Shhhhh, there is a team that is winning in Minny
Yesterday I watched the end of the PSU/Gopher hoops game from the Barn. When I tuned in there were 10 minutes left and the game was already over but I watched until the end to see who was doing what and came to appreciate the 'team' effort that Tubby has instilled at the U. Heard a quote from an interview where he said that the game was about teamwork and he tells players that the ball might be in their hands to take a shot and score the points but at the end of the game everyone gets credit for the win. Love it. Love it. Love it. The win moves the Gophers to 15 and 1 with a 3 and 1 record in the Big Televen.
Team is now on the road for 2 in a row at Wisconsin on Thursday then to Northwestern (on Saturday, I think.) Hey BG, you gonna root for your Wildcats in this one too because they "need it more?" Say what you want about spending 6 years at school there or blah, blah, blah, I'm holding you personally responsible every time the U falls to NU whether it is hoops, football, or cup stacking (yeah, she goes to the U now, is the world record holder, and plays on the women's hoops team.)
2 Comments:
I saw that same stretch of the game. I guess I'll try to tamp down the enthusiasm a little (and appease the spiteful hoops gods) by noting two things that don't happen often: 1) Penn State totally gave up down the stretch, and 2) the Gophers hit 9 of 9 from three.
That said, though, I was pleased with the depth on the squad. I don't see any NBA talents, but everyone can play a little, 1 through 10. Tough for an opponent to know who's going to have the hot hand on any given night. Looking down the schedule, 10-8 in the conference (which looks a lot stronger than in recent years) is a totally reasonable goal for these guys, and 11 wins is not a complete stretch. 10 would put them at 22-8 with the win over Louisville to go with it. Probably an 8 seed.
If they keep it up it will have taken Tubby just two years to get that team, which was total garbage when he took over, to the Tourney. That's when they start making plans for a statue on the Nicollet Mall.
January 12, 2009 at 6:02 PM
Guys,
I'll be rooting for the Gophers this weekend. As usual, NU hoops is junk (but slightly better than usual). Nonetheless, they stand no chance of making the tourney, so I would say that the Gophers clearly "need it more." Plus, road wins are rewarded in the RPI and by the tournament selection committee. As MCA points out, the Big Ten is a bit tougher than people anticipated this year, so any road win is a good win (they beat Iowa last week on the road).
Not only has Tubby upgraded the team concept, he also has a top 10-15 recruiting class coming in next year, headlined by two kids from the Twin Cities. Nice...
January 15, 2009 at 1:27 PM
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