Solid analysis.
I do think Gophers need to add an experienced player or two (grad transfer and/or JC) to supplement a solid core coming back. Preferably a guard. I don't want to be counting on (all) 3 freshmen and a guy who couldn't get off the bench at Louisville as the top reserves. Of course, to be fair, that's a better option than what we had this year.
Solid analysis.
I do think Gophers need to add an experienced player or two (grad transfer and/or JC) to supplement a solid core coming back. Preferably a guard. I don't want to be counting on (all) 3 freshmen and a guy who couldn't get off the bench at Louisville as the top reserves. Of course, to be fair, that's a better option than what we had this year.
My 2 cents about last night, and I had a closer look than usual in Row 5 behind Marcus Fuller (not my regular seat)?
Yes, Nebraska shot the lights out in 1st half, but thought Gophers effort was lax in the first half. I didn't see a team working hard, especially on the defensive end.
2nd half was much better, the effort was there, if not necessarily the results.
Bottom line is if short-handed Gophers want to beat the teams they have a chance to beat (for me that's everyone in Big 10 except for Purdue/MSU), they'll have to outwork the opponent. I have not seen that much this season, dating back to the first Nebraska loss (when Gophers were full strength). (note, I did not see the Arkansas game)
Same coach.
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Enough to wonder how last year's B1G CoY gets so badly outcoached on a regular basis.you don't watch much basketball do you.
Yes, there have been positive signs the last two games.
But - when the fan base is reduced to praising a team for trying hard and not quitting, that is as close to the bottom of the barrel as you can get.
Teams are going to be up and down. Some guys have good nights and bad nights. I get that.
But, effort should be a constant. hustle should be a constant. trying hard should be a constant.
This team has had moments, halves, and entire games where, IMHO, they did not show consistent effort or hustle. Instead, they've shown bad body language and poor attitudes.
Yes, they've had bad breaks. But, you learn more about a team and a player by watching how they deal with adversity. this team has not handled adversity very well at times.
So, it's fair to point out the improvement in the last couple of games. But, that does not cancel out the other issues I cited. Have to take the good with the bad as you evaluate the season.
I agree with this. I don't want to have to rely on Omersa and Kalscheur from the start because I think they could use a little bit more development. I do think Oturu is going to be instant impact off the bench as I would anticipate Stockman starting just because he's more experienced.
I also agree that, if Fitzgerald doesn't return, that they will bring in a Freshman wing and a Grad Transfer at the guard position. They're recruiting a few guards for the class of 2018, but we'll see how that unfolds as coaching changes can play a big role in who's available.
Am I wrong, or don't the Gophers have an unused scholarship available even if Fitzgerald returns?
SON signs up for a marathon. People know he is fast so they start to speculate that he will win or at least place well. Then he damages his knee, right before the race. At mile 10 he hurts his other knee. During that same mile he sprains his ankle. His body starts to ache from pain and he begins to cramp. He loses more and more ground despite a solid start. Spectators who thought he would win start to yell, saying he stinks at running as he hobbles along. But his real fans shout for him to keep going and as he keeps struggling forward, no longer hoping to win, they cheer him for the effort.
Yes, there have been positive signs the last two games.
But - when the fan base is reduced to praising a team for trying hard and not quitting, that is as close to the bottom of the barrel as you can get.
Teams are going to be up and down. Some guys have good nights and bad nights. I get that.
But, effort should be a constant. hustle should be a constant. trying hard should be a constant.
This team has had moments, halves, and entire games where, IMHO, they did not show consistent effort or hustle. Instead, they've shown bad body language and poor attitudes.
Yes, they've had bad breaks. But, you learn more about a team and a player by watching how they deal with adversity. this team has not handled adversity very well at times.
So, it's fair to point out the improvement in the last couple of games. But, that does not cancel out the other issues I cited. Have to take the good with the bad as you evaluate the season.
SON signs up for a marathon. People know he is fast so they start to speculate that he will win or at least place well. Then he damages his knee, right before the race. At mile 10 he hurts his other knee. During that same mile he sprains his ankle. His body starts to ache from pain and he begins to cramp. He loses more and more ground despite a solid start. Spectators who thought he would win start to yell, saying he stinks at running as he hobbles along. But his real fans shout for him to keep going and as he keeps struggling forward, no longer hoping to win, they cheer him for the effort.
We've displayed heart and a solid level of urgency the last two games, which has been a nice change.
Where was that fighting spirit against Northwestern, Purdue, Ohio State, etc??
You mean during that 5 game stretch, 4 of which were road games, over an ELEVEN day period???
