The Drive for (at minimal) the #10 Seed in Chicago

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Gut feeling is 8-10 with a home win over Wisconsin would require 2 wins in Chicago to have a fighting chance. Assuming loss in semifinals the final road/neutral record would be 5-11. That's still pretty bad, but hopefully there would be at least 4-5 top-50 wins on the resume.

Still think it's pretty important to beat MSU or Wisconsin on the road. If we beat Badgers once, it's better if it happens in Madison, or in Chicago.
 

Through Feb. 18: At least temporarily, Gophs back to playing on Wednesday

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools...014-[U]15[/U]/misc_non_event/bracket_2015.pdf

The modest goal now for the Gophers is to avoid Big Ten Tournament Wednesday. Not out of the realm of possibility that both Northwestern and Penn State could pass the Gophers.

All remaining regular-season games are listed. Next update after tonight's (Thursday) games.

Double Byes
1. Wisconsin (12-1): Gophers, @ Maryland, Michigan State, @ Gophers, @ Ohio State
2. Maryland (9-4): Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, @ Rutgers, @ Nebraska
3. Michigan State (9-4): @ Illinois, Gophers, @ Wisconsin, Purdue, @ Indiana
4. Purdue (9-4): @ Indiana, Rutgers, @ Ohio State, @ Michigan State, Illinois

Single Byes
5. Ohio State (8-5): @ Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue, @ Penn State, Wisconsin
6. Indiana (8-5): Purdue, @ Rutgers, @ Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan State
7. Illinois (7-6): Michigan State, @ Iowa, Northwestern, Nebraska, @ Purdue
8. Iowa (6-6): Rutgers, @ Nebraska, Illinois, @ Penn State, @ Indiana, Northwestern
9. Michigan (6-8): Ohio State, @ Maryland, @ Northwestern, Rutgers
10. Nebraska (5-8): @ Maryland, Iowa, @ Ohio State, @ Illinois, Maryland

The Fab 4 (playing on Wednesday)
11. GOPHERS (5-9): @ Wisconsin, @ Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State
12. Northwestern (3-10): Penn State, Indiana, @ Illinois, Michigan, @ Iowa
13. Penn State (3-11): @ Northwestern, Iowa, Ohio State, @ Gophers
14. Rutgers (2-11): @ Iowa, Indiana, @ Purdue, Maryland, @ Michigan

GOPHERS currently drawing Rutgers at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Chicago, with Indiana waiting in the wings on Day 2.
 

Rutgers, IU, MSU, Maryland, Anyone not Wisconsin is at least not the worst path in the world.
 

Through Feb. 20: Gophers reclaim #10 seed with Nebraska loss

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools...o_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/15BTTbracket.pdf

The modest goal now for the Gophers is to avoid Big Ten Tournament Wednesday. All remaining regular-season games are listed. Next update after Saturday's games.

Double Byes
1. Wisconsin (12-1): Gophers, @ Maryland, Michigan State, @ Gophers, @ Ohio State
2. Maryland (10-4): Wisconsin, Michigan, @ Rutgers, @ Nebraska
3. Purdue (10-4): Rutgers, @ Ohio State, @ Michigan State, Illinois
4. Michigan State (9-4): @ Illinois, Gophers, @ Wisconsin, Purdue, @ Indiana

Single Byes
5. Ohio State (8-5): @ Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue, @ Penn State, Wisconsin
6. Indiana (8-6): @ Rutgers, @ Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan State
7. Illinois (7-6): Michigan State, @ Iowa, Northwestern, Nebraska, @ Purdue
8. Iowa (7-6): @ Nebraska, Illinois, @ Penn State, @ Indiana, Northwestern
9. Michigan (6-8): Ohio State, @ Maryland, @ Northwestern, Rutgers
10. GOPHERS (5-9): @ Wisconsin, @ Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State

The Fab 4 (playing on Wednesday)
11. Nebraska (5-9): Iowa, @ Ohio State, @ Illinois, Maryland
12. Northwestern (3-10): Penn State, Indiana, @ Illinois, Michigan, @ Iowa
13. Penn State (3-11): @ Northwestern, Iowa, Ohio State, @ Gophers
14. Rutgers (2-12): Indiana, @ Purdue, Maryland, @ Michigan

GOPHERS currently drawing Illinois at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Chicago, with Maryland waiting in the wings on Quarterfinal Friday.
 

