Gophers Schedule Update (with Sid's June 16 schedule musings)

[dpodoll68]

"Neutral site" to anyone with a brain is anywhere besides the home arena of either school.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Update: It won't be UNI

Definitively says an athletics spokesman at UNI.

 

[GoAUpher]

Maturi is not the kind of person to just throw things out there and he clearly used the term "major conference.".

The statement "We're going to make a Tubby Smith like hire" would like to disagree with you.

 

[GopherGack]

And in terms of scheduling home games vs. BCS opponents (excluding the mandated ACC Challenge games), the Gophers are tied for dead last in the B1G...

I think you're misunderstanding my point. I actually agree that the scheduling has been poor over the last several years. I would love to see a top 50 RPI team every year. Hell I'd love to see a top 15 RPI school every year. My point was that you can't just snap your fingers and declare that we should schedule Kansas and then BAM!!! it's done. There are several posters that seem to think it's that easy. I was just pointing out that Minnesota does in fact have several draw backs and not many advantages.

Not buying it.

Sound like weak excuses to me. Williams Arena hasn't exactly been a house of horrors for quality teams in recent years. I'd think the Gophers are exactly the kind of program a decent program would want to schedule a home-and-home with. ... good enough where if you beat them it's a quality win (read: RPI top 50-100), but losing to them is not an embarrassment.

Minnesota has actually been a horror for good teams early in the season under TS. We have wins against teams that finished with RPI's: 4, 6, 12, 21 and 42. We also have a 1 point loss to A&M a few years ago that finished #13. In comparison our final RPI's are: 42, 62, 85 and 90. Put it all together you have a team that has a history of winning against the best competition early in the year and then falls apart at the end of the season. That in my books is a lose-lose situation.

Are you saying the Gophers -- with 2 NCAA appearances and no NCAA tourney wins in 5 years -- are that feared by the other 60-odd major-conference programs?

I'm saying that even though posters here on the GopherHole (and the internet in general) want things to be black and white they are really shades of grey. Let's take a team like the Washington Huskies (just picked them because recently they've been a top 25 program in a power conference and I think they would be a pretty good team to see at the barn). Suppose they want a road game against a B1G school.

Minnesota is a 50-100 RPI team historically that has a history of big upsets early in the season. It does nothing for recruiting and there is no guarantee that this game will be on national TV. There is a very real possibility that it could be snowing and/or cold which could lead to delays getting into or out of Minnesota (on top of the fact that their players and coaches have to deal with the hassle....not a good recruiting tool).

Let's compare that to say Illinois. Similar RPI's, no idea on how well they play early in the season, good chance the game is on national TV and even if it is not you are still getting exposure in the Chicago recruiting scene. No real weather issues to deal that far south in Ill. You tell me which team is more appealing to play?

Most B1G schools have advantages with re:scheduling. It is not as easy as saying we want to play team ABC and then abracadabra, there it is on the schedule like some posters want to believe. Just to be clear, I'm not saying you're one of those posters, just that they exist on the forum.

 

[SelectionSunday]

No Kansas

For those holding out hope the Gophers would play Kansas this season, not gonna' happen. KU released its nonconference schedule yesterday, and the Gophers aren't on it. The Jayhawks will, however, play Michigan State and Ohio State.

The Jayhawks also play Richmond (Dec. 18) and American (Dec. 29), two foes on the Gophers' nonconference slate. The Gophers reportedly will open the season Nov. 9 by hosting American, and a little more than a week later (Nov. 18) play Richmond in the front end of a 2-year home-and-home series.

 

[BleedGopher]

CBS' Jon Rothstein on Gophers opponent USC:

"Kevin O'Neill will have USC in contention for a spot in the top third of the PAC-12. Trojans are long, deep, + experienced. Big jump coming."

Go Gophers!!

 

[SelectionSunday]

Was kinda' expecting that jump from USC last year, but in hindsight it didn't matter. Better late than never for the Trojans, hopefully.