Gophers underdogs against Cal Baptist

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fmlizard said:
I didn't know there were any Baptists in California, let alone that they had a university or a basketball team, or that they were in the WAC, which used to consist of a 100% different set of schools.

But I guess if they beat up on Washington that's better than anything the Gophers have done in a while in basketball.
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I think the rule is that if you are a decent baller there’s no need to be Baptist. Did you know that most Notre Dame athletes aren’t Irish?🤔
 

MNJay said:
But it's very foolish (and annoying) to live in the present for this team. The ONLY think that matters now is developing the freshmen.

Battle out has been a good thing...if we want to think about winning as soon as next year. We can't have him or Garcia leave after this year.

I DEFINITELY either want them both back or both gone. We need to line things up right.
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100% with you on that - develop the kids. Payne, Carrington, Henley and JOJ are the future.
Personally, I am ok if Garcia moves on (I'd rather keep him) but we need to keep Battle. Next year MUST be an NCAA year.

Evans, Payne, Battle, Henley, Carrington, Christie and Cooper are a good enough nucleus to get that done with good coaching.
 

justthefacts said:
I honestly didn't realize that Cal Baptist was a D1 team, but you can't really look at the name and conclude anything. It seems like they'd be in the 300s in the computer rankings, but they're in the 170s. So being an underdog isn't as bad as it appears at first.
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A: Tulsa, Cal, East Carolina, Oregon St.

Q: Who are the 4 lower ranked of the 87 high-major teams on t-rank? (PS - the AAC is counted as high major, otherwise there'd be only 2.)
 

cjbfbp said:
You're right. We're far too complacent. You should write angry letters to the athletic department and organize a protest outside the same and stand there all day in below freezing temperatures.
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Actually I was going to write happy letters and organize a celebration in the below freezing temperatures as we rejoice at the likelihood of being the worst team in the B1G two years running. We have gone from dreaming of getting in the tournament, to now hoping we will rank in the top 200. I get not being shattered if we lose to MSU, Purdue or Ohio State, but when I see comments about not being that disappointed if we lose to the 173 ranked team, well that tells you everything you need to know.
 

leib0039 said:
Disagree, according to some here you have to get rid of the old regime's talent, players like Carr, Mash, Robbins arent going to be good long term! Willard made sure the talent stayed and they are benefiting from that. You can be fine with Johnson's approach, but again don't be upset when a part of the fanbase isnt enthused when we are expected to lose to Cal Baptist.
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Agreed. I never liked the approach to year one. The entire team "running for the hills" is at least partly an indictment on the new coach. To argue there weren't ANY players that would have benefited the team last year is ridiculous, if only from a continuity standpoint. Last year was a complete throwaway when you consider we retained only one player that even saw the court last year (for this year).

HOWEVER, I do like the approach this year, building with young talent, and the recruits coming in next year. But year two will look a lot like a year one in a complete rebuild. Patience will definitely be required.
 



MNJay said:
But it's very foolish (and annoying) to live in the present for this team. The ONLY think that matters now is developing the freshmen.

Battle out has been a good thing...if we want to think about winning as soon as next year. We can't have him or Garcia leave after this year.

I DEFINITELY either want them both back or both gone. We need to line things up right.
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It’s okay if we lose every game. we are growing a program.
 

Spaulding!No! said:
It’s okay if we lose every game. we are growing a program.
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We've all been told that Johnson should follow Haskins' model of playing young guys even if it leads to losses so that they gain experience to turn the tables when they are juniors and seniors. Many fans seem to want it both ways... win now AND develop young talent. That's aint gonna work under this rebuild due to the free transfer rule and lack of name recognition for the first head coach in year 1.

We don't have a choice other than letting the youngins get some experience this year (aka potential losing) because we've only got 4 upperclassman remaining out of 6 after Ihnen and Fox went down.) We can only hope that they grow up quickly.
 

I agree but we keep seeing posts in here about fans having expected better.
 



Battle or no Battle, each and every game must be played on the dates and times prescribed.
Win or lose.
 

bga1 said:
100% with you on that - develop the kids. Payne, Carrington, Henley and JOJ are the future.
Personally, I am ok if Garcia moves on (I'd rather keep him) but we need to keep Battle. Next year MUST be an NCAA year.

Evans, Payne, Battle, Henley, Carrington, Christie and Cooper are a good enough nucleus to get that done with good coaching.
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It will be tough to win next year without Garcia being a very good player. But the year-after our young talent will be juniors & sophomores.

Like I said...I either want Battle & Garcia both back or both gone. Things need to line up right.
 


MennoSota said:
You must have missed the Covid years when a prominent Baptist church in California broke just about every rule the governor ordered. The governor tried just about everything to shut down the church and they just kept going anyway. It was kind of fun to watch.

