This year's team

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GopherMike

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I have been a diehard Gopher fan for about 37 years now and I have got to say that I don't think I have ever felt more frustrated with a team than I have this year. Young talented teams are supposed to get better as the season goes on and this team has seriously regressed as the season has gone along.

This team doesn't seem to have a purpose on offense when they have to play half court. The ridiculous unforced errors are especially frustrating. Our point guard dribbling the ball of his foot and out of bounds, our big guys unable to catch a pass and it ends up being a fast break the other way, that type of thing.

I hope Al can get his game back because I really don't know what he is trying to do out there. I don't think it is a coincidence that this team started losing games when his game started to deteriorate. When all is said and done a team is really only as good as their point guard and we are just not getting the production needed.

Winning these last two games would improve my outlook considerably, but I don't have a good feeling about the Wisconsin game. They are playing really well right now and they will want payback.

I'm sorry to be so negative because I normally am not this way. I've just been waiting years for a championship level team and I had really high hopes for these guys after the great start.
 

I also had very high hopes that our team would keep exceling as the year went on. Lets just hope that our team gels and makes a run come tournament time. If they are going to pull everything together, now is definitely the time.
 

GopherMike said:
I have been a diehard Gopher fan for about 37 years now and I have got to say that I don't think I have ever felt more frustrated with a team than I have this year. Young talented teams are supposed to get better as the season goes on and this team has seriously regressed as the season has gone along.

This team doesn't seem to have a purpose on offense when they have to play half court. The ridiculous unforced errors are especially frustrating. Our point guard dribbling the ball of his foot and out of bounds, our big guys unable to catch a pass and it ends up being a fast break the other way, that type of thing.

I hope Al can get his game back because I really don't know what he is trying to do out there. I don't think it is a coincidence that this team started losing games when his game started to deteriorate. When all is said and done a team is really only as good as their point guard and we are just not getting the production needed.

Winning these last two games would improve my outlook considerably, but I don't have a good feeling about the Wisconsin game. They are playing really well right now and they will want payback.

I'm sorry to be so negative because I normally am not this way. I've just been waiting years for a championship level team and I had really high hopes for these guys after the great start.
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You may wish to commiserate with Syracuse fans. The Orange also started 16-1 but are now 20-8. It happens.
 


This year's team reminds me of hot MLB rookies who dominate early after getting called up. It seems like for many of those prospects scouts find out if they can't hit an inside fastball or an off-speed pitch, or they don't have a third pitch- and then it's a sudden jump off a cliff and they come back to earth or even sent back to AAA.

I think our holes were exposed and scouting caught up to us. We play tenacious defense, are good in transition, and have a decent perimeter game.
 


akgopher said:
This year's team reminds me of hot MLB rookies who dominate early after getting called up. It seems like for many of those prospects scouts find out if they can't hit an inside fastball or an off-speed pitch, or they don't have a third pitch- and then it's a sudden jump off a cliff and they come back to earth or even sent back to AAA.

I think our holes were exposed and scouting caught up to us. We play tenacious defense, are good in transition, and have a decent perimeter game.
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Dont forget the extemely weak non-con schedule, AK.
 


Friend Of Tubby said:
Very similar to the 2006-07 non-conference schedule. Remember? (9-22)
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Are we not in the 2008-2009 season? 2009-2010 on the horizon, fot. Sure is easy for fot to look in the rearview when convenient.

Talk today, fot. Nothing else matters. Win, baby.
 

TruthTeller said:
Are we not in the 2008-2009 season? 2009-2010 on the horizon, fot. Sure is easy for fot to look in the rearview when convenient.

Talk today, fot. Nothing else matters. Win, baby.
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Minnesota has 2 straight 20 W seasons. First time since 90's maybe.
 




TruthTeller said:
20 win seasons? Big deal.

I believe MN fans are expecting Big 10 Champs and NCAA Champs. That is the goal.

Not 20 win seasons.
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Not many teams go from winning 9 games in one season to winning the national championship the following season. Compared to the state our team was in a couple years ago I'm very happy with where we are now, even though we are in a bit of a slump. If you look at the young guys we have now and the guys we have coming in I would say the future is pretty bright. Expecting a national championship this year is just unrealistic.
 

I believe MN fans are expecting Big 10 Champs and NCAA Champs. That is the goal.
You are correct sir!