This is a serious question because I don't know basketball that well, so please don't interpret this as a backhanded shot at the team framed as a question (I've been critical of the team, but I'm always pretty direct when I do it). Where do we sit in terms of the NIT? As it sits now we will be dogs in 4 of our next 5 (including the BTT game). If the team that is "supposed" to win wins all five of those, that leaves us at 6-12 B1G, one and done in the BTT, and no really impressive OOC wins (Georgia being the best?). Does that make us a bubble team for the NIT? If not, are we a shoe-in or are we on the wrong side?
 


Stick in the 7-10 game against Ill. Hope Purdue gets to #2. Pray someone else knocks off Wiscy. So, you're telling me there's a chance.
 

N'western

Northwestern has the tiebreaker with the Gophers and a remaining schedule were they could get 2-3 more wins.
 

Ope3 said:
Northwestern has the tiebreaker with the Gophers and a remaining schedule were they could get 2-3 more wins.
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Yep, both Northwestern and Penn State have a shot to pass the Gophers. Could drop as low as 13.
 

For this Gopher team I'd be more intrigued by the CBI than NIT

I'd actually rather see the Gophers play in the CBI than the NIT. The CBI usually takes/finds 2 or 3 Power 6 teams every season; last year it was Oregon State, Penn State, and Texas A&M. The Gophers certainly would be a viable candidate if passed over by the NIT (very possible).

Yes, I know we'd lose a little money in the deal. I think competing schools are required to make some kind of financial commitment, but it would be something a little different than the NIT. ... get to the finals and you play a best-of-3 series for the title. The final series is televised on CBS Sports Network.

Who else could say they won DIFFERENT back-to-back postseason championships?!!!! If the Gophers win back-to-back NIT titles we're going to get mocked anyways, so that's why I want to see us land in the CBI. A little variety never hurt anyone.

Here's what the CBI bracket looked like year.
http://www.gazellegroup.com/events/cbi/cbi14_bracket.pdf
 



Dumb Question #1 --- What is the tiebreaker with Nebraska? Obviously we split the head to head. What is the next criteria?
 

golfing18now said:
Dumb Question #1 --- What is the tiebreaker with Nebraska? Obviously we split the head to head. What is the next criteria?
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Winning percentage vs. the #1 seed, if not broken then vs. the #2 seed, #3 seed, etc., until the tie is broken. Currently Gophers have it because they are 1-1 vs. Purdue, Nebraska is 0-1 vs. Purdue.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
This is a serious question because I don't know basketball that well, so please don't interpret this as a backhanded shot at the team framed as a question (I've been critical of the team, but I'm always pretty direct when I do it). Where do we sit in terms of the NIT? As it sits now we will be dogs in 4 of our next 5 (including the BTT game). If the team that is "supposed" to win wins all five of those, that leaves us at 6-12 B1G, one and done in the BTT, and no really impressive OOC wins (Georgia being the best?). Does that make us a bubble team for the NIT? If not, are we a shoe-in or are we on the wrong side?
Click to expand...

In addition to our record, the number of automatic qualifiers (teams that win their regular conference season but lose their conference tournament and don't get an at large NCAA berth) will impact whether or not we make the NIT. There are usually between 9 to 12 of those teams getting into the NIT each year. If there are 12, that leaves only 20 at large teams for the NIT to select and a team with a 17-15 record and a low RPI isn't looking like a great bet.

In any event, even if we do make the NIT, we won't be getting another #1 seed if we have an 18-15 record; that's probably a fourth seed at best. I think the Gophers had an 18-15 record when they went to the NIT in 2012 and they got a sixth seed. That run was pretty impressive considering they were an injury depleted team that had to play all of their games on the road.
 

SelectionSunday said:
I'd actually rather see the Gophers play in the CBI than the NIT. The CBI usually takes/finds 2 or 3 Power 6 teams every season; last year it was Oregon State, Penn State, and Texas A&M. The Gophers certainly would be a viable candidate if passed over by the NIT (very possible).

Here's what the CBI bracket looked like year.
http://www.gazellegroup.com/events/cbi/cbi14_bracket.pdf
Click to expand...