Back to basketball, this season has seen a lot of mid to lower majors beat Power 6 schools. I can only hope it continues into March Madness.
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I saw a video clip on the news of a Christian pastor in California doing a striptease during his sermon right in front of everyone.

Because strip-clubs could stay open but churches couldn't.
 



GoodasGold said:
I think the rule is that if you are a decent baller there’s no need to be Baptist. Did you know that most Notre Dame athletes aren’t Irish?🤔
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I would venture to guess Jim McMahon (BYU) was not a Mormon.
 

MNJay said:
I saw a video clip on the news of a Christian pastor in California doing a striptease during his sermon right in front of everyone.

Because strip-clubs could stay open but churches couldn't.
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Couldn't have been Baptist...😅
 

bga1 said:
Fans are always going to live in the present. They did for every other coach and they will for this one. It's been a rough start against some dog opponents. We are underdogs to Cal Baptist. People are going to complain about that. FACT.

I am optimistic about the future.
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This is pretty much where I'm at. There's cause for concern, sure, but optimistic about the future. Have to be, there's no other choice! The alternative is crap!
 

Ope3 said:
I would venture to guess Jim McMahon (BYU) was not a Mormon.
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Could have been a Jack Mormon, you never know! Either way, he would have had to sign the BYU student code of conduct contract and adhere to it.
 

The line was good, we were lucky to win.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Could have been a Jack Mormon, you never know! Either way, he would have had to sign the BYU student code of conduct contract and adhere to it.
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He did not adhere the code of conduct. Funny enough BYU did have an issue with it until his football eligibility was exhausted.

He was then ushered out of Provo. Just a coincidence, I am sure.
 





ecoperson said:
Ogee- Are you just trying to stir up trouble?

No one is making excuses for the coaching. Most importantly, the coaches and players aren't making any excuses for where they are at.

The FACT is that Johnson last year was a first year head coach with little name recognition nationally.

The FACT is that nearly the entire team ran for the hills after he was hired leaving him to scramble to pull in transfers before he had even hired his staff.

The FACT is that he quickly brought in some solid MN HS players in a few months time showing he can build relationships quickly.

The FACT is that Johnson and coaching staff put the team in a position to punch above their weight last year leading to an undefeated non-conf season, an early win at Michigan, and played competitively against M St and WI who have always given the Gophers trouble.

The FACT is that Johnson and the staff have pulled in a top recruiting class of 2023 preps comprised of out of state talent that suggests that they know how to recruit.

The FACT is that the Gophers have been playing without their injured preseason all-conference player in Battle for the entire 4-game season. They have also only had another top 6 player in Carrington available for the last 2 games.

The FACT is that the first year players are playing major minutes and gaining experience every time they step onto the court.

Most fans are willing to wait until we have a larger sample size AND more puzzle pieces in place before we start ragging on the team this year. You can obviously decide for yourself who you want to be.
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He has also had Fox and Ihnen injured both this year and last year.
 

MNJay said:
It will be tough to win next year without Garcia being a very good player. But the year-after our young talent will be juniors & sophomores.

Like I said...I either want Battle & Garcia both back or both gone. Things need to line up right.
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I am not settling for next year being another rebuilding year. No excuses next year. It's going to be time to roll. It can't be- well we lost this guy or that guy-nope. Not in year 3. You don't get to keep good players for long these days. Every year is a win now proposition with the transfer market.
 

I guess lets be positive, we arent Louisville! 0-4 with losses to App St, Wright St, Bellarmine and currently down 54-18 to TTU. Yikes....
 

bga1 said:
Well, in a way, the idea that we are "expected to lose" is almost worse than if we lost because of a fluke bad night. For a Big Ten program, that IS embarrassing. I hope we pummel the Baptists tonight.
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It's not close. Actual losing is far worse than a prognostication loss.

And if you got the Gophers at +1.5, that is called a Win-Win.
 

formerlybis said:
A: Tulsa, Cal, East Carolina, Oregon St.

Q: Who are the 4 lower ranked of the 87 high-major teams on t-rank? (PS - the AAC is counted as high major, otherwise there'd be only 2.)
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So, in other words, the Gophers are rated higher than those 4 teams?
 

bga1 said:
I am not settling for next year being another rebuilding year. No excuses next year. It's going to be time to roll. It can't be- well we lost this guy or that guy-nope. Not in year 3. You don't get to keep good players for long these days. Every year is a win now proposition with the transfer market.
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The goal is to win a single big ten game so Ben’s 1999 NW squad keeps the fail record.
 

bga1 said:
I am not settling for next year being another rebuilding year. No excuses next year. It's going to be time to roll. It can't be- well we lost this guy or that guy-nope. Not in year 3. You don't get to keep good players for long these days. Every year is a win now proposition with the transfer market.
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Well then we have to hope Battle & Garcia both return. Play well this year but not TOO well.
 

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