I'm Not Sure It's Enough

[jamiche]

I don't pretend to be a bracketologist and I haven't studied the bubble teams, but I'm not sure that the gophers have done enough to get in. I don't think that the selection committee is going to take seven or even eight teams from the B10. The conference just isn't that good. I said before the Wisconsin game that I thought the gophers needed to sweep the last two and win one in the tournament to get it. They won two of the three games and it was the wrong two (a home loss against Mich is more damaging than a neutral court win against NU is beneficial). The Louisville game is obviously a signature win but it came three months ago. I think we finished 5-5 or 4-6 in the last ten games. I know that we beat some small conf champs but I'm not sure how those games are weighted. There are always a couple of teams that scream "we wuz robbed!!" I hope its not us this year.

Is Tubby's stature enough to turn a no into a yes?

Those of you who are more knowledgeable, tell me how and why I'm wrong.

[boner4goldy]

I don't pretend to be a bracketologist and I haven't studied the bubble teams, but I'm not sure that the gophers have done enough to get in. I don't think that the selection committee is going to take seven or even eight teams from the B10. The conference just isn't that good. I said before the Wisconsin game that I thought the gophers needed to sweep the last two and win one in the tournament to get it. They won two of the three games and it was the wrong two (a home loss against Mich is more damaging than a neutral court win against NU is beneficial). The Louisville game is obviously a signature win but it came three months ago. I think we finished 5-5 or 4-6 in the last ten games. I know that we beat some small conf champs but I'm not sure how those games are weighted. There are always a couple of teams that scream "we wuz robbed!!" I hope its not us this year.

Is Tubby's stature enough to turn a no into a yes?

Those of you who are more knowledgeable, tell me how and why I'm wrong.


all i know is that we beat the team that won the best conference in the the history of college basketball!!!

[ShowinGoldyLove]

I haven't studied the bubble teams
Then that's why you aren't sure if it's enough, but it is.

Compared to nearly any other bubble team you want to name, we are a lock to get the nod.

Here's why:
22-10 overall
9-9 in Big 10 play
RPI 37
SOS 37
5 Top 50 wins
Worst loss to NU (RPI 69)

They can't keep us out with that resume, period.

[jjgopher]

i agree with you that we don't necessarily look like a team that is worthy of being selected on Sunday. However, the numbers don't lie, and if you compare us with other bubble teams, I don't see how we aren't in. That also is why there are bubble teams. There are bubble teams for a reason. If they did enough to be a lock, they wouldn't be on the bubble. The only way we should start feeling nervous is if Memphis loses, Xavier/Dayton both lose, a team like Baylor wins the Big 12, etc. If things go according to plan in these conference tournaments, we are looking at a 10/11 seed come sunday evening

[leftyslefty]

getting in from the BT. The whole world seems to be bitching about the Big Ten style of play.They would scream like crazy if we got 8 in at the expense of the 6th or 7th best in another conference.

Prepare for a home N-I-T game.

[Blizzard]

Not more knowledgable in any way, shape, or form, but I'll trust those that are. Lunardi, Rivals, Bracketology101, Bracketproject, and all the others that say we are.

[jovs]

I don't see how the big ten can have 8 teams. I can see seven. If Wisconsin loses then I think it is between the Gophers and Wisconsin.

[ShowinGoldyLove]

I don't see how the big ten can have 8 teams. I can see seven.
See that's the thing. As many have stated already about the Committee, they don't look at conferences, they look at the individual team.

The Big 10 could get 11 teams if their resume merited it.

[howeda7]

getting in from the BT. The whole world seems to be bitching about the Big Ten style of play.They would scream like crazy if we got 8 in at the expense of the 6th or 7th best in another conference.

Prepare for a home N-I-T game.

