Slim Tubby
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I’m overly optimistic about our incoming players along with injured players that will be returning. I expect next year’s roster to have more “talent’,
***OFFICIAL MINNESOTA AT wisconsin IN-GAME THREAD!!!***
- Thread starter Stan
- Start date
Yeah I didn’t see the whole game but in Johnny davis’ two heisman trophy quality stiff arms the foul count was one on the gophers and zero on Davis.
I don’t think it’s a conspiracy though. Just incompetence
Gold Vision
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I’m with you, I think there will be a drop off from an experience standpoint. Battle, Fox, Ihnen and Payne are all forwards. Even Thompson plays more like a stretch forward
Who is going to contribute minutes at guard next year? There are some giant holes to try and fill still.
Therein lies the issue with the roster this year. We have big holes to fill again and a lot of unknowns.
BarnBurner
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As I have said before, no whining about experience next season.
MNVCGUY
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Curry won't be that hard to replace, he is solid, and the team struggles without him, but as long as we have some size on the roster next year he won't be a massive loss.
Willis is a different story. Don't think there is much doubt they are going to be hitting the portal hard for options at PG. Hopefully they can identify a quality option to come in and take the lead at PG next year and maybe even beyond.
It should have more talent overall (mostly in the front court) but, collectively, the departures of Willis, Stephens, and Loewe will create a big experiential gap in the backcourt. Johnson is unlikely to get a player in the transfer portal who will perform as well as Willis has this year. Stephens has been pretty solid and Loewe, while not so great offensively, has been a solid ball handler and good defender.
Ope3
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Can always go back into the portal to get experience.
GopherWeatherGuy
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Willis has been really good, but how many were truly excited to have him back after seeing him two seasons ago? Not many. The transfer portal will be loaded as always, and now BJ has some experience under his belt as a HC. No one even knew who Stephens and Loewe were before this season. Johnson will have plenty of options to upgrade with next season.
cheeseheadgophfan
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Huh? Curry has been a WARRIOR! He is our only presence down low and has been terrific this season. He’s solid defensively and is a leader. He will be a HUGE void to fill.
Speaking of that, I thought I heard at the beginning of the year that believe it or not, he actually has a chance to play next year. Is that even possible?
Surherlin’s got a great first step. Gets him past the defender and to the basket. It’s there that things go wrong. Either his angle’s bad or he gets too excited. I think he’s got great potential physically, but he needs work on that aspect. Unfortunately, he’s a poor 3-point shooter. Practice practice practice.
goldenboy
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Tully,
Since you came back to this several times (even after being corrected), be aware that your understanding of out of bounds rules applies only to football. Nowhere do NCAA BB rules state that. In fact, it is clear that where a players position "used to be" has no bearing once they establish position inbounds. In BB, players can leave the court and, as long as they re-establish position in bounds, they can be the first to touch the ball after returning to the court. The same is true for a front court player who crosses the centerline into the back court and then re-establishes position in the front court and is the first to touch a loose ball. I've seen a number of very heady plays by smart players that quickly step back inbounds before tapping a loose ball to a teammate (usually done on the endline, under the basket, but sometimes on deflections along side court).
MNVCGUY
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Given the lack of depth and size, Curry is a massive part of the roster THIS year and it has been great to see him have a strong season.
But on most teams he would be coming off the bench. We will have a lot more options in the front court next year with Fox, Ihnen, and probably Payne all seeing significant minutes.
I'm a big fan of Curry and he is having a really strong year. Given the injuries to Fox and Ihnen, if Curry wasn't on the roster we would be in a world of hurt down low. But moving forward we should be in good shape in the front court and not have a ton of trouble replacing him as he more than likely shifts into his coaching career.
Guards are a dime a dozen in the portal. For example Mike Jones is the best player on Davidson, he's a Woodbury native and Davidson doesn't have a grad school. Gophers land him, there's your starting PG. I like Loewe and Stephens, but the portal offers you about a hundred guys of similar ability, just got to zero in on the guys with the character issues you want, which judging off last year this staff seems to know what they want in that department. Much easier to find guards than big men in the portal. That's how a guy like Charlie Daniels ends up here or Theo John ends up at Duke
MNVCGUY
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100% agree that guards are far easier to find then big men in the portal. Skilled big men are a rare commodity in basketball in general so hopefully we are in a solid place in with the front court for 22-23 and can just focus on finding some quality guards.
Ben got those 3 with nothing to offer but playing time. Why do we assume he will get lesser players with the same playing time, a year of experience and the potential to join an NCAA caliber team?
I like all 3 of the current guards, but if we're honest Loewe and Stephens are just nice players, nothing special and Willis lacks consistency. It's not at all hard to imagine getting 3 guards who can equal their overall output even if none of them play as well as Willis has on his best days.
Portal point guard is highest priority. Getting one will be the difference between big step forward and slow progress. Doesn't need to be the scorer that Willis is, just be a great ball handler and distributor.
