Lunardi is real high on the Gophers

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barnanimal

barnanimal

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If this has already been stated forgive me (I'm new), but I was on twitter earlier today and saw this post from Joe Lunardi:

Joe Lunardi ‏@ESPNLunardi
Absolutely. “@CaseyKlas: @ESPNLunardi could minn make the final 4?”


What do you guys think of this? Personally I would be surprised with a Final 4 appearance. However, I don't think Sweet 16 or Elite 8 is out of the picture considering the way we've been playing thus far.
 

My perspective is this: there have been worse teams that made the final four. It wouldn't be a Cinderella story at all. I personally think it would only take a maximum of 2 upsets to pull into the final four. Stranger things have happened.

But, we'll need to stay very healthy and continue to improve. One injury to our starters and I can kiss that dream good bye.
 

afurry91 said:
But, we'll need to stay very healthy
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This^
Personally I think the player we absolutely can't lose is Dre Hollins, though everyone on the team is very important. If we lose Dre, we lose the heart beat of the team, a lot like when Al Nolan went down in 2010.
 

It will be easier to get to the Final Four than win the B1G tournament.

Just to put that achievement in perspective.
 

westcoastgopher11 said:
It will be easier to get to the Final Four than win the B1G tournament.

Just to put that achievement in perspective.
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The fact that I don't find that statement crazy and that I actually see it as true is an absolute testament to the B1G.
 


I don't think it was Lunardi, but someone on ESPN predicted 2 Big Ten teams in the Championship game. He had Michigan and Indiana as those 2 teams, but at another site I frequent that has a bunch of diehard fans from all over the country, who LOVE to talk *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!# about the Gophers when they can, also give them props when they deserve it, and the consensus there is that Minnesota should finish 3rd in the B1G. I personally think that Michigan is just too good. But I think that Indiana is vulnerable, very good and capable of making the Championship Game, but also capable of losing earlier than that. And there is also the possibility of 3 Big Ten teams making the FF. It's happened before. I think Michigan's going to the FF, almost definitely. I'm not sure about Duke, they could faulter before they get that far, and I'm not sure what to think of Louisville or Kansas or Syracuse. Other than those teams, I think Minnesota is among the Top 8 schools and that the Top 8 are going to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, soon. Missouri could, because of a weak SEC, sneek in there as well, but I don't see them as one of the top 8 teams. But the next 3 games will tell us alot. I think we need to beat the Illini, or any one of the next 3 games, but we can lose to IU and Michigan or to any combination of 2 of the 3 games, and still be right where we need to be to win a share of the Big Ten Title. I think our realistic goal should be Top 3 in the Big Ten, and a Top 2 seed in the NCAA tourney.
 


#1nHkyCfbBsbDncSolarDebat said:
I don't think it was Lunardi, but someone on ESPN predicted 2 Big Ten teams in the Championship game.
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It was former North Carolina and Notre Dame Coach Matt Doherty.

brucekaupa said:
Clearly, since it's Twitter, he's joking.
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Lunardi has been this year's version of Andy Katz. He has been high on us all along. He was the first talking head to put us into his top 10, which is a good sign since he is about as good as anyone at predicting who makes the tournament and at what seed.
 

MadtownGopher said:
It was former North Carolina and Notre Dame Coach Matt Doherty.



Lunardi has been this year's version of Andy Katz. He has been high on us all along. He was the first talking head to put us into his top 10, which is a good sign since he is about as good as anyone at predicting who makes the tournament and at what seed.
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Where as Andy Katz.... notsomuch...
 



If Butler and VCU and George Mason can make the Final Four, the Gophers certainly can...It will take a lot of improvements between now and then, mostly in the way we take care of the ball and get into our offense. It will also take some luck...Avoiding a hot team, catching a team on a bad day, getting a huge call to go our way in a late game situation(Butler vs Pitt ring a bell?).

Mostly, we'll need Andre to play the point like a true PG does. Drive and dish, take care of the ball and knock down FT's to close teams out.
 

Imagine us playing Butler in the final four. We'd be the cinderella story team playing the big bad team who has been there before.
 






The reality is the Big Dance is one game, good or bad makes the difference. Better teams have simply had a bad game and got knocked out or lessor teams got hot right at the right time and turned into Cinderella. Anything can happen.

As for talent wise are they final four? Got to evaluate who else makes the field and see how many have better talent and how many play better as a team with the talent they have.

In other words, saying they could make the final four is really not a great question. If he said they "should" make the final four...that is another thing all together.
 

While we look good so far, and should be a high seed in the tournament, you can't take ANYTHING as a given so far through 3 games into conference season. Heck, for all we know, we could miss out on the tournament all together, or on the other hand, end up as a #2 seed in the tournament and be a favorite to go to the final four. We really don't know at this point.

Let's see how the first half of conference season plays out first, than proceed. :)
 

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