Well, in the past, that tournament has managed to salvage the seasons somewhat for mediocre Oregon State, Oregon, and Pitt teams. We may also have the advantage of having more games at home than we would in the NIT. As far as the money sunk, I think Pitino can make a case that if the athletic department was willing to spend $800 K to cancel games with UNC, they ought to be willing to spend some money for a post-season tournament.
 



cjbfbp said:
Well, in the past, that tournament has managed to salvage the seasons somewhat for mediocre Oregon State, Oregon, and Pitt teams. We may also have the advantage of having more games at home than we would in the NIT. As far as the money sunk, I think Pitino can make a case that if the athletic department was willing to spend $800 K to cancel games with UNC, they ought to be willing to spend some money for a post-season tournament.
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That tournament also managed to ruin a season for Washington, back in 2008 or so. They were having a decent season after a rough 2007, accepted a bid to the CBI, then lost by 30 at home to a Horizon League bottom-feeder (I think it was Wright State, but details are fuzzy) in addition to taking a financial bath on the deal.
 

GopherRock said:
That tournament also managed to ruin a season for Washington, back in 2008 or so. They were having a decent season after a rough 2007, accepted a bid to the CBI, then lost by 30 at home to a Horizon League bottom-feeder (I think it was Wright State, but details are fuzzy) in addition to taking a financial bath on the deal.
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Fair point, GR, but losing in the CBI (or NIT) isn't going to make this season any more disappointing than it already is. All that really matters is the Gophers fell well short of the NCAA (barring a BTT championship) in a season where they returned a lot of experienced players from a wrong-side-of-the-NCAA-bubble team (previous season). I just think the CBI would be more interesting because it'd be different. Gets old playing in the NIT. We do it way too much.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Fair point, GR, but losing in the CBI (or NIT) isn't going to make this season any more disappointing than it already is. All that really matters is the Gophers fell well short of the NCAA (barring a BTT championship) in a season where they returned a lot of experienced players from a wrong-side-of-the-NCAA-bubble team (previous season). I just think the CBI would be more interesting because it'd be different. Gets old playing in the NIT. We do it way too much.
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I'm going to disagree with you on this one. Not on the fact that this season pretty much can't get any more disappointing. I am upset we will fall short of the NCAA (like you said, obviously we could still win the BTT). But I want us to finish as well as we can, and if that means repeating as champs of the NIT, then so be it. Just like I'd rather make the NCAA than win the NIT, I'd rather make the NIT than win the CBI. All the more so since I believe the CBI is enough of a joke that programs sometimes turn down invitations (that is the tournament both us and Indiana have rejected in the past, right?).
 

Once the Gophers aren't in the NCAA (any season), I don't get uptight about anything after Selection Sunday. Sure I want the Gophers to win (NIT, CBI), will watch them play if on TV, but not with any of the nervousness/intensity as when the games really matter (regular season/BTT/NCAA).

It's bonus basketball, some extra games for the returning players, that's about it. As we learned this season, previous season NIT success doesn't guarantee anything. Sometimes teams build off it and turn it into a NCAA bid the following season, others don't. Unfortunately the Gophers -- despite having an experienced squad returning -- fell into the latter.
 

GopherRock said:
That tournament also managed to ruin a season for Washington, back in 2008 or so. They were having a decent season after a rough 2007, accepted a bid to the CBI, then lost by 30 at home to a Horizon League bottom-feeder (I think it was Wright State, but details are fuzzy) in addition to taking a financial bath on the deal.
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I looked it up. That was the first CBI I believe. It was Valparaiso who beat them and they lost by 1 point at home. Valpo then got stomped by Houston in the next game. Come to think of it, that would be a fitting end to this season for the Gophers - losing by one at home to Valpo.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
But I want us to finish as well as we can, and if that means repeating as champs of the NIT, then so be it. Just like I'd rather make the NCAA than win the NIT, I'd rather make the NIT than win the CBI.
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A lot of you seem to care a great deal about the prestige of the tournament. After 35 years or so of being a big college basketball fan, I'm too old to care about that anymore. My main goal is to see the season extended and and the team pick up as many wins as they can the rest of the way. I look at it this way:

If you can't win 2 games in the NCAA tournament, then you are mostly just fodder for the better teams and might be better off playing in the NIT.

If you can't win 2 games in the NIT, then maybe the CBI is a better choice.

On the whole I'd rather see them play in the NIT than the CBI but I don't think they get a seed in the NIT close to last year's unless there is an overachieving finish in the cards.
 


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