PiPress: Gophers basketball: The sudden transformation

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To tell the truth I was hoping I was going to get to read posts all summer about how the U needs to run Tubby out of town. Then next year once the hatter painted themselves into the corner, see what they have to say after what looking more and more like a great 12-13 season. But I have to admit this is a lot more fun.
 

With Hollins running the team, Smith decided to push the tempo. As a result, Williams, Austin Hollins and Joe Coleman have thrived in more of a wide-open, free-flowing offense. Austin Hollins had 16 points against La Salle. Coleman had 14 points against Miami. Williams is the first Gopher with three straight 20-point games since Dan Coleman in 2007.

"It seems like Tubby has taken the reins off a little bit," Bardo said. "He's allowed them to create and make plays if the opportunity presents itself. The more they do it, the better they become. I think that's part of it."

We played this way the first few years under Tubby. I think the youngin's are finally getting it.
 

I think Ralph not playing is the key. With him in the game, it's plodding back and forth and trying to dump the ball into him. Now, it's anyone's game and the guards have more free rein to make things happen. I really think it's as simple as Ralph not playing.
 


KyGopherfan said:
I think Ralph not playing is the key. With him in the game, it's plodding back and forth and trying to dump the ball into him. Now, it's anyone's game and the guards have more free rein to make things happen. I really think it's as simple as Ralph not playing.
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Whether it's the lack of Ralph or not the lack of Ralph, the ball is moving. It's hard to argue that, in the flow of the offense, Ralph is where ball movement goes to die. When he catches the ball in the post, the offense slows to only undetectable motion at the molecular level.

Besides the Ralph thing, I know Tubby has changed some things up. I heard they were having early morning practices again - something they haven't done since his first or second year. From the things I've heard, I think he's pushing them harder the last few weeks, and the team has visibly responded.

It's hard to figure how the players seem to have so much more of a clue out there. How recently were we talking about them being coached to play offense against a zone but to forget all they learned when they get out on the court. Against Miami, they new exactly what to do to break the "scramble" defense, and they did it. Where has that execution been? This is a bit of a mystery.
 

Parski1 said:
Maybe it's time to give coach some credit rather than wanting him to leave town - speaking of that where is Minngg?
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Can't understand why anyone wouldn't want to give coach credit for going 12-24 in conference the last two season which includes losing 17 out of 21 down the stretch.
 

scools12 said:
Can't understand why anyone wouldn't want to give coach credit for going 12-24 in conference the last two season which includes losing 17 out of 21 down the stretch.
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Last year needs to be thrown out the window. Hoffarber was running the point.
 





Bad Gopher said:
Whether it's the lack of Ralph or not the lack of Ralph, the ball is moving. It's hard to argue that, in the flow of the offense, Ralph is where ball movement goes to die. When he catches the ball in the post, the offense slows to only undetectable motion at the molecular level.

Besides the Ralph thing, I know Tubby has changed some things up. I heard they were having early morning practices again - something they haven't done since his first or second year. From the things I've heard, I think he's pushing them harder the last few weeks, and the team has visibly responded.

It's hard to figure how the players seem to have so much more of a clue out there. How recently were we talking about them being coached to play offense against a zone but to forget all they learned when they get out on the court. Against Miami, they new exactly what to do to break the "scramble" defense, and they did it. Where has that execution been? This is a bit of a mystery.
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This pure speculation, but ...remember the Indiana game and Tubby didn't seem involved at all? The players really didn't put forth a good effort, etc. After the game he made reference to the U being located in a metro area, lots of distractions. I believe he had just returned from watching Buggs. I going to speculate that when he returned he found the inmates were running the asylum and basically was disgusted, hence his mood during that game and from then on decided to put the hammer down. Pure, pure speculation.
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
This pure speculation, but ...remember the Indiana game and Tubby didn't seem involved at all? The players really didn't put forth a good effort, etc. After the game he made reference to the U being located in a metro area, lots of distractions. I believe he had just returned from watching Buggs. I going to speculate that when he returned he found the inmates were running the asylum and basically was disgusted, hence his mood during that game and from then on decided to put the hammer down. Pure, pure speculation.
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If your speculation is correct, where were the asst. coaches. Will we see a shake-up in the coaching staff?

