How high should expectations be for Gophers if they win Puerto Rico title?By Marcus Fuller on November 21, 2010 9:18 AM
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- If the Gophers basketball team beats West Virginia tonight in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship game, it would match a fete that was last accomplished in Minnesota's Final Four season in 1996-97.
After getting off to a strong start to the season in the then-San Juan Shootout that year, Minnesota eventually won a Big Ten title with a 16-2 record and lost in the Final Four against Kentucky, although it was later vacated due to an academic scandal under former coach Clem Haskins.
Another tournament championship for the Gophers in San Juan 13 years later with Tubby Smith might not mean they're Big Ten title contenders again or could finally make a run in the NCAA tournament.
But it does raise the level of excitement for a sports town that has been bombarded by disappointment so far this year -- with the Minnesota Twins' first-round loss to the New York Yankees, the Vikings 3-6 start and the Gophers football team's 2-9 record and midseason dismissal of coach Tim Brewster.
Some fans are already debating on message boards of Web sites following the team such as Gopherhole.com whether Smith's team this season is the most talented since the team Haskins took to the Final Four in 1997. Eric Harris versus Al Nolen. Bobby Jackson versus Blake Hoffarber. Sam Jacobson versus Rodney Williams. Courtney James versus Trevor Mbakwe. John Thomas versus Ralph Sampson III.
No contest right?
"(Friday) night, they took a giant step in terms of how good they could be," said former Gophers player Trent Tucker, who was on the last team that beat North Carolina in 1980-81. "But you don't want to put that type of pressure on any team at this time of the year."
Gophers athletics director Joel Maturi tried to temper his enthusiasm. But even though he wasn't there, he could sense the thrill of the moment when Minnesota beat No. 8 North Carolina, 72-67 in the tournament semifinals Friday night.
Maturi had to cancel his previously scheduled trip to Puerto Rico to work on the football-coaching search. But he listened to the North Carolina game in his office Friday night while receiving text messages from his wife, Lois, who made the trip with the team and was on the sideline.
"When you've been into sports all your life, coached it and been involved as an administrator, you still get butterflies, you still get the angst," Maturi said Saturday.
-- Maturi, who was watching the women's soccer team's 1-0 loss to Georgetown in the NCAA Sweet 16, didn't give a timetable on when Smith's new contract would be finalized. He also said the Gophers were still ways away from hiring the next football coach.
"But I'm very hopeful that Tubby wants to finish his career here," Maturi said. "However long he wants to do it. I hope it's a long time."
-- Smith said Friday that he never looks ahead. He hadn't even thought much about West Virginia after the North Carolina win. All he could recall was the way Huggins' former team played when they met in the 2005 NCAA tournament as Kentucky beat Cincinnati.
"His team's execute; they take care of the basketball," Smith said. "His team has to be sky high with its big win (Friday) on a last second shot, so they're playing with a lot of confidence. But we've got so much that we need to get better on and improve at."
-- During the 1996-97 season, the Gophers beat Clemson in the San Juan Shootout title game, 75-65. That was then-Tigers coach Rick Barnes' first pre-January loss in three seasons at Clemson.
How good was Clemson back then? Well the Tigers actually defeated then-No. 3 and defending national champion Kentucky at the beginning of the season. They were led by current NBA veteran Greg Buckner. The Gophers would also defeat Clemson for the second time that season in the Sweet 16 in double overtime.
Gophers have to be thankful that Smith has stayedBy Marcus Fuller on November 19, 2010 11:51 PM
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- After his Minnesota basketball team won its biggest game since he arrived three seasons ago with Friday night's 72-67 upset over No. 8 North Carolina, Tubby Smith walked over to press row for his postgame radio interview.
It was business as usual.
The Gophers coach calmly praised his players' defensive effort, holding the Tar Heels to 37 percent shooting from the field and winning the rebounding battle 46-39. He was upset his team had 19 turnovers but credited his quality opponent that he expects would still challenge reigning national champion Duke in the ACC.
At that moment, a Tar Heels fan shouted, "We want Tubby! Can you come to North Carolina?"
Smith didn't respond, but why should he? One day soon, one of the top programs in the nation (not North Carolina) will come calling. But Smith has coached at the highest level at Kentucky and won a national title.
Smith faced the pressure of having to win at an elite level, but he says he's happy where he is now -- coaching the Gophers, who can fly under the radar each season and then surprise one of the nation's top teams like they did Friday night.
How lucky are the Gophers that Smith has stuck around to build them into a perennial top 25 team? Pretty lucky. They should give thanks this Thanksgiving.
Athletics director Joel Maturi needs to take a break from searching for the next football coach this week to think about Smith's next raise. He certainly has earned it.
