PP: Gophers men’s basketball must outperform Big Ten expectations to make Big Dance

[BleedGopher]

per Greder:

Beat writers of Big Ten Conference men’s basketball programs picked the Gophers to finish ninth this season, but only exceeding those preseason expectations will cut it for coach Richard Pitino to return to the NCAA tournament come March.

Over Pitino’s five season at Minnesota, those ninth-place teams — Wisconsin, Illinois, Northwestern, Michigan and Indiana — have an average conference winning percentage of .422 and, as expected, have been shut out of the Big Dance.


This year’s Gophers team started 11-2, including 1-1 in an early sample of Big Ten play in December. With that snippet, five teams currently ahead ahead of the U with 2-0 records.

But there is plenty of heavy lifting yet to come with the league’s new 20-game schedule coming full blast; Minnesota has 18 consecutive games against conference opponents over the next nine weeks.

“I like where we’re at from a record standpoint,” Pitino said. “So if you look at us, we’re good in a lot of those things (that factor into RPI, Sagarin and KenPom ranking systems), but we’ve got to get better at a lot of things. I don’t think we’re bad at anything. I really don’t. I don’t think we’re great at anything.”

https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/spor...must-outperform-big-ten-expectations-make-big

Go Gophers!!

 

[SelectionSunday]

Tonight can be a launching point

Time to make hay is right now.

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[Go Gophs]

It'd sure be nice to get this one and all of those others. But I will guess we are looking at them being 4-3 at best when they finish that stretch. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Otis]

It'd sure be nice to get this one and all of those others. But I will guess we are looking at them being 4-3 at best when they finish that stretch. Hope I'm wrong.

How can we finish a 5 game stretch at 4-3?

@ Wisconsin L
Maryland W
Rutgers W
@ Illinois W
Penn State W

I could see us losing at Illinois though. We suck at that arena.

Never mind, I get it now!

 

[Go Gophs]

@ Wisc - L
Maryland - L
Rutgers - W
@ Illini - W
Penn St. - W

Plus our 1-1 record.

I could see them winning either the Maryland or Wisconsin game though also. I can also see them losing at Illinois. Hard to predict what will happen with this team the way they've played. We will learn alot about how the season is going to go in these next 2 games I think.

 

[Angrygopher1]

I say we win the next five to go 6-1, but end up 12-8 or 13-7. We can beat wi if we foul Happ 20 times! That would be 20 trips where they only score 1 point. If you count Hurt and Omersa we have six big men and 30 fouls available.

 

[GringaGopher]

Change that WI. game to a W !

 

[PoockItInfor6]

I say we win the next five to go 6-1, but end up 12-8 or 13-7. We can beat wi if we foul Happ 20 times! That would be 20 trips where they only score 1 point. If you count Hurt and Omersa we have six big men and 30 fouls available.

Pretty sure you got the makes by Happ right!!!