Just trying to add fuel to the fire.
 




scools12 said:
Can't understand why anyone wouldn't want to give coach credit for going 12-24 in conference the last two season which includes losing 17 out of 21 down the stretch.
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This.

Excuse me if I don't get excited about beating LaSalle, Miami, and possibly Directional Tennessee State (OMG! GASP!!11Q1!) to advance to the fake final four.

Winning in the NIT doesn't mean anything except Tubby and the boys sharted the bed (again) this year and missed the real tournament.
 

scools12 said:
Can't understand why anyone wouldn't want to give coach credit for going 12-24 in conference the last two season which includes losing 17 out of 21 down the stretch.
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Agree. The Tubby bashers have earned the right to whine until at least the start of next season, no matter how bright the future appears.
 

GoGoGophers said:
This.

Excuse me if I don't get excited about beating LaSalle, Miami, and possibly Directional Tennessee State (OMG! GASP!!11Q1!) to advance to the fake final four.

Winning in the NIT doesn't mean anything except Tubby and the boys sharted the bed (again) this year and missed the real tournament.
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Excuse me if I do.
 

GoGoGophers said:
This.

Excuse me if I don't get excited about beating LaSalle, Miami, and possibly Directional Tennessee State (OMG! GASP!!11Q1!) to advance to the fake final four.

Winning in the NIT doesn't mean anything except Tubby and the boys sharted the bed (again) this year and missed the real tournament.
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Ah, another one of the "I don't accept mediocrity" folks putting his nose up in the air because he has such high standards. I don't see anyone that excited because we're winning in the NIT. People, however, are pleased for several reasons. One, we enjoy watching the Gophers play, and if this is where we get our additional fix, so be it. Two, the basketball they have been playing makes it even more enjoyable: hustling, hitting shots, moving the ball, etc. It's sort of what we were hoping to see all season. Three, only an idiot like you wouldn't see that these additional games won't benefit the team going into next year. Four, if people are excited about anything, it's seeing Andre putting it together and what that might mean for the future. Finally, after Michigan State and Iowa it looked like the wheels might really be coming off this program. It's a relief to see things going in a positive direction.

So take your dipsh*t attitude and shove it.
 

Well Said...At what point this year could you watch the Gophers on ESPN and ESPN 2 3 times in the course of a week? And at what point this year could you watch them play well enough to win against above-average opponents on the road? I'm enjoying this run because it's fun to watch these Gophers play hard and get rewarded with wins on a national stage!

Go Gophers! Beat a good team tonight and get rewarded with a trip to NYC!
 

The injury to Andre Hollins early in the season hurt us in an important way. He didn't have the opportunity to get up to speed at the point during the non-conference and so we had people playing that position who were never going to be able to bring the dynamism needed to be successful. Mav improved to the extent he could handle the lesser team, but not to the extent he could handle the defense of BT in any way, shape or form - let alone run the offense. Welch can't bring the energy needed there either, tho he is definitely serviceable.

This bodes very well for the team next year, and I can understand that those who wish to continue their sulk may be disappointed, but the emergence of Hollins is the beginning, middle and end of the change in the Gophers. The BT tournament was the beginning - I'm hoping the end this year is winning the NIT and the beginning of next year.
 

Moonlight said:
The injury to Andre Hollins early in the season hurt us in an important way. He didn't have the opportunity to get up to speed at the point during the non-conference and so we had people playing that position who were never going to be able to bring the dynamism needed to be successful. Mav improved to the extent he could handle the lesser team, but not to the extent he could handle the defense of BT in any way, shape or form - let alone run the offense. Welch can't bring the energy needed there either, tho he is definitely serviceable.

This bodes very well for the team next year, and I can understand that those who wish to continue their sulk may be disappointed, but the emergence of Hollins is the beginning, middle and end of the change in the Gophers. The BT tournament was the beginning - I'm hoping the end this year is winning the NIT and the beginning of next year.
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+1
 

I don't understand how Hollins has been playing so much better lately. Players never improve under Tubby during the entire course of their careers, much less within a season.
 

dpodoll68 said:
I don't understand how Hollins has been playing so much better lately. Players never improve under Tubby during the entire course of their careers, much less within a season.
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Well he better hurry to improve cause once he hits 20 that's as good as he'll get.
 