We now have a team with 20 wins (and counting), who returns their top 9 scorers & rebounders and also adds several stud recruits who will compete for starting spots. With Tubby we no longer expect to be a bottom feeder like we did with the previous inept regime.
 

Friend Of Tubby said:
Minnesota has 2 straight 20 W seasons. First time since 90's maybe.
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20 win seasons are meaningless when 12-14 wins are against garbage teams. The 20 win streak is one of your favorite fun facts to teach us, fot. Unfortunately, it is not reflective of the quality of the team, only the lack of quality of the competition.
 



jamiche said:
20 win seasons are meaningless when 12-14 wins are against garbage teams. The 20 win streak is one of your favorite fun facts to teach us, fot. Unfortunately, it is not reflective of the quality of the team, only the lack of quality of the competition.
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BS. Pure unadulterated BS.

The "average" SOS on those 20 W seasons by Tubby is quite good. Maybe not the last 2 but Tubby played strong schedules at UK, Georgia, yes - even at Tulsa.

If 20 W is so easy, why don't Perennial Cupcake Schedulers like Florida, Georgetown, or UConn have a streak like that?

You are utterly clueless.
 

jamiche said:
20 win seasons are meaningless when 12-14 wins are against garbage teams. The 20 win streak is one of your favorite fun facts to teach us, fot. Unfortunately, it is not reflective of the quality of the team, only the lack of quality of the competition.
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You're right. All 20-win teams that don't play an absolutely killer schedule suck. Thanks for clearing that up....:rolleyes:
 

MRJ said:
You're right. All 20-win teams that don't play an absolutely killer schedule suck. Thanks for clearing that up....:rolleyes:
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No, they dont all suck. Sometimes proves that records can deceive.
 

Friend Of Tubby said:
Minnesota has 2 straight 20 W seasons. First time since 90's maybe.
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Yeah, 20+ wins the last 2 years, but it's quite possible neither will result in an NCAA appearance. What good is 20 wins if you play in the NIT? Recruits are far more interested in NCAA appearances than 20+ wins each year, but hey, the streak is alive right? IIt seems to me that;s al that matters. Schedule cupcakes so all you need to do is go .500 in the B10. In most cases, the two go hand in hand, but not when you're gutless when it comes to non-conference scheduling. The 2 most notable non-conference games were not scheduled by Tubby or Maturi. The ACC/B10 folks scheduled the UVA game and the Louisville games was an invite. There's no way they play Louisville otherwise. Highway robbery for season ticket holders....
 

TruthTeller said:
20 win seasons? Big deal.

I believe MN fans are expecting Big 10 Champs and NCAA Champs. That is the goal.

Not 20 win seasons.
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TT and FOT please quit your petty bickering. Both of you are talented posters, otherwise.
 

Art Vandelay said:
Yeah, 20+ wins the last 2 years, but it's quite possible neither will result in an NCAA appearance. What good is 20 wins if you play in the NIT? Recruits are far more interested in NCAA appearances than 20+ wins each year, but hey, the streak is alive right? IIt seems to me that;s al that matters. Schedule cupcakes so all you need to do is go .500 in the B10. In most cases, the two go hand in hand, but not when you're gutless when it comes to non-conference scheduling. The 2 most notable non-conference games were not scheduled by Tubby or Maturi. The ACC/B10 folks scheduled the UVA game and the Louisville games was an invite. There's no way they play Louisville otherwise. Highway robbery for season ticket holders....
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First, a game against an ACC team was a given, and will always be considered part of the OOC schedule, so long as that matchup exists.

Second, what was the chicken and what was the egg here...was Louisville the last game to be scheduled? If not, then perhaps they'd have played some other good team in some other game.

Third, this team was going to be very young and inexperienced, and it probably isn't the best idea to throw young guys straight to the dogs, unless you want their confidence to head right into the toilet for the entire OOC and push them straight out of any tourney hopes. I'll give Tubby a pass for the many weaker games that were scheduled this year, but in future years I expect them to be better, as the team significantly improves.

Last, this team was an unknown, and was predicted by many (most?) of us on this board to have a difficult time matching last year's team, much less surpass it. Just because the team started hot, it wasn't like they were playing like a top-5 or even top-10 team (yes they had been playing top-25 ball, though). So, given the severe upgrade in schedule, it's not like they suddenly got bad or something...instead, they're right on schedule to do what most of us thought they'd do after the undefeated OOC - which was about 9-9, 10-8, or 11-7. Anyone predicting any better than that either didn't pay any attention to the other Big Ten teams or didn't pay attention to some of the deficiencies that the team showed during non-conference play.
 

