Gophers #112 in initial KenPom rankings

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Rex said:

Data thru games of (Monday) Dec 11th

tOhio St. #27
San Francisco #67
Indiana #76
Missouri #77
Minnesota #93
Penn St #111
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Also important to note, Nebraska is at #60 and they just beat Michigan State.

I realize you can't carry too much across games, but that's a team that couldn't handle us physically and they are the second best team we've played this year.
 


As of this morning, Sports Reference has us at #77 on their rating system, one step above St. Joseph's and one step below North Carolina State. They have us rated above Penn State, Maryland, and Indiana. Rutgers, with a rating of 9.3, is just slightly above our 9.1.
 


If the Big East still exists in 2032 (I think it will), pretty good chance St. Thomas will be in it. Main thing they'll have to figure out is what conference they can find for the football program.

Until that day, UST will continue to build its brand, and have its share of successes and growing pains along the way.
 
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SelectionSunday said:
If the Big East still exists in 2032 (I think it will), pretty good chance St. Thomas will be in it. Main thing they'll have to figure out is what conference they can find for the football program.

Until that day, UST will continue to build its brand, and have its share of successes and growing pains along the way.
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6-4 now.

Will be interesting to see how year2 ends up comparing to year 1.

Correct me I’m wrong, but aren’t most small private Catholic schools the only D1 scholarship school on their market?

Like Marquette & Villanova?
 

SelectionSunday said:
If the Big East still exists in 2032 (I think it will), pretty good chance St. Thomas will be in it. Main thing they'll have to figure out is what conference they can find for the football program.

Until that day, UST will continue to build its brand, and have its share of successes and growing pains along the way.
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2032 is pretty bold, Hodger. I'm not so sure, but I'm guessing that your prediction is based on someone in the TV world understanding that the Twin Cities is a huge TV market, and could help the network with Big East rights draw a larger audience at 8:15 on a Monday night.

I'm more skeptical, but I do think the longer the Gophers languish, the more likely the Tommies are to grab the "love the game" fans who aren't passionate about particular teams and their audience could build.

I have no idea how the Tommies are drawing now. I checked for a few higher profile games last year and they sold pretty well and the tickets are a bargain compared to the Gophers.

I know too much about the inner workings of St. Thomas to ever become a fan, but the likelihood that I might someday know more families with connections to the team could heighten my interest.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
6-4 now.

Will be interesting to see how year2 ends up comparing to year 1.

Correct me I’m wrong, but aren’t most small private Catholic schools the only D1 scholarship school on their market?

Like Marquette & Villanova?
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I'm not quite sure I understand your statement. There are a lot of small Catholic schools who are not the only D1 in their market. Villanova is in Philly with at least four other D1's. Marquette has UW-Milwaukee. Xavier has Cincinnati. Creighton, which isn't that small also has Omaha.
 

Holy Man said:
I'm not quite sure I understand your statement. There are a lot of small Catholic schools who are not the only D1 in their market. Villanova is in Philly with at least four other D1's. Marquette has UW-Milwaukee. Xavier has Cincinnati. Creighton, which isn't that small also has Omaha.
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This was listed before the question regarding the schools -

Correct me I’m wrong


So thanks for the correction😀
 
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Holy Man said:
2032 is pretty bold, Hodger. I'm not so sure, but I'm guessing that your prediction is based on someone in the TV world understanding that the Twin Cities is a huge TV market, and could help the network with Big East rights draw a larger audience at 8:15 on a Monday night.

I'm more skeptical, but I do think the longer the Gophers languish, the more likely the Tommies are to grab the "love the game" fans who aren't passionate about particular teams and their audience could build.

I have no idea how the Tommies are drawing now. I checked for a few higher profile games last year and they sold pretty well and the tickets are a bargain compared to the Gophers.