Mulligan said:
Ah, another one of the "I don't accept mediocrity" folks putting his nose up in the air because he has such high standards. I don't see anyone that excited because we're winning in the NIT. People, however, are pleased for several reasons. One, we enjoy watching the Gophers play, and if this is where we get our additional fix, so be it. Two, the basketball they have been playing makes it even more enjoyable: hustling, hitting shots, moving the ball, etc. It's sort of what we were hoping to see all season. Three, only an idiot like you wouldn't see that these additional games won't benefit the team going into next year. Four, if people are excited about anything, it's seeing Andre putting it together and what that might mean for the future. Finally, after Michigan State and Iowa it looked like the wheels might really be coming off this program. It's a relief to see things going in a positive direction.

So take your dipsh*t attitude and shove it.
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These last two seasons have not been mediocre, they've been disasters. Unless of course you consider 3-11 in their last 14 home B10 games and 10th place finishes mediocre. Mediocrity would be a relief at this point.

To the insult portion of your post. An idiot like me "wouldn't" see that these games "won't" benefit the team next year? I'd attempt to debate this point but I'm not sure what argument you've made. Am I an idiot because I think it won't matter next season or that it will benefit them? Maybe I'm an idiot because I won't admit that the NIT doesn't not benefit the team that won't play for Tubby next year. Either way, you made some great points there.

Yay for one more NIT banner hanging in the rafters! Let's all rally around this group of guys for really pulling it together at the end of the season (ignoring the part about tanking down the stretch in the B10 again) and shine up this turd of a season. Fans should be excited about the program's direction after 5 years of Tubbyball.
 

The competition is not as great in the NIT as our B1G foes but hopefully the winning in the NIT continues and rolls over to next year.
 

GoGoGophers said:
These last two seasons have not been mediocre, they've been disasters. Unless of course you consider 3-11 in their last 14 home B10 games and 10th place finishes mediocre. Mediocrity would be a relief at this point.

To the insult portion of your post. An idiot like me "wouldn't" see that these games "won't" benefit the team next year? I'd attempt to debate this point but I'm not sure what argument you've made. Am I an idiot because I think it won't matter next season or that it will benefit them? Maybe I'm an idiot because I won't admit that the NIT doesn't not benefit the team that won't play for Tubby next year. Either way, you made some great points there.

Yay for one more NIT banner hanging in the rafters! Let's all rally around this group of guys for really pulling it together at the end of the season (ignoring the part about tanking down the stretch in the B10 again) and shine up this turd of a season. Fans should be excited about the program's direction after 5 years of Tubbyball.
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You got it right the frst time.
 


GoGoGophers said:
To the insult portion of your post. An idiot like me "wouldn't" see that these games "won't" benefit the team next year? I'd attempt to debate this point but I'm not sure what argument you've made. Am I an idiot because I think it won't matter next season or that it will benefit them? Maybe I'm an idiot because I won't admit that the NIT doesn't not benefit the team that won't play for Tubby next year. Either way, you made some great points there.
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Jesus, you're dumber than I first thought. They never get in and they go into the off-season doubting their coach, their teammates and some of them, doubting themselves. This being the Gophers, there might be someone vital leaving, but the chances would have been a hell of a lot better without this run. With these games there's a whole lot more of a positive vibe. Partly, it's about gaining confidence with a team that was sadly lacking it during the season. It's also about having a positive attitude so they'll work on their weaknesses until next season. It's something called "motivation." Finally, (hate to be redundant but it really fits) you really are frickin' idiot if you don't think an ending like tonight isn't going to help in some tough game next year. And, ya, they're going to learn from extra games. EE is figuring it out game by game. Andre learned even more tonight about being a point guard. Austin showed toughness knocking down those free throws after getting a bloody nose.
And if you haven't seen a different, more assertive Rodney, especially tonight, you're hopeless. You mention direction? It's going the right way and it wouldn't have seemed that way without these games.

I got vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals.Ya, right.
 