Art Vandelay said:
Yeah, 20+ wins the last 2 years, but it's quite possible neither will result in an NCAA appearance. What good is 20 wins if you play in the NIT? Recruits are far more interested in NCAA appearances than 20+ wins each year, but hey, the streak is alive right? IIt seems to me that;s al that matters. Schedule cupcakes so all you need to do is go .500 in the B10. In most cases, the two go hand in hand, but not when you're gutless when it comes to non-conference scheduling. The 2 most notable non-conference games were not scheduled by Tubby or Maturi. The ACC/B10 folks scheduled the UVA game and the Louisville games was an invite. There's no way they play Louisville otherwise. Highway robbery for season ticket holders....
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Understandable last year but this year, the Gophers have an NCAA caliber team. No one on the Gophers would be satisfied with another NIT.
 

I guess I just fail to see why people are so utterly disgusted with team, as the original poster said, moreso than ANY team in the last 37 years. You can't be serious! I've said this once on here, but I'll say it again: Young teams lacking any true senior leadership have a tendency to struggle on the road, ESPECIALLY in the Big Ten, which houses some of the toughest places to play in the country. This was a little less of an issue last season when you had your three key players as seniors, so the contrast between home play and road play was a little less drastic. This year, the team is more talented, but that talent is all first year players, meanwhile, you aren't getting the production and leadership from the older guys as you need to win on the road in the Big Ten, hence the road struggles.

The bright side for the Gophers right now is I think two wins clinches a berth, and considering they are 15-2 at home and play much better at home than on the road, they stand a decent chance of picking up those two wins. This team has looked good at home all season.

Let's remember where this team is coming from now, people. They were a 9 win team just TWO seasons ago. If we think it's bad now, just recall that Clemson beating at home, on national television. They won 20 last season with their top three players in production all being seniors. They have now won 20 again with virtually zero contributions from their seniors. I think people got a little overexcited because of the Louisville win, but it showed the potential this team has in the future. We have another top 25 recruiting class coming in headlined by Royce White, who should be able to come in and be a reliable scorer that we need ever so badly. All the key guys are coming back, a year wiser and a year more mature, and a year stronger.

The overall point of this whole thing....it's a great time to be a Gopher basketball fan. You don't go from 9 wins to Big Ten titles in two years. I'm just happy to be seriously discussing NCAA births and future Big Ten titles without receiving snickers from others.
 

Playing with Monson recruits and Tubby freshmen, how can anyone expect anything more than a NCAA bubble team this year? In a year or two, it will be realistic to have a Big Ten title as a goal. We've played better than expected for the players and experience we have.
 

go 31 said:
Playing with Monson recruits and Tubby freshmen, how can anyone expect anything more than a NCAA bubble team this year? In a year or two, it will be realistic to have a Big Ten title as a goal. We've played better than expected for the players and experience we have.
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I'm completely with ya and this is one of the reasons I've been a little prickly with some of the posters who are starting threads like this one. We all know the strengths and weaknesses of this team. We know we're strong on defense, not so much on offense. We also know we're 20-8 and 8-8 with two games to play. But to call this team the "worst offensive team in the nation" and say things like "this is the most disappointing team in almost 40 years" is laughable.

Here is one reality: This isn't a great team and will be lucky to make the NCAAs. Here is a second reality: This isn't even the most disappointing team of the last 10 years (at least in my eyes). And here's a third reality: We lose no one of note heading into next year, everyone will be one year better and we're also adding at least three impact recruits. So for the folks who are railing about how putrid this team is on all levels, get a grip.

We're still learning. It takes time and is very frustrating in situations like the current one. But it is also the reality of the current situation.
 

MRJ ... Completely Agree

MRJ said:
I'm completely with ya and this is one of the reasons I've been a little prickly with some of the posters who are starting threads like this one. We all know the strengths and weaknesses of this team. We know we're strong on defense, not so much on offense. We also know we're 20-8 and 8-8 with two games to play. But to call this team the "worst offensive team in the nation" and say things like "this is the most disappointing team in almost 40 years" is laughable.

