***OFFICIAL OHIO STATE AT MINNESOTA IN-BATTLE THREAD!!!***

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Full Speed Ahead said:
I asked ChatGPT to write a poem about Battle. Not bad I say, not bad at all...

In the shadows of regret, Battle stands, A lone figure in a scarlet wasteland. Once a Gopher, now an Ohio State pawn, Regret and sorrow, his heart is drawn.

The hardwood echoes with each painful step, As Battle realizes the depth of his misstep. The Maroon and Gold, a memory so sweet, Now replaced by regret, a bitter defeat.

The cheers of the Gophers, a haunting melody, As they dominate, a relentless symphony. The Buckeyes falter, Battle in dismay, A painful reminder of the price to pay.
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Need to publish this
 

Full Speed Ahead said:
I asked ChatGPT to write a poem about Battle. Not bad I say, not bad at all...

In the shadows of regret, Battle stands, A lone figure in a scarlet wasteland. Once a Gopher, now an Ohio State pawn, Regret and sorrow, his heart is drawn.

The hardwood echoes with each painful step, As Battle realizes the depth of his misstep. The Maroon and Gold, a memory so sweet, Now replaced by regret, a bitter defeat.

The cheers of the Gophers, a haunting melody, As they dominate, a relentless symphony. The Buckeyes falter, Battle in dismay, A painful reminder of the price to pay.

In every missed shot, in every failed attempt, The weight of his decision, a burden unkempt. The glory he sought in scarlet attire, Now drowned in the Gophers' relentless fire.

His former teammates, a brotherhood strong, In the Gophers' unity, where he belonged. A solitary figure, with no one to share, The misery of a choice beyond repair.

As the scoreboard declares a resounding win, Gophers rejoice, Battle wallows in sin. In the aftermath of this bitter defeat, Regret consumes him, a bitter sweet.

The Maroon and Gold, victorious and gleaming, In Battle's eyes, a reflection of dreaming. For in the realm of basketball lore, His transfer choice, a misery to endure.

The Gophers triumph, their banner unfurled, As Battle stands, a lone figure in the world. A cautionary tale, a lesson profound, In the echoes of regret, where he's bound.
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The PA needs to read this right before they announce the Gopher’s starting lineup.
 

I have the feeling the gophers are big time ready and my put one on Ohio State tonight!

 



MN starts their final 6 games in 17 days (3 home and 3 away), while OSU is away 3 of their final 5 games under interim coach Jake Diebler. The extra rest days MN had before Wisc., NW, Iowa come back to force the Gophers into a final flurry of games finishing the conf. sched. Trending downward prior to the upset of Purdue, OSU still has nearly twice the chance to make the NCAA tournament than MN--3.6% vs 1.4% according to Torvik (interestingly, Neb 87%, NW 76%, MD 1.3%).

Everybody is focused on the (Jamison) Battle in the Barn, which is a thing, but not the thing. He's playing fine of late, making 36% of
3PFGs on 4.7 attempts/game his last 10 games. Not overwhelming, and if MN defends like they have learned to in their last 10 games, the Gophers will be fine. Battle, (and OSU in general) makes every free throw, but thankfully he doesn't attack the rim with impunity.

MN has shot 41% 3PFG in the last 5 games, while OSU has allowed a league worst 40.2% opponent makes from 3. OSU only makes 32% of 3PFGs (#12 in conf). Both teams limit opponents taking 3's. OSU (#3 in conf) at 31% of all shots taken, while MN is #2 at 29% in 3PFG attempts allowed. I'm no math major, but if MN gets more looks from 3, and shoots a higher % than OSU it should favor MN slightly.

Shot selection should favor MN, as the Gophers limit taking dreaded shot attempts just inside the arc. OSU takes 35% of shots from far 2's, while MN is at modest 26%. Close 2's OSU only takes 29.5% while MN takes more close 2's than any other shot--34.3% of all attempts. Favor MN as Gophers shoot 53% on all 2PFGs (#2 in conf).

I am looking for a relatively slow-paced game that will require both defenses to exert a lot of energy per possession. Both teams rank low in pace (OSU #314, MN #223). Bench depth favors MN, and the Gophers shouldn't have any trouble keeping fresh legs on the floor defending at a higher level than OSU who is second to last in conf. Adjusted Def Eff.

Very contrasting offensive styles, as MN shares the ball with conf. #1 Assist Rate (65.3%), while OSU plays more iso ball and assists at 47.8% rate (#11 conf). Defensive matchups are key for MN, who is playing much better basketball than the previous meeting. Neither team is outstanding rebounding the ball, but that metric will likely determine a lot in this rock fight.
 


Ohio State is a tough team to get a read on. They have talented players, started the season off playing really well and then imploded which led to their coach getting fired.

This is one we should win as long as we play smart and hit our shots. Would love to see a route but guessing it will probably be a close game in the final minutes. Hopefully when the game ends they will still be looking for their first road win of the season and we will be above .500 with 5 to go.
 




I remember last season when the Gophers beat Ohio State. Any time a team beats a team with "Ohio State" in the name it feels like a big win.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Here's hoping Ohio State comes out flat after the big upset over Purdue and we can jump on them quickly.....or maybe with this team we actually don't want that.....so revise that....we play an even first half with them and then the Purdue hangover kicks in to start the second half and we blow them out of the Barn in the second half.
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Nah, play the first half even then smash them in the second, that's our formula for winning.
 





Just need to keep doing what they've been doing. Home court has been friendly in Big Ten play.
 



The old school unis, good sign, been on a winning streak with those.
 


Wow. Talk about a hot start. These guys are motivated!
 










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