Shama: Tauer isn’t interested in playing Minnesota in a future exhibition game. Medved isn’t interested at this time in a series of games.

BleedGopher

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Per Shama:

At Medved’s introductory news conference in March he was asked about the Tommies. The two schools haven’t played each other in men’s basketball since 1934. He expressed interest in a game then and also noted his friendship with St. Thomas head coach John Tauer.

“I really like John,” Medved said Saturday. “He’s a great guy, a great coach. So, we have a lot of respect for him and what they do.”

From a St. Thomas perspective, where might things be headed for a future meeting between the two schools whose campuses are just a long walk away from each other?

“We’ve said for four years, and we continue to say, we’d love to play the Gophers either in a …game at their place or start a home and home series,” Tauer told Sports Headliners this summer. ”We’d love to play them in a regular season game and our (future) schedule) is wide open.”

Tauer isn’t interested in playing Minnesota in a future exhibition game. Medved isn’t interested at this time in a series of games.

Medved didn’t go into a lot of details, but he said there are many factors impacting Big Ten teams like his that go into the scheduling process. (These can include timing on the calendar, prior commitments with other teams, logistics, and finances.) It’s also no secret that who you play in non-conference games, and whether you win, can make or break an invite to the NCAA Tournament and March Madness. Medved acknowledged you schedule to make the tournament.

Gopher players, not having to be concerned about anything but competing against opponents, might welcome facing their neighbors. A small sampling of players last week was favorable about a UST game.

“I would love to play St. Thomas,” said B.J. Omot …”We’ll see who really runs the cities. So that would be pretty cool to play them.”

Guard Isaac Asuma is intrigued, too. “I think it’s slowly getting put into motion, so I am ready for it.”

A third native Minnesotan and Gopher, Grayson Grove, is on board. “That’d be really fun. I know a bunch of the St. Thomas guys. Good friends with a bunch of them, so I think it would be really fun to play against them.”


Go Gophers!!
 




Someone needs to explain to BJ Omot, Grove and Asuma that playing St. Thomas would be exactly the same thing as playing Wayne St.
 





“I would love to play St. Thomas,” said B.J. Omot …”We’ll see who really runs the cities. So that would be pretty cool to play them.”
 





These teams should absolutely play every year. Chicken shit of MN to not do it.

Gophers offer to St. Thomas should be this: we will play you every year, but you have to hop on the bus, drive the 3.5-miles to Williams Arena from your campus, and you get $0 guarantee "buy" money. If that doesn't work for you, then it won't work for us.
 

Gophers offer to St. Thomas should be this: we will play you every year, but you have to hop on the bus, drive the 3.5-miles to Williams Arena from your campus, and you get $0 guarantee "buy" money. If that doesn't work for you, then it won't work for us.
I agree no buy money but play at each others place every other year. There would be lots of local interest and it would be a fun atmosphere. If Gophers are worried about losing to St. Thomas then they have bigger issues, IMO...
 



I would have zero issue playing a road game if St Thomas can prove it’s a perennial top 135 NET team (Q2 win/loss on the road for gophers).

They are well on their way to doing that.

In the meantime, make them come to the barn!
 

I agree no buy money but play at each others place every other year. There would be lots of local interest and it would be a fun atmosphere. If Gophers are worried about losing to St. Thomas then they have bigger issues, IMO...
Don't think it's a good idea to play an away game in a Summit League arena and forego the revenue. Either they come here for free or split the revenue at their place (they'll never do that). They have no leverage, why are we negotiating?
 

Don't think it's a good idea to play an away game in a Summit League arena and forego the revenue. Either they come here for free or split the revenue at their place (they'll never do that). They have no leverage, why are we negotiating?
3000 fans that will show up to watch MN play some sisters of the poor on a random December weeknight? Thats a drop in the bucket of revenue.
 

I agree no buy money but play at each others place every other year. There would be lots of local interest and it would be a fun atmosphere. If Gophers are worried about losing to St. Thomas then they have bigger issues, IMO...
Why not give them a guarantee? It seems like it could be a discount for sure. But you have to play some other garbage, no interest team to come to town in their place so why not? It's frankly inexcusable that the U has been avoiding regional DI teams. I get that the MBB program has been garbage but that's a bigger problem than potentially losing to a Dakota school or UST.
 

Why not give them a guarantee? It seems like it could be a discount for sure. But you have to play some other garbage, no interest team to come to town in their place so why not? It's frankly inexcusable that the U has been avoiding regional DI teams. I get that the MBB program has been garbage but that's a bigger problem than potentially losing to a Dakota school or UST.
There has been no shortage of boners.
 


I would have zero issue playing a road game if St Thomas can prove it’s a perennial top 135 NET team (Q2 win/loss on the road for gophers).

They are well on their way to doing that.

In the meantime, make them come to the barn!
I have no problem making them come to the barn, or maybe doing two at the barn and one at Target Center - something.

Just play the game. It'll be fun.
 




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