So, let the debate begin. Better season, Iowa or Minnesota?

Who had the better season

  • Iowa Hawkeyes

    Votes: 15 17.2%

  • Minnesota Golden Gophers

    Votes: 72 82.8%
  • Total voters
    87
Donate To GopherHole
Miles Tarver

Miles Tarver

Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2011
Messages
524
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Iowa finishes the season 20-13, Loses 7 of their 8 and limps into the tourney. Iowa loses the play in game of the NCAA's but still made the big dog tourney.

The Gophers finish 25-13, win 7 of their last 8 and capture the NIT title.

In your opinion, who had the better season?
 

I voted Minnesota, but only because the regular seasons of each team were basically identical. The selection committee could have just as easily chose the Gophers instead of the Hawkeyes, but they didn't. I'd still much rather be in the NCAA tournament than win the NIT, but in this specific scenario I think the Gophers had the better season. How each team finished the regular season is not as important to me as the overall body of work, which was even headed in to their respective tournaments. So Minnesota had the better season, but I'd still rather be in Iowa's spot and be able to add an NCAA tournament appearance to the rafters. You can't become a regular tournament team without actually making the tournament in consecutive years.
 

EG#9 said:
I voted Minnesota, but only because the regular seasons of each team were basically identical. The selection committee could have just as easily chose the Gophers instead of the Hawkeyes, but they didn't. I'd still much rather be in the NCAA tournament than win the NIT, but in this specific scenario I think the Gophers had the better season. How each team finished the regular season is not as important to me as the overall body of work, which was even headed in to their respective tournaments. So Minnesota had the better season, but I'd still rather be in Iowa's spot and be able to add an NCAA tournament appearance to the rafters. You can't become a regular tournament team without actually making the tournament in consecutive years.
Click to expand...

yeah, I agree with you. I think this is the perfect example of ....at what point does the NIT route take over the NCAA tournament entry. (if it does)
 

Iowa made the tournament by the skin of their teeth and their run lasted as long as the time Britney Spears married that dude after a drunken Vegas bender. I'll take our NIT championship run and the springboard it will provide over an opening round loss any day. Ask anyone when the tournament starts and they'll tell you Thursday, not with the play-in games.
 

WindyCityGopher said:
Iowa made the tournament by the skin of their teeth and their run lasted as long as the time Britney Spears married that dude after a drunken Vegas bender. I'll take our NIT championship run and the springboard it will provide over an opening round loss any day. Ask anyone when the tournament starts and they'll tell you Thursday, not with the play-in games.
Click to expand...

Hey dpo, when does the ncaa tournament start?
 


Iowa without a doubt.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 

Iowa. They made the tournament.
 

I would say Minnesota.

JMO but NIT title > Play-In Loss


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 





In black and white terms, Iowa. Considering context, Minnesota. This was Iowa's best team in decades and they imploded under rabid expectations. This was supposed to be a total rebuild job for Minnesota and they won 25 games, narrowly missed the tourney and played until April.
 

Iowa didn't make the tourney. They made the play-in-game. For me the tourney doesn't start until Thursday morning at 11am when the real games start.
 

A title we don't want to defend

The most important thing for the Gopher program now is they not return to defend this title. It's the title nobody wants to defend. Should be plenty of motivation for the fellas' (especially the seniors) to make their Thanksgiving trip to MSG their last one.
 



I voted Gophers for sure. But Iowa made the ncaa tournament to say the play in games are not the tournament is wrong. 68 team field.
 

So you'd rather play for 69th place than for 1st?
 

I would normally say a team that made the tournament had a better year than a team who won the NIT's, however you have to look at the totality of the circumstances. The U has a brand new coach with name power, appealing style of play, young, and just won a championship (NIT is nothing to scoff at) while Iowa had a steadily declining year and has a spaz as a head coach. With that being said, I think MN had a better year overall and will help the program with recruiting, attendance, etc.
 

XMan said:
. ... To say the play in games are not the tournament is wrong. 68 team field.
Click to expand...

Yep.

Iowa did not capitalize on its First Four at-large bid, but VCU (Final Four), La Salle (Sweet 16), and Tennessee (Sweet 16), among others, all might wanna' argue that the First Four has plenty of merit.
 

BarnBoy said:
Iowa didn't make the tourney. They made the play-in-game. For me the tourney doesn't start until Thursday morning at 11am when the real games start.
Click to expand...

The play-in-game is cbb equivalent of the MLB tie-breaker game. The winner goes to the post season, the loser accomplishes nothing. Iowa merely had an opportunity to play itself into the Dance and lost. Iowa not in the tourney, therefore Minnesota had the more successful season. Had Iowa made it past Dayton, my opinion would be opposite.
 

EG#9 and balds sum up my sentiments pretty succinctly. There's no question that getting to the NCAA tournament is any way, shape, or form is preferable to going to the NIT, but a little context is needed to help qualify things.

Whatever the result, I haven't been this happy with a Gopher basketball team in a long time. Entertaining team that plays hard and actually plays something I recognize as opposed to five guys simply standing around. I hope we can hang on to Richard Pitino for a decade. I was skeptical when he got the job, but it's pretty obvious he knows what he's doing and can motivate his team.
 

