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TheHofferette

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is anyone else finding this team not as enjoyable to watch, of late? starting w/ the UW game, I feel like we have lost our stride somewhere...tension is mounting and the team looks stressed out when they are out there. for the season up to the UW game, we always looked like we were out there having fun and playing hard. now, when watching them play, it looks like they are taking Finals out on the court, which I am sure is contributing to some players struggling (The Hoff, Nolen, Colton, etc). I hope they remember this is a game and they should be having fun.

this is not a criticism, just an observation...am I out in left field or does anyone else feel like this team has stopped having fun out there?
 


TheHofferette said:
I hope they remember this is a game and they should be having fun.

this is not a criticism, just an observation...am I out in left field or does anyone else feel like this team has stopped having fun out there?
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I think they were having more fun during the non-conference schedule.:)
 

They got their 'groove back' in the second half today...
 

I'm concerned that at this point in the season it appears that we have a fair number of players that don't know where they stand in terms of minutes they will play and their role. Bostic played one minute because he missed his first shot. Carter got less minutes than I would expect. These guys have to play if we are going to have an upside-even if they have certain deficiencies. Sampson is a player that has been allowed to fail and keep playing and today he won the game for us. I wish this would apply with the Jucos.

We rarely see the same guys together on the court.... could this account for some of our poor offensive rythym?
 


bga1 said:
I'm concerned that at this point in the season it appears that we have a fair number of players that don't know where they stand in terms of minutes they will play and their role. Bostic played one minute because he missed his first shot. Carter got less minutes than I would expect. These guys have to play if we are going to have an upside-even if they have certain deficiencies. Sampson is a player that has been allowed to fail and keep playing and today he won the game for us. I wish this would apply with the jucos.
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Harumph. Could not have said it better myself. I would also agree that guys are playing tense.

As far as we as fans not enjoying games as much anymore, that comes with the heightened expectations that most of us are guilty to having. The fast start, the win over Louisville, even the comeback win over Wisky, has made us think we are better than we are. Makes it tough to enjoy games we THINK we should be winning easily.
 

bga1 said:
I'm concerned that at this point in the season it appears that we have a fair number of players that don't know where they stand in terms of minutes they will play and their role. Bostic played one minute because he missed his first shot. Carter got less minutes than I would expect. These guys have to play if we are going to have an upside-even if they have certain deficiencies. Sampson is a player that has been allowed to fail and keep playing and today he won the game for us. I wish this would apply with the Jucos.

We rarely see the same guys together on the court.... could this account for some of our poor offensive rythym?
Click to expand...


Agreed Beej. It is hard to keep up with who is on the floor at any one time. At times it looks a little like a fire drill. Thank goodness for stop action on the DVR. I think Tubby is still working through this and the 2nd half looked a little more consistent.

I agree --- Bostick needs more time.
 

bga1 said:
Bostic played one minute because he missed his first shot. Carter got less minutes than I would expect. These guys have to play if we are going to have an upside-even if they have certain deficiencies.
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I totally agree; they are the potential difference between a sixth or seventh place finish and a third or fourth place finish.
 

Big time college BB and FB against other big time college BB or FB teams is very hard and tense. The boys are past the fun stage when they starting playing the big guys. It just isn't a game anymore at this level. Some of these young men are playing for their lives.
 



I think what everyone is feeling is due in large part to the soft NC schedule (which I supported). There were a LOT of opportunites to "have fun" when High Point came to town. This is how the Big Ten is - its not going to be easy. I'm getting a little tired of these "wow this game was brutal today" comments - the Big Ten is brutal. Its never been a league where teams run up and down the court and out-gun each other 101-98.
 

I was not saying it should be easy, it shouldn't be. I understand the B10 (or any conference play) is tough. you can still have fun and play the game while understanding how difficult it is though. that's all...for instance, when Lawrence hit that 3 to tie at UW he smiled, the team smiled, and they all relaxed, which is probably why we dominated the OT. I wish they would relax a little out there...tension is not going to make the game flow for them, it will make them tight and unsure.

Ogee said it best re: as fans thinking we should be winning some games more easily than we are which is making it tough to enjoy a pull-out win like today's victory.
 

I liked LesB in a another thread comparing to the BT season to a root canal. Its tough season, and Tubby has to pull out the W as he sees fit at this point. I think we hoped we make some space between us and our opponents so we could get Payton in the game ;) but players aren't going to have opportunities to play through mistakes as much when our margin for error is so narrow.
 

It's a GREAT thing players are feeling stress

I don't think many folks thought the program's ascension should happen overnight, except for maybe ZTA. We're just in the early stages of the process. Nevertheless, the players should be feeling pressure; that's a good thing.

The pressure/tenseness, whatever we want to call it, to me it means the players realize they're actually playing relevant basketball games in late January, something we haven't had a lot of in the past few seasons. It's called the pressure of trying to earn a NCAA bid, getting the program over the hump, etc. I'll take that problem over what we faced a couple years ago, when I think a lot of us (myself included) couldn't wait for the season to get over, as much as we all love Gopher basketball.

Maybe as the season winds down, the Gophers will relax a little bit as they get accustomed to playing all these important games. Odds are the Gophers are going to break out soon & play a complete game, or something close to it. No better time than Thursday against our nemesis Illinois. No doubt the Gophers have a tough row to hoe to earn a NCAA bid, but it's within reach. Whether we make it or not -- like Gopher Lady said a week or so ago -- let's enjoy the journey.
 



You are right, except ...

bga1 said:
I'm concerned that at this point in the season it appears that we have a fair number of players that don't know where they stand in terms of minutes they will play and their role. Bostic played one minute because he missed his first shot. Carter got less minutes than I would expect. These guys have to play if we are going to have an upside-even if they have certain deficiencies. Sampson is a player that has been allowed to fail and keep playing and today he won the game for us. I wish this would apply with the Jucos.

We rarely see the same guys together on the court.... could this account for some of our poor offensive rythym?
Click to expand...
I too want to see more of Carter & Bostick on the floor. But the word is potential and that's the rub. Tubby is looking for something from them that they have not shown enough of and Tubby can say; "look at what Busch and JAS are doing in practice and in games. If you want more PT, emulate them."

Meanwhile RS3 may be getting a free pass for a couple of reasons: 1) At power forward he's the only guy with any size that can play there and offers an alternative from the undersized group of DJ, Busch and Carter. 2) At center, Big Jon's play has, so far, forced Tubby to choose between the two freshman, where Ralph is currently outplaying Colt.
 

TheHofferette said:
is anyone else finding this team not as enjoyable to watch, of late? starting w/ the UW game, I feel like we have lost our stride somewhere...tension is mounting and the team looks stressed out when they are out there. for the season up to the UW game, we always looked like we were out there having fun and playing hard. now, when watching them play, it looks like they are taking Finals out on the court, which I am sure is contributing to some players struggling (The Hoff, Nolen, Colton, etc). I hope they remember this is a game and they should be having fun.

this is not a criticism, just an observation...am I out in left field or does anyone else feel like this team has stopped having fun out there?
Click to expand...

I agree that any sport goes better if everyone is having fun. Playing loose is playing better.

The problems, however, are numerous and always lead to tension. Sitting on the bench can be a problem for some if they let it get to them. The fans put pressure on many players. The press also makes every problem public. The high level of play is a problem for many.

In the end it is a head game for each player. Excepting failure as a learning experience and reminding ones self to keep having fun can be a challenge.
 

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