"Minnesota didn't deserve it."

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I was also in the 2nd deck reserved, in front of a bunch of Augies in the 2nd deck general. I had no problem with them whatsoever. I salute their enthusiasm, coming all the way up here to make some noise. Good for them.
 



station19 said:
Isn't it preseason for Bermidji and Augustana also.
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Yes, but it is also their Super Bowl. Northern State beat Butler in Hinkle Field House. Who was likely more motivated for that game? No contest. It's great for Northern, but it doesn't mean they're going to win the NSIC and it doesn't mean Butler is horrible. This was likely Augustana's Super Bowl too. Winning a game at the Barn would be the highlight of their season. Meanwhile the Gophers were just trying to work out the kinks.
 


CrocShots said:
Yippee, this game meant nothing.
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Yeh, I guess the event never happened. Maybe to RS who played like someone with no BT experience. But tell that to Trevor who worked his butt of for 31 minutes to avoid a huge embarassment. And Rodney who worked very hard trying to shut down the 3's.
 


It means first of all, the Gophers were working on things getting them ready for when games count...that is why they have preseason in the first place. And yes, though it is also preseason for the other two, obviously schools like Bemidji and Augustana have a whole lot more reason to play with intensity then the U...they got their opportunity to scratch out there name...

Not really worried about it in regard to the U at the moment. If they are still playing this way 4-6 games into the season, then I will worry.
 

howeda7 said:
Yes, but it is also their Super Bowl. Northern State beat Butler in Hinkle Field House. Who was likely more motivated for that game? No contest. It's great for Northern, but it doesn't mean they're going to win the NSIC and it doesn't mean Butler is horrible. This was likely Augustana's Super Bowl too. Winning a game at the Barn would be the highlight of their season. Meanwhile the Gophers were just trying to work out the kinks.
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This has come up a couple of times on here and, while it is absolutely a big game for the D2 teams and is most likely more important to them than some of their games this year, I'm not willing to call it Augie's "Super Bowl." I talked with a lot of the Augie basketball players back when they were getting ready to play big exhibition games (Wisconsin in '08 and Arizona in '09 and '10), and they always acknowledged it with sort of a "Yeah, we know they're not going to take it as seriously as we are, but we're still going to play hard" kind of attitude.

Meanwhile, when they're playing late in the season agaisnt NSIC teams who they need to beat to keep playoff hopes alive (Winona State, Mankato, etc.), those games are more meaningful and important to them than some pre-season exhibition game that they aren't even thinking about anymore toward the end of the season.

I know a lot of D1 programs (and their fans) like to think that the kids who play for D2 show up to a D1 arena with stars in their eyes, ready to prove to the world that they should've been offered full rides from every D1 program in the country, but the truth is they're more likely to treat the regional championship game that gets them to the Elite Eight with that "Super Bowl" level of intensity than they are a game that doesn't count against a mid- to lower-level Big-10 team.

That's just what I've gathered, having been friends with a couple of the guys who played for Augie these past few years.

P.S. - To be clear, I would easily admit (again) that most D2 teams are going to take the game more seriously than the D1 team they're trying to upset. It's always really difficult to get hyped for a game you should win. I'm just saying, it's not always as big of a deal to a team like Augie as the Gopher fans would like to believe it is.
 



sonnygarcia said:
I was at the game and can confirm the refs kept us in this one in the first half, lead could have been doubled probably, FTs were 16-2. I actually said to my buddy "Trevor won't get that call in the big ten so it's not helping him to bail him out in this game", so I guess I can see where he was coming from.

Tubby has no shot at a tourny win this year or next, that will be zero wins in six years here, and we are thinking of extending him 5 more...... LOL!
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I must say, I am almost officially off the tubby bandwagon. I am not one of those people who is bitching about poor play in exhibition games, because they are what they are. The way tubby has been coaching these past few years just doesn't make sense to me. The poor free-throw shooting, poor 3 point defense, poor shooting, and the way he has handled discipline and playing time just seems off. I like this team and I will support them, but I don't think tubby gets players to reach their full potential

If you would take this exact team and play them against each other with Tubby coaching one side and another coach (saunders?) on the other, I bet the non Tubby side wins. Point being I think tubby gets out-coached in games and he is not a world beater in recruiting to make up for it.

-let the insults rain down on me
 

I get that this team needs time to "get on the same page" but every player on the Gophers should be so much bigger, stronger, and faster than the players they are up against when playing these Washington Generals-like squads that it shouldn't matter. I could take a somewhat sloppy effort in exhibition games, but they should still win by 30. I'll give them the right to improve, but as it stands right now I don't see very many conference victories...
 

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