Mulligan said:
Ah, another one of the "I don't accept mediocrity" folks putting his nose up in the air because he has such high standards. I don't see anyone that excited because we're winning in the NIT. People, however, are pleased for several reasons. One, we enjoy watching the Gophers play, and if this is where we get our additional fix, so be it. Two, the basketball they have been playing makes it even more enjoyable: hustling, hitting shots, moving the ball, etc. It's sort of what we were hoping to see all season. Three, only an idiot like you wouldn't see that these additional games won't benefit the team going into next year. Four, if people are excited about anything, it's seeing Andre putting it together and what that might mean for the future. Finally, after Michigan State and Iowa (Indiana?) it looked like the wheels might really be coming off this program. It's a relief to see things going in a positive direction.

So take your dipsh*t attitude and shove it.
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I second that.
 

Mulligan said:
Jesus, you're dumber than I first thought. They never get in and they go into the off-season doubting their coach, their teammates and some of them, doubting themselves. This being the Gophers, there might be someone vital leaving, but the chances would have been a hell of a lot better without this run. With these games there's a whole lot more of a positive vibe. Partly, it's about gaining confidence with a team that was sadly lacking it during the season. It's also about having a positive attitude so they'll work on their weaknesses until next season. It's something called "motivation." Finally, (hate to be redundant but it really fits) you really are frickin' idiot if you don't think an ending like tonight isn't going to help in some tough game next year. And, ya, they're going to learn from extra games. EE is figuring it out game by game. Andre learned even more tonight about being a point guard. Austin showed toughness knocking down those free throws after getting a bloody nose.
And if you haven't seen a different, more assertive Rodney, especially tonight, you're hopeless. You mention direction? It's going the right way and it wouldn't have seemed that way without these games.

I got vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals.Ya, right.
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That's all well and good, and even accurate to some degree, but not the point of the linked article or my original statement. The PP article stated how they've turned it around, had gotten rid of the defensive breakdowns, were playing more up tempo and effective offense, etc. etc. They've righted the ship! Get Tubby that extension. Huzzah!

BS. They beat the 6th place team from the A10, the 6th place team from the ACC (without their best player), and Directional Tennessee State. The competition level drops significantly and all those problems go away. Shocking. I seem to remember alot of similar wins against non-conference foes earlier this year, and all of the issues with Tubby and his teams magically reappeared once B10 season started.

I agree that it's better to win these games than lose and it's good for some players' development, but lets not pretend this "run" is an indication of some huge leap the program is making. I'd rather lose a 1st round NCAA game by 50 than win the NIT championship.

After 5 years of Tubbyball we squeaked into the NIT. Other B10 programs fire their coaches for that. Regrettably, not us.

BTW - try to mix some more double and triple negatives into your "idiot" insults. Laughing at your 5th grade level grammar makes reading your posts more tolerable.
 

GoGoGophers said:
That's all well and good, and even accurate to some degree, but not the point of the linked article or my original statement. The PP article stated how they've turned it around, had gotten rid of the defensive breakdowns, were playing more up tempo and effective offense, etc. etc. They've righted the ship! Get Tubby that extension. Huzzah!

BS. They beat the 6th place team from the A10, the 6th place team from the ACC (without their best player), and Directional Tennessee State. The competition level drops significantly and all those problems go away. Shocking. I seem to remember alot of similar wins against non-conference foes earlier this year, and all of the issues with Tubby and his teams magically reappeared once B10 season started.

I agree that it's better to win these games than lose and it's good for some players' development, but lets not pretend this "run" is an indication of some huge leap the program is making. I'd rather lose a 1st round NCAA game by 50 than win the NIT championship.

After 5 years of Tubbyball we squeaked into the NIT. Other B10 programs fire their coaches for that. Regrettably, not us.

BTW - try to mix some more double and triple negatives into your "idiot" insults. Laughing at your 5th grade level grammar makes reading your posts more tolerable.
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That directional Tennessee school beat Tennessee at Tennessee. The gophers have won 3 non conference road games, that means not at home like the start of the year, and are only the second team to ever do that in the NIT.

If they beat Washington (a high finisher in the Pac12) does that count for anything or is that another win that shouldn't count?

Also, Carmody has never made the NCAA, yet he is still employed and some on here call him the best coach in the big 10. Iowa made the NIT, yet Fran is still employed.
 

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