XMan said:
I voted Gophers for sure. But Iowa made the ncaa tournament to say the play in games are not the tournament is wrong. 68 team field.
Click to expand...

Just like it's "right" to call the first round games "second round games", right?
 

Iowa failed to meet my expectations for them. The Gophers exceeded my expectations. I was prepared for the Gophers' season to play out like Indiana's did.
 

EG#9 said:
I voted Minnesota, but only because the regular seasons of each team were basically identical. The selection committee could have just as easily chose the Gophers instead of the Hawkeyes, but they didn't. I'd still much rather be in the NCAA tournament than win the NIT, but in this specific scenario I think the Gophers had the better season. How each team finished the regular season is not as important to me as the overall body of work, which was even headed in to their respective tournaments. So Minnesota had the better season, but I'd still rather be in Iowa's spot and be able to add an NCAA tournament appearance to the rafters. You can't become a regular tournament team without actually making the tournament in consecutive years.
Click to expand...

This is well said, and mirrors my thoughts for the most part. I'd also throw in the "expectations" aspect. Iowa was thought to be taking that next step, so to bow out like that is a hit to them. Not much was expected here, and to win the NIT with Pitino's first year, isn't a bad way to get things going for him.
 

Honestly as a fan I prefer an NIT championship to a first round bounce. First off I get to see the team more. Secondly more games is great for the team, especially in a tourney type setting. 3rd its more hype/publicity for the team (obviously there's not much hype for the NIT but playing on ESPN a few more times can't hurt. 4th if you don't have a team that can legitimately compete for the title, the NIT championship is a better way to end the season than losing in the play in game and then being immediately forgotten about nationally.
 

I have no expectations for Iowa. Minnesota's run in the NIT fulfilled the need for a tourney championship. Now, to move on from here into the big dance.
 

Iowa/Minnesota

I can't say Minnesota had a better year, but I think it's easy to feel better about how things turned out for the Gophers than the Hawkeyes. Minnesota advanced to the Big 10 Quarters and had 5 NIT wins including 2 on a nuetral court against some big names.

Iowa had talent to get to the Elite 8/Final Found but imploded, ended on losses to a wounded N'western in Indy and collapsed vs the Vols failing even reach the Round of 64.

It would fun to win trophies in MSG in the same CALENDER year.
 

Ope3 said:
I can't say Minnesota had a better year, but I think it's easy to feel better about how things turned out for the Gophers than the Hawkeyes. Minnesota advanced to the Big 10 Quarters and had 5 NIT wins including 2 on a nuetral court against some big names.

Iowa had talent to get to the Elite 8/Final Found but imploded, ended on losses to a wounded N'western in Indy and collapsed vs the Vols failing even reach the Round of 64.
Click to expand...

+1 This sums up how I see things. Iowa had a better year but was a huge underachiever, thus their fans should not be happy right now. Minnesota had a worst year, but overachieved with a new, young, and promising head coach, thus we feel pretty good about the season as a whole.
 

Homer alert:

So this question needs to be taken in context and I think preseason (or at least pre-B1G) expectations need to be considered. Not many had us as a lock to get in the tourney. Many had Iowa getting to the Final Four.

For many, their definition of success hinges completely on an NCAA tourney appearance. It's an either/or, off/on, hot/cold argument for these people. That's fine.

Here's an exaggerated example. Who had the better year?
  • The #1 (preseason) team in the country loses a play-in game
  • A bottom-dweller wins the NIT.
Back to Iowa/MN, I'd much rather be us right now. Winning 7 of last 8. Good feelings. Momentum into next year. Does that make for a successful season?

Comes back to the definition of "better season" for which their is no clear definition.
 

Tough question, but an interesting one. If you look at it from the stand point of which team ended on a better note, it's definitely the Gophers. If you look at it strictly from an achievement standpoint, it's probably Iowa, even though they didn't even make it into the final 64. Even still, Iowa did make it to the NCAAs and the Gophers did not.

Having said that, with how badly Iowa struggled down the stretch, it makes for an interesting conversation. In the end, I voted for the Gophers because they finished on a high note while the Hawkeyes fell apart in the final month. In other words, its all about momentum heading into next year for me and right now, Minnesota has it while Iowa does not.

I guess the best analogy I could come up with is that Iowa's season looked eerily similar to last year for the Gophers (taking into account that the Gophers actually made the round of 64 and then actually won a game, neither of which Iowa did this year). Still, there were quite a few posters, myself included, that weren't exactly thrilled with how things turned out last season. And I happen to know Iowa fans were severely disappointed with how their year concluded.
 

We might be conflating to issues here: better/worse season or disappointing/pleasanty surprising season.

Iowa had the better season, they played in the tournament we wish we were in. I don't think better/worse season analysis includes expectations.

However, a lot of people thought Iowa was going to be really good this year, so I am sure a first four loss was disappointing for them. Conversely, I bet some people expected us to miss the NIT altogether this year, and others certainly didn't think we would be a bubble team who went on to win the NIT. Se we can be pleasantly surprised.
 

We can say without a doubt that the Gophers have had a better two year run. NCAA Tourney Second Round win + NIT Champions >>>>>>> NCAA Tourney appearance + NIT runner up (blown out).
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom