Tempering my enthusiasm

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Blizzard

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Ok, so now that I've settled down and am a bit delirious from lack of sleep, I want to take the dark side of the win last night.

Was North Carolina overated? Even though they are ranked 8th how much will this win help us should North Carolina fall off the ledge like they did last year? I know the Gophers played a great, great, game and we took down a perennial powerhouse but is this win as good as it appears?

Someone help me out here.
 

Did they look overrated, yes. But it is early and that can happen. Butler didn't look all that special when we beat them last year and they were one half court shot from the national title. Beating ranked teams at a neutral site is always good. Beating power conference teams at a neutral site is always good. Beating a name school anywhere is always good. So it was a good win for us anyway you look at. What it mostly shows is this team can compete with anyone...
 

This comes from someone who didn't see a minute of last night's game or any game this season, so certainly I can't provide a full picture, but. . .

When the pre-season rankings came out and the hype was there for the Tar Heels, I felt it was a bit much. Obviously they struggled last year, affected by injuries and some ineffective play in their backcourt. They got a talent infusion in Barnes, Marshall, and Bullock, and I'm guessing that as the season progresses, as long they can keep Zellar healthy they will be far removed from last season's debacle. On paper, they certainly have a nice core with those above listed players plus Henson and Strickland, but they don't strike me as the powerhouse UNC teams we've grown accustomed to. In a middling ACC, I would think they'll a strong contender for #2 and will likely be a top 15-20 team throughout the season.

I would guess that someday soon Gopher fans will be able to point to Barnes on a NBA floor and brag about our team being the only squad to ever throw an o-fer at him from the field.
 

I'm doing the same reality check this morning. I certainly don't think that UNC is as good as advertised, I think right now they are probably a borderline top 25 team that will improve to the top 15 by the end of the season and be a threat in the tourney. Just like Myron (and quite a few others) predicted, the Gophers caught them at the perfect time. A young, talented group of players that has not become a team yet. This was the first time they have played a team with size and defense.

What's exciting is that we've already played a good range of teams in terms of skill/size/style (I know, we're only 4 games in) and have adapted to each one, both offensively and defensively. Tubby's made the right adjustments in-game and at halftime to make us the stronger team in every 2nd half.

It's obvious that our size/length and defense is going to be our strength this year. To be the Devil's Advocate again, what type of team will give us the most trouble? Ohio State scares me - Buford/Diebler/Lighty could light us up. Rodney and Austin's D will be crucial come Big Ten season.
 

Again, from someone who hasn't seen a minute of action. . .

I was thinking about OSU and that we're going to be a very tough match-up for them. We're one of the few teams with the depth and muscle to (potentially) neutralize Sullinger, their freshman PG Craft is their only true point guard, and the matchups of Hoff/Diebler and Rodney/Buford could be a toss-up; how is the team that has one big and four guys off the ball going to deal with our muscle and tenancious on the ball defense?
 


UNC is a top 10 team when Barnes averages 18 a game...period. However, regardless of all the hype, he is a freshman and early on, he will have nights like this. The ability for Barnes to score, makes everyone else in baby blue look a lot better.

Are the overrated? Maybe, maybe not. Like someone posted previously, all we have to do is look at Butler last year. IMO, I wish the damn rankings didn't come out till the first of December. I think there is too much hype on some and too little hype on others to may pre-season rankings all that valid.

Nice weekend for the Gopher faithful and I truly believe this team has the chance to shock a bunch of teams this year. With Devoe on the floor, this is a contender in the B10.
 

I think UNC has a very young team, that will likely put it together throughout the year. We have rotation of veterans who played most of the game and did better than their young guys. When our Frosh rotation was out there, they schooled us for like 90 seconds. They are ranked on potential, like all preseason rankings.
 

What I liked about last night's game is that we never gave them a run at any point and our physical play matched or over matched theirs. Other than his one bad shot, I loved the play of Mo.
 

I don't know if UNC is overrated or not but they will always have matchup problems with a team with as much size as the Gophers. My belief is that the Gophers would give UNC a good game at any point during the season no matter how good UNC comes together.
 



I think UNC could be a legit top 15 team if they played Drew less and Marshall was their main PG. They have very little interior muscle and depth. The white kid (name starts with a Z) is a skilled player, but I really don't think of him as any sort of force and Henson is extremely talented but can get pushed around and absolutely can't hit a free throw.

I thought they were a completely different team with Marshall (top 15) than they were with Drew (probably closer to last year).
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I think UNC could be a legit top 15 team if they played Drew less and Marshall was their main PG. They have very little interior muscle and depth. The white kid (name starts with a Z) is a skilled player, but I really don't think of him as any sort of force and Henson is extremely talented but can get pushed around and absolutely can't hit a free throw.

I thought they were a completely different team with Marshall (top 15) than they were with Drew (probably closer to last year).
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Zeller. His older brother played at Notre Dame and his younger brother is committed to IU.
 

I would be suprised if we didn't go undefeated the rest of the season. If Carolina can't stop us, Who can? I do think West Virgina will be a tougher test.
 

Ahh, thoughtful replies. I was prepared to do a duck and cover after I posted this. I think I'm just taking the never get too high after a win or too low after a loss approach.

Seriously though - was that fabulous or what? A great win for Tubby and the team and, obviously, for us fans as well. There is some serious buzz around our program.
 



Blizzard said:
Ahh, thoughtful replies. I was prepared to do a duck and cover after I posted this. I think I'm just taking the never get too high after a win or too low after a loss approach.