L @ NW
2 days off - gotta get back to Minnesota
L vs #3 ranked Purdue
1 day off - gotta get to Pennsylvania
W @ PSU
2 days off - gotta get to Maryland
L @ Maryland
1 day off - gotta get to NYC
L neutral site game with 2nd place Ohio St.
2 days off - gotta get back to Minnesota
L vs NW.
All of those games without Curry or Lynch, most of them without Coffey, some of them without Gaston, and many or all of them with a very hobbled McBreyer who wasn't even practicing, just playing games in obvious pain.
Then they got 6 days off before the Iowa game, and then another 3 days off before the Michigan game, and now people are wondering why the guys seem to be playing with more energy?
Just unfortunate circumstances that led to several of the Top 6 guys not being able to play or not able to practice.
Just unfortunate circumstances that the conference chose to have the Conf Tourney a week early, hence the conf schedule got far more crammed together.
Just unfortunate circumstances that the 6 games I listed & the first 2 that followed them ended up being 6 ROAD games during that 8 games stretch.
The universe just seemed to be doing all it could to keep us from doing well this season. Blaming the coach is ridiculous.
Then they got 6 days off before the Iowa game, and then another 3 days off before the Michigan game, and now people are wondering why the guys seem to be playing with more energy?
Just unfortunate circumstances that led to several of the Top 6 guys not being able to play or not able to practice.
Just unfortunate circumstances that the conference chose to have the Conf Tourney a week early, hence the conf schedule got far more crammed together.
Just unfortunate circumstances that the 6 games I listed & the first 2 that followed them ended up being 6 ROAD games during that 8 games stretch.
The universe just seemed to be doing all it could to keep us from doing well this season. Blaming the coach is ridiculous.
I think this is fair, that's why I have been pleased that we have played well the last two games. It shows the players have not lost faith in Pitino and shows he still has control of this program. That is why I am firmly in the boat of keeping Pitino next year and if he doesn't make the tourney, move on.I know this may be so reasonable that it sounds nuts, but is it possible that it is some of both? Maybe it is partially the coach's fault and partially bad luck. I don't believe many here have said that it is 100% one or the other. It's quite reasonable for someone to acknowledge that bad luck has played a role while also thinking that Pitino isn't doing a very good job. When you are 3-10 in the B1G and not really even competitive in half of those 10 losses there is probably more than one factor behind it.
Good analogy! Yeah, there have been disappointments. But this team is still competing, and the new guys are starting to really show improvements. If that doesn't excite you, that's fine. But I choose to enjoy it.
Asking the coach to teach better defense is not asking too much. Fans have a right to question everything with that 5 year win-loss %. Where do you rank him as a big 10 coach ? Where do you rank him as a power 5 coach ? Are there any coaches you think are better ? Is there anything he has not done well besides winning.
That was a terrible analogy. A marathon is an individual event this is a team. The Eagles lost their QB & starting left tackle but they built up enough depth & schemed to their current talent to make it work. Everybody is stuck on losing 4 of our top 6 but it's not like we are young with the rest of our depth. We only have 2 Freshmen I don't understand how we overlook that aspect.
All the parts of the body have to work together like a team. So I think it's actually a perfectly legitimate analogy. However, in order for your analogy to work, the Eagles would have had to have lost a commensurate amount of people. Two injuries out of twenty-two starters seems a lot more easily overcome than 4 out of your top six players. I think that would be roughly 13 starters, and about five of their first choice backups. I suggest that we probably would not have had to be dealing with boorish Eagle fans last week if that were the case. It's absolutely unreasonable to suggest that a college basketball team could build up enough "depth" and "scheme correctly" to make up for losing four of their top six players, and still be a good team. You can argue we should be more competitive. Maybe have won one or two more games. But anybody thinking this should be a good team with the current roster, and that this reflects on Pitino is, in my estimation, being unreasonable.
All the parts of the body have to work together like a team. So I think it's actually a perfectly legitimate analogy. However, in order for your analogy to work, the Eagles would have had to have lost a commensurate amount of people. Two injuries out of twenty-two starters seems a lot more easily overcome than 4 out of your top six players. I think that would be roughly 13 starters, and about five of their first choice backups. I suggest that we probably would not have had to be dealing with boorish Eagle fans last week if that were the case. It's absolutely unreasonable to suggest that a college basketball team could build up enough "depth" and "scheme correctly" to make up for losing four of their top six players, and still be a good team. You can argue we should be more competitive. Maybe have won one or two more games. But anybody thinking this should be a good team with the current roster, and that this reflects on Pitino is, in my estimation, being unreasonable.
