand. Should the gophers try to schedule LSU for Damian Johnson, or play Arizona for L. Westbrook, Georgia for RSIII??

Dont get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to play the jayhawks in the barn and/or phog allen, but I would attribute us getting a game like that to our program taking a step up, rather than one player for the opposing team wants to play us.

Or are there many other instances of this that I dont know about?
 

UptownMaroon&Gold said:
I have heard the story of KU playing in ND for Jeff Boschee back in the day. But do schools really do this? Schedule games based on one individual player's personal history or where they happen to grow up. Is this a Kansas thing? Its just seems ridiculous that schools would actually pick their non conference games based on a players request when there are so many other factors at hand. Should the gophers try to schedule LSU for Damian Johnson, or play Arizona for L. Westbrook, Georgia for RSIII??

Dont get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to play the jayhawks in the barn and/or phog allen, but I would attribute us getting a game like that to our program taking a step up, rather than one player for the opposing team wants to play us.

Or are there many other instances of this that I dont know about?
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1) We did play in Arizona, this year.

I don't think it is that big of a deal. I mean if you do this once over a players 3-5 year career, it shouldn't be that difficult especially if most players come from in state. Plus, you play enough games to schedule a game in a various state.
 

I think that it is possible that if this occurs it is because of a combination of the two. Our basketball program is improving, true, which is a definite plus for us in scheduling Kansas. Also, from what has been said already it can be assumed that the Kansas athletic department could look at this as a way to schedule a strong up-and-coming team to a home-and-home while at the same time keeping one of their most important players happy enough to want to come back for a 3rd year.
 

I guess I wouldnt disagree, if we gets this KU series to work, that Aldrich might have had something to do with it. But if we would've struggled this year, I dont think it wouldve been considered whatsoever.

Yeah I guess we did play in Arizona this year, but I would bet money that had everything to do with Tubby knowing Rick Pitino, and whoever was in charge of the showcase, and almost zero to do with Lawrence Westbrook.

I guess I dont disagree that this could happen, but I've just never really heard any other examples (other than the boschee game)
 

UptownMaroon&Gold said:
I guess I wouldnt disagree, if we gets this KU series to work, that Aldrich might have had something to do with it. But if we would've struggled this year, I dont think it wouldve been considered whatsoever.

Yeah I guess we did play in Arizona this year, but I would bet money that had everything to do with Tubby knowing Rick Pitino, and whoever was in charge of the showcase, and almost zero to do with Lawrence Westbrook.

I guess I dont disagree that this could happen, but I've just never really heard any other examples (other than the boschee game)
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you don't hear about it because most people come from normal states with big time basketball programs.
 

We must always remember. ...

to take anything Sid says with a huge grain of salt. Here's hoping Sid is right about Kansas, but it sure doesn't sound like it. If an associate AD from the other school is publicly refuting the scheduling claim of an old out-of-touch sports columnist that is known to misrepresent the facts on occasion (or 100), I'd tend to trust what the associate AD says.
 

Players Going Home for Games

Dean Smith used to go out of his way to try to schedule a game in the hometown of a player sometime in his four years at UNC. It was probably a lot easier when schedules were not so tightly managed, financing of athletic departments with basketball home games was not as big an issue, and players staying for four years was the norm. It seems like a nice gesture to a player if a program can do it, especially if the guy comes from an economic background where it is hard for his family to get to games. It also seems very hard to do now, and a promise that can't be made in today's basketball world.

Regarding Kansas- A date please! Let's get it on the calendar.

SS, is KU denying Sid's announcement?
 

"SS, is KU denying Sid's announcement?"

Yes, someone earlier in this thread posted a link from KU refuting that it's a done deal.
 

Homecomings

Isn't it possible that KU is willing to schedule the game once it knows for sure that Aldrich is staying, but doesn't want to commit otherwise?

Also, wasn't Ryan Wittman a primary reason we scheduled Cornell last year?
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
Isn't it possible that KU is willing to schedule the game once it knows for sure that Aldrich is staying, but doesn't want to commit otherwise?
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That was exactly my thought.

I know Aldrich has said all the right things so far, but frankly, that usually changes as the draft gets closer. People are already saying he's a lottery pick. If GMs start making noise that he's a top 6-7 pick, he'd be a little crazy to stay.
 

It makes perfect sense for schools to schedule games in player's home areas for their road games. First off, it will have special meaning for that player, meaning it may yield a good performance, and plus, you know that player will have some backing from family and friends, so maybe the environment won't be as nasty as it could have been if you were just playing any normal road game. Unless that player had a bitter exit from that place lol.

Plus, I think Bill Self has been reported to as just wanting to play a game at the Barn if I'm not mistaken. Remember, he was coach at Illinois, maybe he had a fondness for the Barn and wants to go back there. Maybe the fact that the program is back on the rise now makes it a more worthwhile trip to make. Having Cole Aldrich on the team is just an added bonus.

But as has been said, it hasn't been confirmed or anything by really anyone, so I'm not counting this done until I hear it from one of the schools, not Sid.
 

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