"If we're shut out. ... (it's) another reminder that playing a slate of patsies prior to the Big Ten schedule isn't a good idea."
Amen G4L.
That's a horn that was consistently being honked immediately after the nonconference schedule was released during the summer. Contention all along has been -- if we're in position for a bid but we get left out of the tournament -- I don't want the reason to be a weak nonconference schedule, which is what we played (however Joe E chooses to rationalize it).
If a team played a solid slate of quality nonconference foes & gets left out because they didn't win enough of those games (i.e Wisconsin could be an example this season) that's one thing. But it's completely another to play a Charmin-soft schedule & for the most part put all your eggs in one basket (Louisville). Thank goodness we won the one signature game on our nonconference schedule; we'd be in deep doo-doo without it. As it is, let's hope Louisville is enough to sway the tide in our favor if the Gophers truly end up on the bubble because our "next best" calling cards outside of the Big 10 are that we beat Virginia (ACC bottom-feeder), NDSU (likely Summit champ) and Cornell (likely Ivy champ).
For the record G4L, I think our choke job in 2002 is unattainable. I hope we never top that.