Here is one reality: This isn't a great team and will be lucky to make the NCAAs. Here is a second reality: This isn't even the most disappointing team of the last 10 years (at least in my eyes). And here's a third reality: We lose no one of note heading into next year, everyone will be one year better and we're also adding at least three impact recruits. So for the folks who are railing about how putrid this team is on all levels, get a grip.

We're still learning. It takes time and is very frustrating in situations like the current one. But it is also the reality of the current situation.
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Some of these ignorant posters have no idea what goes into coaching a team to execute a system. They are babies who just want their team to win without any understanding of the complexities of developing a team made up of the previous coach's players and a bunch of freshmen. No concept. You don't think Tubby knows everything we are saying and more? You think he is coaching Nolen to play the way he is playing right now? You think he just doesn't see that the half court offense stinks? You don't think he is working with his team to overcome these issues? C'mon. This is no young coach who is over his head and he doesn't know what to do. Listen to his post game comments....he identifies exacting what is going on and what his team needs to do to get better. Watch him on the sidelines trying to teach and encourage his team to do what they have been practicing in the game. Entry passes to his big guys is an area of great frustration for Tubby. He teaches it every day in practice. We will see real Tubby ball in two seasons when it is a Tubby team that Tubby has taught since they were freshmen. Makes a huge difference.
 

Friend Of Tubby said:
BS. Pure unadulterated BS.

The "average" SOS on those 20 W seasons by Tubby is quite good. Maybe not the last 2 but Tubby played strong schedules at UK, Georgia, yes - even at Tulsa.

If 20 W is so easy, why don't Perennial Cupcake Schedulers like Florida, Georgetown, or UConn have a streak like that?

You are utterly clueless.
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We know that the day Tubby leaves, you will too. You don't care about the gophers, you care about Tubby. I don't carry around Tubby minutiae in my briefcase. He has put together two lousy schedules as the coach of the gophers so the two twenty win seasons here are meaningless, especially if he doesn't get into the tourney. More important is that the gophers lave lost five winnable games on the road down the stretch and aren't going anywhere without a minimum of two wins at home this weak. Those are statistics that mean something.
 

jamiche said:
More important is that the gophers lave lost five winnable games on the road down the stretch and aren't going anywhere without a minimum of two wins at home this weak.
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5 "winnable" games on the road including @ Michigan State? I wonder how many games could be considered "unwinnable"
 


Tubby with Sid

I caught a few minutes yesterday of Tubby on Sid's radio show and Sid asked him if he thought he could win here and Tubby was really adamant. I paraphrase but, "Yes, not only can we compete for the Big Ten championship but we can compete for it all!" He wasnt talking about this year but the future and he was darn serious and unequivical. This isnt the Music Man or Tim Brewster talking so I was very impressed with what he said and the tone with which he said it. This year's team is just the first step. Go Gophers!
 

jamiche said:
We know that the day Tubby leaves, you will too. You don't care about the gophers, you care about Tubby. I don't carry around Tubby minutiae in my briefcase. He has put together two lousy schedules as the coach of the gophers so the two twenty win seasons here are meaningless, especially if he doesn't get into the tourney. More important is that the gophers lave lost five winnable games on the road down the stretch and aren't going anywhere without a minimum of two wins at home this weak. Those are statistics that mean something.
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What have you been smoking, Jamiche, the angry stick? Apparently you have little knowledge of the rest of the Big Ten. Of their losses, the only awful game, the only game on the road that the Gophers should have won, is the one at Northwestern. The rest were not just cupcakes, dude. The only loss at home that they probably should have won was against Purdue. That isn't really that bad of a loss, considering Purdue is the #2 BT team. Going into the season there was little hope for the Gophers to get 11 BT wins, much less the number that you apparently think they should have got. They could get to 10, which would be a tourney bid, which would break most reasonable people's expectations for this team before the year started.
 

Section201 said:
I caught a few minutes yesterday of Tubby on Sid's radio show and Sid asked him if he thought he could win here and Tubby was really adamant. I paraphrase but, "Yes, not only can we compete for the Big Ten championship but we can compete for it all!" He wasnt talking about this year but the future and he was darn serious and unequivical. This isnt the Music Man or Tim Brewster talking so I was very impressed with what he said and the tone with which he said it. This year's team is just the first step. Go Gophers!
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I'd agree with Tubby....based on players coming in and getting older, I expect the Gophers to end next season in the top-30...after that they should have chances to compete for top-10 and BT titles.
 

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