POLL: Will UST have a better KenPom ranking than our Gophs at all during the 2022-23 season?

Will UST have a better KenPom ranking than our Gophs at all during the 2022-23 season?


  • Total voters
    63
  • Poll closed .









Honestly, what would the line be Gophers vs. St. Thomas (neutral)?

Gophers (-4)?

I'd say this is reasonable. But only because the Gophers are a high major program and the rest of the country thinks UST is a school for the blind, deaf, and poor because they've never heard of them. Probably a toss up....more realistically.
 



Who knew that the Alcorn State game would be so big for the program. Both programs are off until the 29th.

Alcorn State is #285 and South Dakota (UST's opponent is #280) - essentially equal so margin of victory will matter in this game.
 






St. Thomas could go undefeated and would still be irrelevant to anyone who didn't attend St. Thomas.
The Summit league would probably be put on notice if a 2nd year D1 team went undefeated in their conference. It would also get national mention in selection shows if they won their league but aren't eligible to go dancing.
 

The Summit league would probably be put on notice if a 2nd year D1 team went undefeated in their conference. It would also get national mention in selection shows if they won their league but aren't eligible to go dancing.
Nobody would care.

Their players are auditioning for a chance to transfer to Minnesota. Nothing more.
 

This feels a little like something you tell yourself as they are nipping at our heels.

If they are irrelevant and god forbid better than us, what are we?
Nipping at our heels, lol. Keep telling yourself that. Its a bad start to the Ben Johnson tenure, but the Gophers are always closer to being a middling big ten team than St. Thomas is to being relevant to anyone outside of their alumni.
 

The Summit league would probably be put on notice if a 2nd year D1 team went undefeated in their conference. It would also get national mention in selection shows if they won their league but aren't eligible to go dancing.
They would definitely get their 15 minutes of fame... then people would quickly go back to not even knowing who's in the Summit League.
 





Nipping at our heels, lol. Keep telling yourself that. Its a bad start to the Ben Johnson tenure, but the Gophers are always closer to being a middling big ten team than St. Thomas is to being relevant to anyone outside of their alumni.
Why would I keep telling myself that? I'm a Gopher fan, I went to the U and had season tickets for over a decade (including 8+ years when I didn't even live in MN). I was one of 19 people at the game yesterday. I am actually probably a Gopher football and basketball fan to an unhealthy extent.

I am saying St. Thomas is nipping at our heels because they are. By almost every metric, they are about as good as us. They are closing ground quickly. I realize it's been a short run for Ben, but in that same amount of time, St. Thomas went from playing in the MIAC to having a KenPom ranking similar to ours. If you don't think they're closing ground and nipping at our heels, then I think you just want that to be true.

As far as being "relevant", I guess I don't really know what you mean by that. Is competing for the Summit League Championship relevant? Is making the NCAA tournament relevant? If they are lightyears away from being relevant, when were we last relevant?
 




Why would I keep telling myself that? I'm a Gopher fan, I went to the U and had season tickets for over a decade (including 8+ years when I didn't even live in MN). I was one of 19 people at the game yesterday. I am actually probably a Gopher football and basketball fan to an unhealthy extent.

I am saying St. Thomas is nipping at our heels because they are. By almost every metric, they are about as good as us. They are closing ground quickly. I realize it's been a short run for Ben, but in that same amount of time, St. Thomas went from playing in the MIAC to having a KenPom ranking similar to ours. If you don't think they're closing ground and nipping at our heels, then I think you just want that to be true.

As far as being "relevant", I guess I don't really know what you mean by that. Is competing for the Summit League Championship relevant? Is making the NCAA tournament relevant? If they are lightyears away from being relevant, when were we last relevant?
Excellent post
 

Montana State and Northern Illinois, so my post was a little misleading as those are not schools that play in The Summit. Are the Big Sky and MAC more or less relevant basketball leagues than The Summit in your opinion?
When compared to the Big Ten? I'm really not trying to defend Ben johnson... I think he was a bad hire and seems to be a below average coach. But the St. Thomas comparisons are just ridiculous.
 

When compared to the Big Ten? I'm really not trying to defend Ben johnson... I think he was a bad hire and seems to be a below average coach. But the St. Thomas comparisons are just ridiculous.
In the future I hope you are right, but for this season it would appear that is not the case. Maybe total hubris is what led to this hire in the first place. I want it to work out, but we are objectively bad right now. The days of being the only D1 school in the state are over and St Thomas clearly isn't playing around.
 

In the future I hope you are right, but for this season it would appear that is not the case. Maybe total hubris is what led to this hire in the first place. I want it to work out, but we are objectively bad right now. The days of being the only D1 school in the state are over and St Thomas clearly isn't playing around.
I'll concede that the local angle makes it relevant. I just think the comparison is dumb because the level of competition is so different.
 

Who knew that the Alcorn State game would be so big for the program. Both programs are off until the 29th.

Alcorn State is #285 and South Dakota (UST's opponent is #280) - essentially equal so margin of victory will matter in this game.
And folks thought there was no reason to watch this one. The drama!
 




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