First, the committee says they don't look at how many teams are getting in per conference. And even if they limited us to 7, there is ZERO justification for letting Penn State over us. Thier RPI is currently a good 30 spots behind us and thier non-conference was awful. If anyone's getting left out, it's Penn State

[Monty519]

They don't sit there and say "Oh crap, we got 8 Big Ten teams in here, let's take the last one out". And even if they did, that last one out would currently be Penn State, though if they were to beat Purdue (which wouldn't surprise me one bit), that could push them ahead of us now. But the committee doesn't hand out bids to conferences, they hand them out to teams. When you compare our resume to other bubble teams, we compare VERY favorably. Just because there's 7 Big Ten teams ahead of us doesn't change the fact that we have a better resume than most of the bubble teams. It just doesn't. Don't be surprised at all if we get 8 teams.

[GophersInIowa]

getting in from the BT. The whole world seems to be bitching about the Big Ten style of play.They would scream like crazy if we got 8 in at the expense of the 6th or 7th best in another conference.

Prepare for a home N-I-T game.

So you think they would put in a less deserving team with a not as impressive resume just because people think the BT is boring to watch?

If the 8th place team in the BT has a better resume than the 6th or 7th best team in other conferences, then the BT should get 8 teams.

[hinjon]

all i know is that we beat the team that won the best conference in the the history of college basketball!!!


Cornell?

[ShowinGoldyLove]

Cornell?
Louisville.

[boner4goldy]

Cornell?

NDSU!!!!

[boner4goldy]

Cornell?

Bowling Green!!!

[Bronko Nagurski Gopher]

Cornell?

ha, ha. funny. actually cornell ended up winning their conference and i believe conference tourney so that actually wasn't a bad non-conference win for the gophers.

[Rex]

ha, ha. funny. actually cornell ended up winning their conference and i believe conference tourney so that actually wasn't a bad non-conference win for the gophers.

Cornell didn't win their conference tourney.....because the Ivy League doesn't have one.....

[Friend Of Tubby]

At large teams generally get 12 or better (sometimes 13).

I'd say Gophers are 90% IN (10% not) at this point.

[Bronko Nagurski Gopher]

Cornell didn't win their conference tourney.....because the Ivy League doesn't have one.....

you are correct....my bad. however, cornell won their league so my point still stands.

[leftyslefty]

Digger Phelps after the OSU/Badger game. I thought he was speaking a funeral! He was lamenting the fact that the Big Ten might get 8 in, and said he saw no reason why they should. Again, if you guys think the committee wouldn't snub a team with a good resume......you aren't old enough.

I'll wait 'till the smoke clears today and Selection Sunday gives us the news, but I'm not getting my hopes too high. Let's see what the competition is for the last few spots.

[Holy Man]

1996, and the Gophers having a great finish to the season, 7-2 in the back nine, including a road win at Illinois in the last game of the season to go 9-9. No 9-9 in the Big Ten had ever been denied in the 64 team field until then.

While I think the "system" is more clear now with people like Lunardi and Palm and Hodger sharing the knowledge with the rest of us, I won't believe it until I see it on Sunday.

When there are human beings involved, there is always reason to worry at least some.

[ShowinGoldyLove]

No 9-9 in the Big Ten had ever been denied in the 64 team field until then.
You think that's bad? Imagine Wisky and maybe PSU if they lose tonight...both went 10-8 in the conference. What happens to those two teams?

[JimmyJamesMD]

1996, and the Gophers having a great finish to the season, 7-2 in the back nine, including a road win at Illinois in the last game of the season to go 9-9. No 9-9 in the Big Ten had ever been denied in the 64 team field until then.

While I think the "system" is more clear now with people like Lunardi and Palm and Hodger sharing the knowledge with the rest of us, I won't believe it until I see it on Sunday.

When there are human beings involved, there is always reason to worry at least some.

I could be wrong, but I could have sworn that team went 10-8 and were the first team to ever not make the tourney with a winning big ten record.

[Art Vandelay]

You think that's bad? Imagine Wisky and maybe PSU if they lose tonight...both went 10-8 in the conference. What happens to those two teams?

Not to sound like Mike Davis but the Gophers were the 8th seed in the BTT. Do you think committee members will possibly look at that? Also, going 1-5 vs. the top 3 may be a negative.