+1. Not even to mention that the parity in the NFL is a far cry from where the Gophers have stood and continue to stand in college hoops. For as much as GopherHole posters continue to lament Pitino's 5-year conference record, they refuse to fully acknowledge and accept the fact that we finished in the top 4 of the conference last year. When was the last time our team finished in the top 4 of the conference? I'm too lazy to check, but I'm pretty sure it's not since 1997 (or do we acknowledge that season?). We would have been a top 4 conference team if we remained intact this season. BUT, we've had enough, we won't accept moral victories, this is serious college hoops people!! The Gophers are a legendary program full of outstanding seasons and incredible coaches and players!! One measly "best season in forever" isn't good enough to stay hired at our incredible university, we demand outstanding achievements regardless of the adversity our coaches face. Can't get your 8 remaining players to "gel" and outperform healthier, more talented, and complete teams? Get out of here!! We'll just call up coach K and get him on the next chartered plane to MPLS!! After all, we're the Gophers, and the rest of the country knows of our high standards and expectations.
If you're a poster who refuses to acknowledge the progress that our team has made over the past two games, you need to seriously ask yourself why you're a fan in the first place. Are you actually a Gophers fan? Or are you somebody who looks forward to being contrary?
I was at the Michigan game with my friend who's a Wolverines fan. I told him about all of the posters on GH calling for Pitino's head and he laughed out loud. I've spoken with fans of other teams, and they have a much different perception than those who's heads are clouded by the past 20 years of Gophers hoops failure. They see a team on the rise. As do I. When I walked into Crisler Center I expected to witness a 25 point drubbing. Yet, they nearly pulled it out, and likely would have had Murphy not picked up his 4th foul with 10 minutes to play. Pitino created a lineup that could and would compete, and found a way to make the game close. Proving that it wasn't an anomaly, they hung close with a far more capable Nebraska team. If that isn't progress, then I don't know what is.
+1. Not even to mention that the parity in the NFL is a far cry from where the Gophers have stood and continue to stand in college hoops. For as much as GopherHole posters continue to lament Pitino's 5-year conference record, they refuse to fully acknowledge and accept the fact that we finished in the top 4 of the conference last year. When was the last time our team finished in the top 4 of the conference? I'm too lazy to check, but I'm pretty sure it's not since 1997 (or do we acknowledge that season?). We would have been a top 4 conference team if we remained intact this season. BUT, we've had enough, we won't accept moral victories, this is serious college hoops people!! The Gophers are a legendary program full of outstanding seasons and incredible coaches and players!! One measly "best season in forever" isn't good enough to stay hired at our incredible university, we demand outstanding achievements regardless of the adversity our coaches face. Can't get your 8 remaining players to "gel" and outperform healthier, more talented, and complete teams? Get out of here!! We'll just call up coach K and get him on the next chartered plane to MPLS!! After all, we're the Gophers, and the rest of the country knows of our high standards and expectations.
If you're a poster who refuses to acknowledge the progress that our team has made over the past two games, you need to seriously ask yourself why you're a fan in the first place. Are you actually a Gophers fan? Or are you somebody who looks forward to being contrary?
I was at the Michigan game with my friend who's a Wolverines fan. I told him about all of the posters on GH calling for Pitino's head and he laughed out loud. I've spoken with fans of other teams, and they have a much different perception than those who's heads are clouded by the past 20 years of Gophers hoops failure. They see a team on the rise. As do I. When I walked into Crisler Center I expected to witness a 25 point drubbing. Yet, they nearly pulled it out, and likely would have had Murphy not picked up his 4th foul with 10 minutes to play. Pitino created a lineup that could and would compete, and found a way to make the game close. Proving that it wasn't an anomaly, they hung close with a far more capable Nebraska team. If that isn't progress, then I don't know what is.
It all comes down to expectations. Obviously, the expectations for this team changed with the loss of Lynch, the loss of Coffey, and now McBrayer being questionable.
But, that does not absolve Pitino of all responsibility. He is the head coach. he is responsible for the team that goes out on the court. and whether that team is made up of starters, subs, walk-ons or intermural players, the head coach is responsible for getting those players to hustle and show effort.
There have been times this year when I saw a team on the court that did not hustle and show effort. that's on the players, but it's also on the coach.
to be clear, I am NOT saying Pitino should be fired. I am saying that I saw some things this year I did not like, and cause me some concern for the future.
so, I want to see things improve next year. Regardless of who is on the court, I want to see a Gopher team that hustles and shows constant effort. If that happens, the results will follow.
Again, NOT saying Pitino should be fired. But, I am saying that Pitino still has a lot to prove as a D1 head coach, and he does not get a pass on some of the issues this season, just because the team was missing a few players.
+1I'm guessing there a quite a few teams there were in the top 15 to start the year that could withstand a suspension and 2 injuries. Depth is also something that a coach should be expected to achieve.