Seriously though - was that fabulous or what? A great win for Tubby and the team and, obviously, for us fans as well. There is some serious buzz around our program.
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Good win and great buzz. That is what is great about beating a "name" regardless if they are over-rated or not.

Hope they keep it up. Wins over NC and West Virginia would be excellent...
 

They maybe be overrated. I think a better statement is that we are/were clearly UNDERRATED!
 

Goldentimeofday said:
They maybe be overrated. I think a better statement is that we are/were clearly UNDERRATED!
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how are the Gophers underrated? everyone pretty much picked them to finish in the top half of the B10 and they were only 6 point underdogs to the #8 ranked team in the country.

clearly aren't/weren't underrated.
 

Gophers intensity level was much better than North Carolina's. I think that is what a veteran team gives you. I think it bodes well for the rest of the season. They can and will compete with the Michigan States and Ohio States. Hoffarber and Nolen made play after play down the stretch. They have been there and done that before and know they can do it again.

They really have lots of weapons, getting Joseph back they will be that much better.
 


UNC is currently over-rated but will be a Top 25 team at the end of the season. Likewise, I think we'll be beat UVa fairly easily, but they'll be a decent ACC squad as well. Both will look better in March then they do now. That said, let's add a win over West Virginia to the resume and show we dominate the Mid-Atlantic.
 

I'd like to see what would happen if we play NC on their home court or in an NCAA tourney game. This win was awesome but doesn't mean much to me now except it will look good in our RPI at the end of the year.
 

scools12 said:
how are the Gophers underrated? everyone pretty much picked them to finish in the top half of the B10 and they were only 6 point underdogs to the #8 ranked team in the country.

clearly aren't/weren't underrated.
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I think consensus had them at 6th in BT/outside of top 25 in the country, which IMO has them looking underrated now.

I agree with the second part of your post - Vegas was not underrating us yesterday and 6 points was a bit closer line than i expected
 

gopheralum2000 said:
I'd like to see what would happen if we play NC on their home court or in an NCAA tourney game. This win was awesome but doesn't mean much to me now except it will look good in our RPI at the end of the year.
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You strike me as someone who may not be capable of enjoying courting. Only climax.
 

This UNC win could be the type that looks great when you get it but loses value as the year goes on, if UNC is indeed overrated. It could be that UNC this year is more like last year than they are in typical seasons - that's why this WVU game tomorrow is still very important, because I think you can count on WVU to have a solid, NCAA tourney-worthy season, and you'd wind up with at least one quality win and one buzz-worthy win from this tourney even if UNC fizzles this year.
 

This was an important win. We should be excited.

1. We didn't hide in a fetal position against a traditional power like Gardy's squads have done over the years.

2. We have a good reference point. That breeds confidence. UNC will make the tourney this year. They aren't a top 10 team but still likely a top 20-25 team.

3. It drastically improves what our NC schedule looks on paper. Playing UNC and WV is infinitely better than playing Hofstra and Davidson, especially considering the only other major conference team on our schedule is a pretty bad UVa team. Wofford, Siena, and Western Kentucky may all be above average mid-major teams but come on...it's Wofford, Siena, and Western Kentucky, not top tier major programs.

4. The game showed that we can dictate the pace of a game against teams with better perceived talent.

5. The game also showed that we have the capability of playing 40 minutes of intense basketball.

6. Finally, the game showed that we won against a quality opponent with proof that there's still a ton of improvement that we can make. We won without shooting FTs well. We won despite 19 turnovers. We won without career shooting nights. We won without Devoe.

Plenty to be optimistic about after last night. We'll win some. We'll lose some. However, last night showed that this team can win alot more than they lose.
 

This was a very good win to get and like others I think this could be a good RPI boost late in the season. However we've had big early season wins the last 2 years and still barely squeaked into the tournament. I think we all need to realize this was only game 4 of a very long season.
 

UNC=Miami Heat it is going to take them a while to get things going.
 

UNC may be overrated now but they will be a very good team as the year progresses. I do think MN played them at a good time as it will take UNC some time to develop. It was obvious that Roy Williams was upset with UNC's effort which I view as a very big compliment to MN's intensity. MN will have to continue to improve, but I think they are a solid team and can become very good if the freshman develop and Devoe returns to a prominent role with this team. At the end of this season, I would fully expect the UNC win to be labeled as a "big win" when NCAA tourney discussions are underway. Hopefully the Gophers will have a solid season and they won't be on the bubble again this year. The win over UNC won't mean as much if the Gophers don't play a solid game tomorrow night agains W. VA.
 

MN1nAZ said:
You strike me as someone who may not be capable of enjoying courting. Only climax.
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:clap: :clap: :clap: Awesome...reminds me of the kind of guy who is simply "wham/bam/thank you ma'am. But what are you like in your home bed or at the gang bang frat party." Great reply, MN1!!!!!!!
 


fryguy22 said:
I think consensus had them at 6th in BT/outside of top 25 in the country, which IMO has them looking underrated now.

I agree with the second part of your post - Vegas was not underrating us yesterday and 6 points was a bit closer line than i expected
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I agree that seemed to be the point most had MN. As of now, and although it is still early and lots can happen, the Gophs look like a top 20-25 team looking for a top 5 finish in the B10 and a 5 or 6 seed in the NCAA's. With a win tomorrow they would have to play themselves out of the NCAA's. I would think with a win tomorrow MN would be in the top 18-22 in the rankings and most NCAA predictions would have them as a 5 or 6.
 

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