Reality

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Go Gophs said:
Bo is a far superior coach. Gard has just kept his program going. Make no mistake about that. Without Bo Ryan, he wouldn't have ever had this success he has IMO.
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He would not be where he is without Ryan. Bot for me, he had a great deal to do with Ryan's success and make no mistake, has put his own stamp on it. He is held in very high regard by every coach, every parent every player that has been in a camp or clinic. He is far more dignified than Bo. Bo played a role in two empty classes.
 



Reality is that we have a GREAT shot at a top 4 finish in the B1G
 

5-4 during tough stretch

Finish strong
 


PoockItInfor6 said:
Reality is that we have a GREAT shot at a top 4 finish in the B1G
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Let's say we win every remaining home game.

How many of the remaining six road games would we need to win, to finish top four?


If it's more than two of those, then I'm not sure how "great" our chance is, based on results so far.

The unbelievable -- absurd, really -- delta between the outcomes of the game in Ann Arbor, and then 10 days later at home, when it's the exact same teams with the exact same players, proves that something is fundamentally broken with this team and its operation when it tries to do travel basketball.

I have no idea what that is. Hopefully they figure it out.
 
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MplsGopher said:
Let's say we win every remaining home game.

How many of the remaining six road games would we need to win, to finish top four?


If it's more than two of those, then I'm not sure how "great" our chance is, based on results so far.

The unbelievable -- absurd, really -- delta between the outcomes of the game in Ann Arbor, and then 10 days later at home, when it's the exact same teams with the exact same players, proves that something is fundamentally broken with this team and its operation when it tries to do travel basketball.

I have no idea what that is. Hopefully they figure it out.
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I think Gophs can really only lose two more games to finish in top four, so 4-2 on the road if they go undefeated at home. Pretty tall order.
 

MplsGopher said:
Let's say we win every remaining home game.

How many of the remaining six road games would we need to win, to finish top four?


If it's more than two of those, then I'm not sure how "great" our chance is, based on results so far.

The unbelievable -- absurd, really -- delta between the outcomes of the game in Ann Arbor, and then 10 days later at home, when it's the exact same teams with the exact same players, proves that something is fundamentally broken with this team and its operation when it tries to do travel basketball.

I have no idea what that is. Hopefully they figure it out.
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I don't know. I really think that this team more than others gets frustrated quickly when things don't go their way, and can get way out of rhythm when the odds of winning become low. Notice that they stayed in the games in the first half quite well in 3 of the 4 road games before things got out of hand in the second half.

While I'd like the team to stick with the gameplan throughout thick and thin, they wouldn't be the first quality team to relent nearing the point of improbability. That they have stuck with it to win a few close games at home and only relented in the road losses - ALL of which were against very good teams - suggests this team isn't really as bad on the road as the final scores would indicate.

Furthermore, I would go back to another very good team that played similarly, that of a couple of Willie Burton's teams back ca. 1989. They too didn't win very many road games in a staunch Big Ten season, but won their games at home before showing just how good they really were en route to a couple of very successfully NCCA Tournament runs (Sweet 16, Elite 8). The ONLY two Gopher teams that ever significantly overcame road woes in my cognizant lifetime won the Big Ten (~1982 and 96/97). This Gopher team is not going to win the B1G, but they can be very good.
 

According to Dakich, every B1G team can use which ever basketball they want. Someone tell me why the B1G doesn’t have a conference ball that everyone uses?
 




MplsGopher said:
The unbelievable -- absurd, really -- delta between the outcomes of the game in Ann Arbor, and then 10 days later at home, when it's the exact same teams with the exact same players, proves that something is fundamentally broken with this team and its operation when it tries to do travel basketball.

I have no idea what that is. Hopefully they figure it out.
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You could say the same things about Michigan as their two road wins were vs. Neb and Maryland - who aren't exactly BIG contenders. Lets see what happens when we go on the road vs. some of the non-top teams. If we are still getting blown out or beaten by +10, then we have a travel problem. If we win or lose a couple nail bitters, then I don't think we do.
With the 3 transfers, going to Illinois for their first road game ever and first in the BIG. They really had no idea what to expect with the intensity, physicality and home cooking officiating. Those three learned quite a bit from that and even though we have let things get away from us the past two road games, we were in those games for the first half.
Lets hope the game at Nebby is played and we get to see this team put it together on the road and come up with their first victory away from The Barn and can continue that during the second half of the schedule.
 

Pete smith said:
According to Dakich, every B1G team can use which ever basketball they want. Someone tell me why the B1G doesn’t have a conference ball that everyone uses?
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It has been that way for a long time in the ACC, home team chooses the ball brand. IT matters but not as much as one would think as you can practice with whatever ball is going to be used. Shooting background matters, routine matters. But elite teams find a way to win anywhere. Lombardi said of homefield advantage that the reason there is such a thing is he simply had the better team. I know of a program that believes in being sound no matter where you play and those players are motivated to the gills to win on the road. They have been trained to embrace the challenge, stay emotionally tough. They are taught that as competitors that the joy is in the competition. Competitors love to compete.
 

Aside from talent (of course), the champions are the teams that consistently bring the effort and focus. No reason that can't be us going forward. We're in position.
 



PMWinSTP said:
I think Gophs can really only lose two more games to finish in top four, so 4-2 on the road if they go undefeated at home. Pretty tall order.
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I would be absolutely shocked if 4th place this year finished better than 13-7
 




BarnBurner said:
Of course wanting him to succeed has nothing to do with the results. You really think this needs to be stated?

btw - he appears to be a great guy, and funny as well.
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builtbadgers said:
A example of how fans let what they want influence their view of results. The next step is to inflate accomplishments, make excuses for losses. Just the nature of fans. As for great guy and funny, to each their own.
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One thing we know for sure is that Pitino isn't as great or funny a guy as Tony Bennett or Greg Gard.
 


fryguy22 said:
I would be absolutely shocked if 4th place this year finished better than 13-7
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Yes. A lot of teams ahead of us in the standings still have plenty of tough games to go. They'll take some punishment.
 

stocker08 said:
One thing we know for sure is that Pitino isn't as great or funny a guy as Tony Bennett or Greg Gard.
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I actually think he is funnier than Gard. Greg is very dry and straightforward. Bennett limits his humor to those he has relationships. Just different for each person. I personally do not find Pitino funny. No big deal. Not butt hurt if others do. Just like I am not angry if other fans think he is one of the best coaches in the conference. We have fans that think that and they are entitled to that.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Bump
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Of course. Also, as a whole, this roster is much more talented than Wisconsin. This really shouldn't be up for debate. Does that mean we finish ahead of them? Not really, but we have a shot.

Not only are Carr and Robbins better than anything Wisconsin has, they are a better combo than almost every team in the Big Ten.
 


Pete smith said:
According to Dakich, every B1G team can use which ever basketball they want. Someone tell me why the B1G doesn’t have a conference ball that everyone uses?
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I am thinking the U's contract with Nike includes equipment. If the B1G can get contracts big enough to make OSU and Michigan happy, we would have an official basketball.
 

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