-- Another victory over West Virginia in Sunday's championship game would have the potential to give the Gophers their highest ranking under Smith, right?
Maybe. But what happens after that? Minnesota entered last season ranked No. 18 and jumped to No. 16 after starting 3-0 against Tennessee Tech, Stephen F. Austin and Utah Valley. But after beating Butler in the 76 Classic, the Gophers proved unworthy of a ranking, losing three straight to Portland, Texas A&M and Miami (Fla.). They weren't ranked again the rest of the year.
-- The Gophers led North Carolina 27-24 at halftime Friday night. The amazing part was that they were far from playing their best basketball -- actually they were struggling in several areas. They were shooting 35 percent from the field and 46 percent from the free-throw line, not to mention they had 14 turnovers.
But the Tar Heels were playing worse, while shooting 29 percent from the field with 11 turnovers. Freshman standout Harrison Barnes was held to just two points on 0-for-5 shooting in the first half.
-- How surprising was it that Barnes finished with six points on 0-for-12 shooting? Wow! I don't think I've seen a projected No. 1 pick play that poorly in a big game. The Gophers sure were glad it happened, but Barnes is a good kid. I hope he bounces back and has a great season. I'm sure he will. I wonder if he was thinking to himself, "How would it have been if I played for Tubby Smith at Minnesota?"
-- You have to love how ferocious Trevor Mbakwe attacked the rim on one play in the second half when he threw down a two-hand dunk on North Carolina's 6-10 John Henson. Remember, Henson has a 7-5 wingspan and blocked seven shots in a game this season. If that didn't prove to NBA scouts that Mbakwe is a potential draft pick, then I don't know what would.
-- After a 17-point game Thursday, Rodney Williams didn't improve his NBA stock at all with six points against North Carolina. But I don't think he necessarily hurt it (not like Barnes did). Williams also had some nice dunks in the second half, including one in which he came flying out of nowhere to slam an offensive rebound.
-- The last time the Gophers beat North Carolina was in the 1980-81 season, 76-60 when the Tar Heels were ranked going into the Winston Tire Classic in Los Angeles. Minnesota's starting five then was Trent Tucker, Darryl Mitchell, Mark Hall, Gary Holmes and Randy Breuer. Ben Coleman was a key reserve. The group started the season 9-1 but ended up 19-11 while playing in the National Invitation Tournament.
The following season, though, the Gophers came in to their own by winning 23 games and being crowned Big Ten regular-season champions. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers/
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- If the Gophers basketball team beats West Virginia tonight in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship game, it would match a fete that was last accomplished in Minnesota's Final Four season in 1996-97.
After getting off to a strong start to the season in the then-San Juan Shootout that year, Minnesota eventually won a Big Ten title with a 16-2 record and lost in the Final Four against Kentucky, although it was later vacated due to an academic scandal under former coach Clem Haskins.
Another tournament championship for the Gophers in San Juan 13 years later with Tubby Smith might not mean they're Big Ten title contenders again or could finally make a run in the NCAA tournament.
But it does raise the level of excitement for a sports town that has been bombarded by disappointment so far this year -- with the Minnesota Twins' first-round loss to the New York Yankees, the Vikings 3-6 start and the Gophers football team's 2-9 record and midseason dismissal of coach Tim Brewster.
Some fans are already debating on message boards of Web sites following the team such as Gopherhole.com whether Smith's team this season is the most talented since the team Haskins took to the Final Four in 1997. Eric Harris versus Al Nolen. Bobby Jackson versus Blake Hoffarber. Sam Jacobson versus Rodney Williams. Courtney James versus Trevor Mbakwe. John Thomas versus Ralph Sampson III.
No contest right?
"(Friday) night, they took a giant step in terms of how good they could be," said former Gophers player Trent Tucker, who was on the last team that beat North Carolina in 1980-81. "But you don't want to put that type of pressure on any team at this time of the year."
Gophers athletics director Joel Maturi tried to temper his enthusiasm. But even though he wasn't there, he could sense the thrill of the moment when Minnesota beat No. 8 North Carolina, 72-67 in the tournament semifinals Friday night.
Maturi had to cancel his previously scheduled trip to Puerto Rico to work on the football-coaching search. But he listened to the North Carolina game in his office Friday night while receiving text messages from his wife, Lois, who made the trip with the team and was on the sideline.
"When you've been into sports all your life, coached it and been involved as an administrator, you still get butterflies, you still get the angst," Maturi said Saturday.
-- Maturi, who was watching the women's soccer team's 1-0 loss to Georgetown in the NCAA Sweet 16, didn't give a timetable on when Smith's new contract would be finalized. He also said the Gophers were still ways away from hiring the next football coach.