I know too much about the inner workings of St. Thomas to ever become a fan, but the likelihood that I might someday know more families with connections to the team could heighten my interest.
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That's fair, Holy Man. I would admit 2032 (the 10-year point of Division 1 for UST) seems a little bold, but I'm convinced the school has its eyes set on bigger things, specifically the Big East. I gleaned this not from newspaper speculation, but from a couple conversations I had with UST administrative folks at the Summit League Tournament last March. In those conversations without prompting from me, the names of several Big East schools came up, including Marquette, Creighton, Villanova, and Xavier. I found that interesting there were no schools mentioned from other conferences.

Reading between the lines, I think there's a reason they played Creighton last season, and there's a reason they're playing Marquette (tomorrow). And I'm guessing we'll see UST play other Big East schools in the next few seasons. I get the sense they're "getting a lay of the land", so to speak, by having conversations/visits with similar schools (private + major citiy) on the ins & outs of running a Division 1 athletic program as a private school.

Again, these are simply my impressions from having talked to a couple UST folks who certainly will have a say in what St. Thomas' next moves are as a Division 1 institution. I could be wrong, maybe they'll end up in something like the Mountain West (that would be a solid landing spot as currently constructed), but I think long-term, their eyes are directed toward the Big East.
 

Holy Man said:
I'm not quite sure I understand your statement. There are a lot of small Catholic schools who are not the only D1 in their market. Villanova is in Philly with at least four other D1's. Marquette has UW-Milwaukee. Xavier has Cincinnati. Creighton, which isn't that small also has Omaha.
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Villanova isn’t even the only small D1 catholic school in Philly. Lasalle and St. Joes are both Catholic.
 

Bad Gopher said:
A role player?? Isn't he a starter?!
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Most starting 5's have role players?

His role is to make non-challenged 3 pointers, open 2's, finish on breaks. Not try to create off the dribble and stop ball movement, not to go one on one against quicker players. With two great guards he has embraced his role well.
 

Gopherbbdude said:
MSU is not good
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Michigan state is stuggling because they have two returning 40% 3 pt shooters who are on incredibly bad cold streaks. I personally watched them cut it to 3 a few times in the final minutes against Arizona.

Walker shot 41% last year, is at 33% this year.
Akins went from 42 to 29.
Hoggard shot is down and they miss Hauser's 46%,; but his loss was expected.

Losing to Arizona and Duke isnt suprising, the home loss to James Madison was. Losing at home to Wisconisn and at Nebraska can happen.

They still are a tourney team, and if they can ever regain their shooting touch they could get back in the B1G race. It's a down year #23 Wisconsin maybe the 3rd best team?
 

SelectionSunday said:
That's fair, Holy Man. I would admit 2032 (the 10-year point of Division 1 for UST) seems a little bold, but I'm convinced the school has its eyes set on bigger things, specifically the Big East. I gleaned this not from newspaper speculation, but from a couple conversations I had with UST administrative folks at the Summit League Tournament last March. In those conversations without prompting from me, the names of several Big East schools came up, including Marquette, Creighton, Villanova, and Xavier. I found that interesting there were no schools mentioned from other conferences.

Reading between the lines, I think there's a reason they played Creighton last season, and there's a reason they're playing Marquette (tomorrow). And I'm guessing we'll see UST play other Big East schools in the next few seasons. I get the sense they're "getting a lay of the land", so to speak, by having conversations/visits with similar schools (private + major citiy) on the ins & outs of running a Division 1 athletic program as a private school.

Again, these are simply my impressions from having talked to a couple UST folks who certainly will have a say in what St. Thomas' next moves are as a Division 1 institution. I could be wrong, maybe they'll end up in something like the Mountain West (that would be a solid landing spot as currently constructed), but I think long-term, their eyes are directed toward the Big East.
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Did you grow up in Minnesota? I ask because people from the state seem to have a much higher opinion of St. Thomas than people outside of Minnesota. There are quite a few schools that I'd add to the Big East before St. Thomas.
 

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