I honestly don't know what to think. All year we hear the B10 bashing on all networks, yet we could get 8 teams in. I know the committee isn't supposed to look at what conference a team is from but you know it's in the back of their mind. Do they have the kahones (sp?) to do it and deal with the backleash from the media? Who knows, but like someone mentioned above, I won't believe it until I hear Greg Gumbel say it...

[PlayHosea]

Most years, there'd be more cause for worry. With the SEC and Conf. USA being terrible this year, the Gophers are in.

[ColNathanJessup]

For those saying they are not in, name the other teams in front of them?

There just aren't that many. There have to be 65 teams in the tourney. You can't say this team is out or not 8 teams from the big 10 without replacing them and there just aren't that many other teams that stack up.

Now if Baylor wins the Big 12, Miss. St the SEC, Tulsa Conf. USA, Wyoming the Mtn. West, USC the Pac 10, etc. Then, yes, we could be in big trouble. Until I see those results start to come through, and almost none of those scenarios are likely, I have no doubt we are in.

[Art Vandelay]

"I want the truth...."

[WilliamsArenaGuy]

Snubs:

Actually, we were ripped off worse in '93. We were 9-9 and were the first BT team to be 9-9 and not make it. Meanwhile, Purdue (who we split with) did make it with a 9-9 record.

In '96, like everyone I thought we were a lock. I still remember jumping around after winning at Illinois. That year we 10-8 and were the first 10-8 BT team to not be selected. Meanwhile, Michigan (who we again split with) did make it as a 10-8 team.

Both years were unbelievable and why I will not be comfortable until about 6:00 Sunday night. If it's anything like those years, we will miss out and Wisconsin won't even though we should be ahead of them is the pickings.

(The reason I said '93 was a bigger screw job is because SS has detailed the numbers in the past and that team was actually a better candidate. As good as the '96 team finished, they did have some questionable numbers in the RPI and so on.

[cncmin]

Snubs:

Actually, we were ripped off worse in '93. We were 9-9 and were the first BT team to be 9-9 and not make it. Meanwhile, Purdue (who we split with) did make it with a 9-9 record.

In '96, like everyone I thought we were a lock. I still remember jumping around after winning at Illinois. That year we 10-8 and were the first 10-8 BT team to not be selected. Meanwhile, Michigan (who we again split with) did make it as a 10-8 team.

Both years were unbelievable and why I will not be comfortable until about 6:00 Sunday night. If it's anything like those years, we will miss out and Wisconsin won't even though we should be ahead of them is the pickings.

(The reason I said '93 was a bigger screw job is because SS has detailed the numbers in the past and that team was actually a better candidate. As good as the '96 team finished, they did have some questionable numbers in the RPI and so on.

Was the '93 team the one that won the NIT in the early 90's?

[WilliamsArenaGuy]

Was the '93 team the one that won the NIT in the early 90's?

Yes.

[Art Vandelay]

Yes.

I believe they beat Florida at the good ol' Met Center. For some reason they didn't play at the Barn....wait....was the NIT Final 4 at MSG back then?

[WilliamsArenaGuy]

I believe they beat Florida at the good ol' Met Center. For some reason they didn't play at the Barn....wait....was the NIT Final 4 at MSG back then?

Williams was beng renovated and they had to start right after the season ended. They beat Florida and Oklahoma at Target Center. Then beat USC at Met Center (I was at that one).

We beat Providence and Georgetown in MSG for the title. The National Championship, as Clem liked to refer to it.

[pauvre gaufres]

was going apesh!t with excitement watching the Gophers beat Georgetown for 65th place (at the time) in a Denver brewpub. Not only was I the only guy jumping up and down, I was also the only guy actually watching the game. That's my "I love the Gophers" moment.....

[EG#9]

You think that's bad? Imagine Wisky and maybe PSU if they lose tonight...both went 10-8 in the conference. What happens to those two teams?

That '96 Gopher team was much, much better than Wisky or PSU is this year (or Minnesota, Michigan, Illiinois, etc,etc).