As we muddle through the non conference schedule, I am wondereing how this will prepare us for the Big Ten match ups we will face starting in January. There are two thought patterns that are evident with top 25 teams: Play a schedule that toughens your team, exposes areas that needed to be improved on, and hopefully builds confidence that you can play with Tier 1 competition and be more prepared for the big ten schedule. Secondly, there is a defensive mind set that pits us against low level teams that only really proves that you can beat bad teams, consistently. I would argue that a stronger mix of non conference teams (even if you lose them) will help your team and not hinder your chances for an NCAA birth. When you think you are are truly a "bubble team" I can see some case being made for the later approach, but we seem to be past this stage in year 3 with Tubby.
With this being said, one saving grace for this schedule is that we have 10 decent players that can compete with each other in practice every day. Also, the fact that a couple of the starting positions are still somewhat fluid will ensure that the practices are truly our biggest asset with the current schedule.
With all the negative items that have come out over the past couple of weeks I still believe that the Gophers should be expected to finish fourth (or better) in the big ten, and have a very legitimate chance to make it to the sweet 16. We can all wish and hope that everything would go smoothly, but if rarely ever does. Injuries and off-court issues are generally going to happen to some degree. The good teams, with good coaching will use this as motivation for additional playing time and often times brings teams closer together. I expect the Gophers to go through the non conference schedule unblemished with a 12-6 Big Ten record. High expectations? Maybe, but with this team I will be disappointed with anything less.
With this being said, one saving grace for this schedule is that we have 10 decent players that can compete with each other in practice every day. Also, the fact that a couple of the starting positions are still somewhat fluid will ensure that the practices are truly our biggest asset with the current schedule.
With all the negative items that have come out over the past couple of weeks I still believe that the Gophers should be expected to finish fourth (or better) in the big ten, and have a very legitimate chance to make it to the sweet 16. We can all wish and hope that everything would go smoothly, but if rarely ever does. Injuries and off-court issues are generally going to happen to some degree. The good teams, with good coaching will use this as motivation for additional playing time and often times brings teams closer together. I expect the Gophers to go through the non conference schedule unblemished with a 12-6 Big Ten record. High expectations? Maybe, but with this team I will be disappointed with anything less.