"But I'm very hopeful that Tubby wants to finish his career here," Maturi said. "However long he wants to do it. I hope it's a long time."
-- Smith said Friday that he never looks ahead. He hadn't even thought much about West Virginia after the North Carolina win. All he could recall was the way Huggins' former team played when they met in the 2005 NCAA tournament as Kentucky beat Cincinnati.
"His team's execute; they take care of the basketball," Smith said. "His team has to be sky high with its big win (Friday) on a last second shot, so they're playing with a lot of confidence. But we've got so much that we need to get better on and improve at."
-- During the 1996-97 season, the Gophers beat Clemson in the San Juan Shootout title game, 75-65. That was then-Tigers coach Rick Barnes' first pre-January loss in three seasons at Clemson.
How good was Clemson back then? Well the Tigers actually defeated then-No. 3 and defending national champion Kentucky at the beginning of the season. They were led by current NBA veteran Greg Buckner. The Gophers would also defeat Clemson for the second time that season in the Sweet 16 in double overtime.
Gophers have to be thankful that Smith has stayedBy Marcus Fuller on November 19, 2010 11:51 PM
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- After his Minnesota basketball team won its biggest game since he arrived three seasons ago with Friday night's 72-67 upset over No. 8 North Carolina, Tubby Smith walked over to press row for his postgame radio interview.
It was business as usual.
The Gophers coach calmly praised his players' defensive effort, holding the Tar Heels to 37 percent shooting from the field and winning the rebounding battle 46-39. He was upset his team had 19 turnovers but credited his quality opponent that he expects would still challenge reigning national champion Duke in the ACC.
At that moment, a Tar Heels fan shouted, "We want Tubby! Can you come to North Carolina?"
Smith didn't respond, but why should he? One day soon, one of the top programs in the nation (not North Carolina) will come calling. But Smith has coached at the highest level at Kentucky and won a national title.
Smith faced the pressure of having to win at an elite level, but he says he's happy where he is now -- coaching the Gophers, who can fly under the radar each season and then surprise one of the nation's top teams like they did Friday night.
How lucky are the Gophers that Smith has stuck around to build them into a perennial top 25 team? Pretty lucky. They should give thanks this Thanksgiving.
Athletics director Joel Maturi needs to take a break from searching for the next football coach this week to think about Smith's next raise. He certainly has earned it.
-- Another victory over West Virginia in Sunday's championship game would have the potential to give the Gophers their highest ranking under Smith, right?
Maybe. But what happens after that? Minnesota entered last season ranked No. 18 and jumped to No. 16 after starting 3-0 against Tennessee Tech, Stephen F. Austin and Utah Valley. But after beating Butler in the 76 Classic, the Gophers proved unworthy of a ranking, losing three straight to Portland, Texas A&M and Miami (Fla.). They weren't ranked again the rest of the year.
-- The Gophers led North Carolina 27-24 at halftime Friday night. The amazing part was that they were far from playing their best basketball -- actually they were struggling in several areas. They were shooting 35 percent from the field and 46 percent from the free-throw line, not to mention they had 14 turnovers.
But the Tar Heels were playing worse, while shooting 29 percent from the field with 11 turnovers. Freshman standout Harrison Barnes was held to just two points on 0-for-5 shooting in the first half.
-- How surprising was it that Barnes finished with six points on 0-for-12 shooting? Wow! I don't think I've seen a projected No. 1 pick play that poorly in a big game. The Gophers sure were glad it happened, but Barnes is a good kid. I hope he bounces back and has a great season. I'm sure he will. I wonder if he was thinking to himself, "How would it have been if I played for Tubby Smith at Minnesota?"
-- You have to love how ferocious Trevor Mbakwe attacked the rim on one play in the second half when he threw down a two-hand dunk on North Carolina's 6-10 John Henson. Remember, Henson has a 7-5 wingspan and blocked seven shots in a game this season. If that didn't prove to NBA scouts that Mbakwe is a potential draft pick, then I don't know what would.
-- After a 17-point game Thursday, Rodney Williams didn't improve his NBA stock at all with six points against North Carolina. But I don't think he necessarily hurt it (not like Barnes did). Williams also had some nice dunks in the second half, including one in which he came flying out of nowhere to slam an offensive rebound.
-- The last time the Gophers beat North Carolina was in the 1980-81 season, 76-60 when the Tar Heels were ranked going into the Winston Tire Classic in Los Angeles. Minnesota's starting five then was Trent Tucker, Darryl Mitchell, Mark Hall, Gary Holmes and Randy Breuer. Ben Coleman was a key reserve. The group started the season 9-1 but ended up 19-11 while playing in the National Invitation Tournament.
The following season, though, the Gophers came in to their own by winning 23 games and being crowned Big Ten regular-season champions. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers/