Portal center is next but only one who will be a clear starter, strong rebounder and defender. If that guy not there, stick with developing TT, Payne, Ihnen, and Foxx for 4 and 5 spots. We would also take a proven 40% plus 3-point shooter if available. If he's not your clear starter, same rule applies. Play the freshmen.
short ornery norwegian
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FWIW - the Gophers lost a close game on the road to a ranked team. That has happened before under other coaches, and it will happen again.
Before the season, many posters were predicting the Gophers would not even be competitive. Now, some of the same posters are complaining because the Gophers lost a close game on the road to a ranked team. I guess that's progress.
Don't get me wrong. I want the Gophers to win as many games as they can. And they will definitely win more B1G games if they stay healthy.
I'm just trying to be realistic about who the Gophers are and what they're capable of.
Before the season, many posters were predicting the Gophers would not even be competitive. Now, some of the same posters are complaining because the Gophers lost a close game on the road to a ranked team. I guess that's progress.
Don't get me wrong. I want the Gophers to win as many games as they can. And they will definitely win more B1G games if they stay healthy.
I'm just trying to be realistic about who the Gophers are and what they're capable of.
Exactly. We knew Willis would be a leader, but no one expected him to be as successful as he has been. His success should get more eyes on the Gophers from players looking to transfer.
Spottedmuskie
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Let's land Dawson G too
Not asking for much are you ?
MNVCGUY
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I think most have a pretty good read on what this team is and what it isn't. I wouldn't base a whole lot on anything posted during a game because people tend to way over react during the games in the in-game thread.
The reality is that we have a team that has played far better than most expected it to. But it is also a team that has some massive short comings roster wise and is going to struggle to win a lot of games on those nights when the shots aren't falling or we don't get the breaks.
Asking for the point guard. Absolute No 1 priority in order to have a big jump forward. The other two will be nice if the right guys say they want to finish their careers under Ben Johnson at Minnesota. Odds of that improve weekly. If they aren't there we go with what we have.
Gophers_4life
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Jerry Palm:
So I mean ... damn that's pretty good to go to their house and compete with a top seed?? Pretty good for a first time HC and a bunch of low-major transfers??
Granted these things can and will change a lot.
Bracketology: Wisconsin jumps up to a No. 1 seed, Kansas falls to a No. 2 after loss to Kentucky
So I mean ... damn that's pretty good to go to their house and compete with a top seed?? Pretty good for a first time HC and a bunch of low-major transfers??
Granted these things can and will change a lot.
Spaulding!No!
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And good for those mn boys who chose the uw. Good for everyone!
Well, I only said that Ben would be unlikely to get a guard from the transfer portal that will perform as well as Willis has this year. My reasons for saying that are quite simple:
16.7 points per game; 1.7 steals per game; 3.9 assists vs. 1.9 turnovers per game
58.9% True Shooting Percentage (highest of the top 7 players; Thompson's is higher but that's on limited shot attempts); 22.6 Player Efficiency Rating (highest on the team); .170 Wins Shares per 40 minutes (also highest on the team)
He could shoot free throws better (only 56.8%) I guess.
Marcus Carr was mostly thought of as a star player here but his efficiency numbers were not as good as Willis' have been this year.
So, yeah, Ben has a chance of replacing that output from a new transfer lead guard but I'd say that chance definitely is less than 50%. On the other hand, if the overall talent on next year's team is significantly better it might be nice not to have to rely so much on the performance of the lead guard.
As far as the other two, I just said they were solid players more or less but their maturity and experience help. Ben probably could get a couple of players at least as good as them from the transfer portal but I don't see Ben getting as many guards from the transfer portal this year as he does have four incoming freshmen.
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I wonder if he would be eligible right away. Second transfer, but if it's true that he came home because of a sick family member I think they would grant him the waiver
I agree but what anyone expected him to do is not the point. He's played well enough this year that I expect that any successor will fall at least a bit short of his 2021-22 performance. That might not matter if, in a lineup with greater depth, the rest of the players can pick up the slack. In fact, that alternative could be better instead of so much riding on the shoulders of one or two players.
We don't always underestimate transfers and receive a pleasant surprise. There's always the risk of getting a transfer like Brock Stull who well underperformed everyone's expectations. Thiam, although somewhat different as a young JUCO transfer, definitely has underperformed expectations this year.
The key next year is going to be can we get nine or ten healthy bodies that can legit contribute. I think all four of the freshman will be in the rotation in some form. Payne could start, Carrington I think will either start or be a sixth man depending on what we get in the portal. Hedley and JoJ I think will get a 4-5 minute rotation in the first half and if they're playing well could get more run later in the game. Curious how it will shake out between Fox and Ihnen, I think Fox can guard anywhere between 3-5, so that should allow Battle to guard fours but play the three on offense when they're both in the game and I think Fox has the strength to handle some back up five minutes. Ihnen played a little five last year on defense and was okay. If we can get a Mike Jones type at the PG spot and another solid three and D type in the back court, like a Luke Loewe or an EJ Stephens, prefer both these guys to be grad transfers I think we can get to the dance. If Kerwin Walton wants to come home I would make room for him as well.
Mountaineer Gopher
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No way in hell the Badgers deserve that ranking. What a joke.