STrib: Top Big Ten coaches say Gophers will be a much-improved basketball team

[BleedGopher]

per Marcus:

"One guy that I think was in so many close games last year, so many games that could have gone either way, including two with us, is Richard Pitino," Crean said. "And I think he's on the cusp of getting that team to where he wants it to be, playing the style of play that they want."

"You've got to have everybody from top to bottom doing their very best," Crean said. "I don't know a lot of people talking about Richard's team, but there are a lot of us thinking about it, I know we are, in the realm of how much better they're getting."

"Wisconsin has lost the least (players), so I think they're everybody's pick to win it," Izzo said. "But I think you're going to see improvement from teams like Illinois and Michigan who had a lot of injuries, and Minnesota. Those teams are going to improve a lot. Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State lost a lot of people."

http://www.startribune.com/top-big-...be-a-much-improved-basketball-team/396950871/

Go Gophers!!

 

[Ope3]

Improvement

4 Big 10 wins would be a 100% improvement.

 

[Winasota Gopher]

4 Big 10 wins would be a 100% improvement.

 

[Ope3]

I bet if you go through media day quotes from Izzo back to 2002 he's given compliments to Monson, Smith, & Pitino virtually every year. I am sure he means well but it, but feels like very feint praise given his record vs Minnesota through the years.

 

[march madness]

Ohio St looking to rebound.

You read a headline that Ohio st had a few transfers? But then you look and see they were bench players who weren't playing much. One decent back up center in Giddens. They return their top 6 scorers and should be a borderline top 25 team. They were 18-10 when Tate got hurt. I think they are returning the most rotation guys next to Wisconsin.

per Marcus:
"Wisconsin has lost the least (players), so I think they're everybody's pick to win it," Izzo said. "But I think you're going to see improvement from teams like Illinois and Michigan who had a lot of injuries, and Minnesota. Those teams are going to improve a lot. Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State lost a lot of people."

http://www.startribune.com/top-big-...be-a-much-improved-basketball-team/396950871/

Go Gophers!!

 

[OSUfan]

I bet if you go through media day quotes from Izzo back to 2002 he's given compliments to Monson, Smith, & Pitino virtually every year. I am sure he means well but it, but feels like very feint praise given his record vs Minnesota through the years.

Great observation. Izzo praises literally every coach in the B1G, from the top to the bottom, and he seems to think none of them should ever be fired. I understand they're your friends to some extent, but the reality of the business is the winners are rewarded and the losers are not - don't act like every coach should keep his job just because he has played some close games with you and beats you once every few years.

 

[SelectionSunday]

https://twitter.com/fieldof68freak/status/786576708245688320

 

[MadtownGopher]

https://twitter.com/fieldof68freak/status/786576708245688320

Yeah any time he does this I assume the coach is on the way out. I've also known he's done this for Tubby and Pitino when he was also recruiting Minnesota (Tyus/Tubby and Oturu/Pitino), likely because he wants underachieving coaches in place so he can raid their borders for their top talent.

 

[Stan]

https://twitter.com/fieldof68freak/status/786576708245688320

Izzo always pumps up teams with coaches under the most fire. Applies to Groce & Pitino & to lesser extent Chambers.

 

[go_gophers]

Good God, man! It's a fluff media day, not a 60 Minutes investigation. What do you expect him to say?

"I'd fire half the coaches in the conference. No one here knows how to coach as well as me. They're all wasting time trying to compete with us."

I think we're in need of some news (preferably good news). When there's down time, we tend to start up the over analysis train.

"That concludes our story, Tom Izzo: Nice Guy or Patronizing Jerk? Next up, John Groce: What's he hiding under that scalp? Later, Was Gene Keady ACTUALLY the Boilermaker mascot?"

 

[Stan]

Good God, man! It's a fluff media day, not a 60 Minutes investigation. What do you expect him to say?

"I'd fire half the coaches in the conference. No one here knows how to coach as well as me. They're all wasting time trying to compete with us."

I think we're in need of some news (preferably good news). When there's down time, we tend to start up the over analysis train.

"That concludes our story, Tom Izzo: Nice Guy or Patronizing Jerk? Next up, John Groce: What's he hiding under that scalp? Later, Was Gene Keady ACTUALLY the Boilermaker mascot?"

Relax guy. Just some conversation. No reason to get your blood pressure up.