***OFFICIAL MINNESOTA AT PENN STATE RARE MID-WEEK AFTERNOON IN-GAME THREAD!!!***

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If we agree (?) that the Gophers over-achieved in the non-conf schedule - taking the level of opposition into account - I think it's fair to say that the Gophers have under-achieved in 3 of their last 4 games.

the weird thing is this: when the Gophers were short-handed due to covid and beat Rutgers, I think people got excited, with the idea that "if they can do this short-handed, what can they do at full strength?"

But, it's starting to look as if that night was the outlier. Rutgers didn't take the Gophers seriously that night and paid the price. Ironically, other teams took that as a warning, and they are taking the Gophers seriously, with the results plain to see.

to be sure, I still support Ben Johnson and the program. But this is not fun to watch.

this team really needs to come back with a better effort on Saturday. If not, it could get even more ugly down the stretch.
 


bga1 said:
Because we need to move on. Yes, Curry might be better than some young guy, but we need to play young guys and develop.
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What young guys? I'm not saying that Curry should keep Thompson from seeing the floor.....but the last time I checked....we aren't stacked in the front court.
 


kg21 said:
When you have nothing inside, and no foot speed on the perimeter.......well, YES, you become very easy to guard. And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it, either.
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That is the truth. When they put this team together, I didn't think they'd win a single game. They have the least talent in the Big Ten. That they have won 3 games is a minor miracle and a testament to Johnson. Next year will be a very different year with a couple of good transfers. What a difference some inside scoring and a couple guys who can go past people would make!
 

kg21 said:
When you have nothing inside, and no foot speed on the perimeter.......well, YES, you become very easy to guard. And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it, either.
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"Look for the best shot, and I'll take it". :)
 

stocker08 said:
What young guys? I'm not saying that Curry should keep Thompson from seeing the floor.....but the last time I checked....we aren't stacked in the front court.
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Payne for one. TT needs to bulk up big time if the plan is to make him a 5. The 4 spot is crowded with Battle, Ihnen and Fox. Curry needs to call it the end.
 







Bayfield Gopher said:
Payne for one. TT needs to bulk up big time if the plan is to make him a 5. The 4 spot is crowded with Battle, Ihnen and Fox. Curry needs to call it the end.
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I've said it before, Payne is better than Curry ( God bless him) right now as a 17 year old, and he's going to get better fast.
 



cjbfbp said:
Considering we have no committed transfers at this time, I wouldn't start counting chickens yet.
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That's true, but Johnson's been around, and it's a good opportunity for a good point guard to come in immediately and start. He'll find someone.
 


leib0039 said:
I had a long post about this before, but I genuinely dont know how people could have watched the last 10 games and feel anything but totally deflated about the direction we are heading. Again i know, year 1, lot of turnover, totally get it, no need to rehash that, but man its not great. And I am a W/L guy, but a lot said hey if we lose thats fine just put up good effort, I dont think you can say we have really dont that much recently. Its almost getting to the point I am more afraid than excited to watch them just for fear it can get ugly.
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I'm a W/L guy as well. The talent differential is astounding, frankly. It was obvious to anyone paying attention when the roster was assembled.

Will bj succeed at assembling a roster that can complete in the conference? Remains to be seen, and am hopeful. However, next year is critical imo. Next years team cant have results like this season, as I think it would really hamper recruiting.
 


leib0039 said:
I had a long post about this before, but I genuinely dont know how people could have watched the last 10 games and feel anything but totally deflated about the direction we are heading. Again i know, year 1, lot of turnover, totally get it, no need to rehash that, but man its not great. And I am a W/L guy, but a lot said hey if we lose thats fine just put up good effort, I dont think you can say we have really dont that much recently. Its almost getting to the point I am more afraid than excited to watch them just for fear it can get ugly.
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Disappointed yes, but not deflated. The only chance this group had to win was shoot the ball well and play team D.
You could see some hero ball starting a number of games back when players started to doubt the team and tried to do to much on there own. I think we all expected the BIG schedule would prove who we thought we were.
 

Just saw the final score and read a few comments. Seems like we lacked effort again.

I remember in the beginning 50% of posters were excited for the players coming in (thinking their low to mid major stats meant it would translate at the B1G level) while the other half (me included) was surprised at the general low tier players we got (aside from Fox and Battle)

we started way better than expected with some good surprise wins, the hype train was real.

now we are crashing back to earth.

this roster is not good, but they overachieved for a bit.

I like what BJ and staff did at the start, but the B1G is a GRIND and the bulk of these players are not B1G players.

with that said, Im excited for what Ben will do with a more talented roster next year.
I think hes learning that certain players he thought could do well at this level, are better left in the portal.
 

BarnBurner said:
I'm a W/L guy as well. The talent differential is astounding, frankly. It was obvious to anyone paying attention when the roster was assembled.

Will bj succeed at assembling a roster that can complete in the conference? Remains to be seen, and am hopeful. However, next year is critical imo. Next years team cant have results like this season, as I think it would really hamper recruiting.
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I agree and 10 years ago I would have said our goose is cooked, but the portal does leave some glimmer of hope.

Also think that if TT/Thiam arent playing 15-25 min a game the rest of the way out its a problem. At this point we know we arent making the NIT, we likely arent going win more than a game maybe 2 if we are lucky, there is absolutely 0 reason not to play these guys. If anything at least they/you as a coach know they have something or its time to move on. At this point why are we playing Sutherlin or Daniels. Neither will be here after the next few games and neither provides much anyway.
 

leib0039 said:
I agree and 10 years ago I would have said our goose is cooked, but the portal does leave some glimmer of hope.

Also think that if TT/Thiam arent playing 15-25 min a game the rest of the way out its a problem. At this point we know we arent making the NIT, we likely arent going win more than a game maybe 2 if we are lucky, there is absolutely 0 reason not to play these guys. If anything at least they/you as a coach know they have something or its time to move on. At this point why are we playing Sutherlin or Daniels. Neither will be here after the next few games and neither provides much anyway.
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Thiam looks has if he has no business on the floor. You play guys who won’t embarrass themselves and more importantly the team. With our lack of depth there is a reason guys aren’t playing. It’s because at this point they are overmatched.
 

Barreiro is checking in. Not surprisingly, he's ripping the team. "Not even competitive."

His solution - Johnson needs to get better talent!
 

I think recruiting, much more than coaching right now, will be the key to whether Johnson still has a job here in 4 years or not. No coach in America could get this roster to 20 wins. If Coach K had this roster, he'd have already scheduled back surgery and asked the NCAA to expunge the losses from his record.

Bless all of you who have the courage to keep watching these games to the finish. :drink:
 


50 years ago, a young coach came in, recruited JUCO players and won a B1G championship. JUCO's not a real option anymore but the portal could lead to success...Just Sayin'
 

LongLiveMilesTarver said:
Its concerning that we are regressing and not improving but in reality battle and Thompson will be the only ones who are back anyway that actually play. Whether Stephens or Sutherlin improve or regress has no impact on next year's team aside from our mental health...hopefully the incoming players are the ones that develop throughout the yea
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GoodasGold said:
That’s a bold statement!
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Getting talent to win with in the Big Ten is not not easy, when your the 13th choice out of 14 teams of every high school player.
Ben you better be a great coach
 





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