Judd Zulgad: Gophers' success in nonconference tells us little about team

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Let's not act like we played 'no one'. Va Tech will be a middle-of-the-pack ACC team and would be in the B1G as well. They're certainly better than Iowa, Nebraska, PSU and probably on par with Northwestern. So yes, beating them did tell us something. USC was not the test we might have hoped when scheduling it, but they're not as awful as they appeared last Saturday. I do wish we'd scheduled on real road game though.
 

easy said:
I can watch them play Virginia Tech, Bucknell, and Fairfield and know that they are an average to below average basketball team.
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Average-to-below-average in what context? College basketball? Nope. Division I basketball? Nope. Among Big Ten teams? Possibly; but, then again, 99% of college basketball teams in the country would love to be called "an average-to-below-average" Big Ten basketball team.
 

If any of the Gophers' non-Big Ten scheduled opponents other than Dayton is a Top 50 RPI team at season's end, I will Paypal $20 to each of the first three people that ask me to on Selection Sunday.
 

GW, are you including all NC opponents, or just home opponents? Indiana State might have a chance, if they perform well in the MVC.
 

SelectionSunday said:
GW, are you including all NC opponents, or just home opponents? Indiana State might have a chance, if they perform well in the MVC.
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Ah, what the heck, include all of 'em. My short positions are helping me out today, might as well.
 


bga1 said:
... All you had to do was watch the Indiana - Kentucky game. There's an arena that hasn't been so loud in recent years that got revived by watching a big time game. If you want the Barn to be alive- schedule big games in the Barn and win some of them.
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+1 That atmosphere was the essence of college basketball. You can't get that type of emotion outside of conference play by facing anyone other than a top team.

You won't win every matchup against a top team, but at least people get excited watching big-time talent come through.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Average-to-below-average in what context? College basketball? Nope. Division I basketball? Nope. Among Big Ten teams? Possibly; but, then again, 99% of college basketball teams in the country would love to be called "an average-to-below-average" Big Ten basketball team.
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I was referring to the Big 10. OSU, Wisconsin, Michigan St, Michigan all appear be on a different level than the Gophers. Illinois and Purdue also seem to have more talent then the Gophers but I haven't seen them play enough to make an informed opinion.

99% of college basketball teams would love to be called an average to below average big ten basketball team? Why?

For the record, if Tubby can get this team to finish 5th or higher it will be a great in season coaching job.
 


anonymous said:
I never posted my overall feelings and they are that I don't feel like I know anything about this team because they haven't played anybody that was expected to be better than them.

I don't follow the gambling lines closely, but have they played a game in which they are the Vegas underdog? Possibly against VTech, but that would be up.

I don't think these young guards are going to have any idea what is going to hit them when they show up in the Champaign spaceship. That place is pretty loud. They only thing the Gophers have going for them is that the game is over break. I don't understand what the logic is in having that be the first road game of the season.
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The Gophers were actually 3.5 favorites over the Hokies, even without Trevor.
 



Ope3 said:
The Gophers were actually 3.5 favorites over the Hokies, even without Trevor.
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Despite us all being down on the atmosphere at the Barn, Vegas still respects it. Many times the line for Gopher home games is 4-5 points more in the Gophers favor than you might expect.
 

Thanks Judd we all thought the gophers were going to win the NCAA championship after the great 9-1 start hammering some of the best teams in the country on the road. thanks for bringing us all back down to earth!
 

I'm not sure what the big obsession with the schedule is all about. We scheduled a home and home with USC, who was to know their best player would get hurt before the season. Plus VA Tech is a good team, or at least the same team as the Gophers. Plus as SS has pointed out many times, our other home games this year have not many RPI killers and are filled with decent squads.

Next year we are in the Battle for Atlantis, which has among others: Duke, Louisville, Memphis, Mizzou, and Stanford. That means we will likely play 2 of those teams, not counting any other at home or on the road (USC).
 

Rouser said:
I'm not sure what the big obsession with the schedule is all about. We scheduled a home and home with USC, who was to know their best player would get hurt before the season.
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Excellent point about USC. A bad break. ... certainly the Trojans would be a lot better if G and best player Jio Fontan didn't go down prior to the season. But even so, USC has been a solid program for quite a few years now. No shame in scheduling a home and home with USC; the Trojans just happen to be unexpectedly bad (and hard to watch) this season.

I would add -- in terms of the overall NC schedule -- Gophers also got a bad break with the Old Spice Classic. It easily was the worst field the Old Spice has had. No way of knowing that most all of the teams would be coming off "down" years in 2010-11. But even with that being the case, the Gophers drew 2 decent opponents (Indiana State & Dayton) in their 3 games. North Carolina & West Virginia, no, but solid opponents.

I need convincing to believe the Gophers will be anywhere near the bubble on March 11th, but if they do end up in their familiar spot, I do think there will be at least a couple NC wins that will be "helpers". ... specifically some combination of Fairfield, Indiana State & Virginia Tech.
 




Something to think about on the topic of not playing a true road game this year. This staff surely was under the belief that it would be playing on the road in the Big 10/ACC Challenge this season. We hosted Virginia last year, so that made sense to think that. That's likely why they scheduled USC for home this year, figuring Minnesota would be on the road this season at a quality ACC team. Probably didn't want TWO road games this year.

The irony, of course, is by trying to prevent two road games this year, they unexpectedly ensured themselves of getting two true road games next year (USC + ACC team), PLUS the very tough Bahamas trip. Next year's non-conference slate away from Williams Arena will be a killer. Because of that, I would expect absolutely no quality teams of note visiting the Barn next season. It will be alphabet soup all the way next year at home. No way can they risk losing any non-conference home games with that docket next year.
 

tjgopher said:
Something to think about on the topic of not playing a true road game this year. This staff surely was under the belief that it would be playing on the road in the Big 10/ACC Challenge this season. We hosted Virginia last year, so that made sense to think that. That's likely why they scheduled USC for home this year, figuring Minnesota would be on the road this season at a quality ACC team. Probably didn't want TWO road games this year.

The irony, of course, is by trying to prevent two road games this year, they unexpectedly ensured themselves of getting two true road games next year (USC + ACC team), PLUS the very tough Bahamas trip. Next year's non-conference slate away from Williams Arena will be a killer. Because of that, I would expect absolutely no quality teams of note visiting the Barn next season. It will be alphabet soup all the way next year at home. No way can they risk losing any non-conference home games with that docket next year.
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They almost have to get at least one decent NC home game next year if they're going through with the re-seating fiasco. How can you push that and then have NDSU and SDSU be your most interesting games until January?
 

"we come to your house, what will you guarantee us?" "You come to our house, here is what we will guarantee you." it's all about money, boys and girls. Bitch and moan all you want, this is the way it is.
 

Dr., overall the discussion here about the Gophers' NC (home and/or overall) schedule has been pretty civil. Disagreements, yes, but civil. Why such hostility? Certainly who the Gophers schedule going forward -- especially at The Barn -- is a suitable topic given the preferred seating plan coming into play in 2012-13.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Dr., overall the discussion here about the Gophers' NC (home and/or overall) schedule has been pretty civil. Disagreements, yes, but civil. Why such hostility? Certainly who the Gophers schedule going forward -- especially at The Barn -- is a suitable topic given the preferred seating plan coming into play in 2012-13.
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SS.....I agree it has been pretty civil. I just called a spade a spade. Is that being uncivil?
 

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