Gophers ready for the spotlight?

With the Vikings’ season over and the Timberwolves ravaged by injuries to key players, The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team has a unique opportunity on its hands.
They've already become the big man on campus.
Now they can become the big man in the state.
Sure, the Wild will eventually drop the puck with some serious buzz surrounding the team after signing two of the top free agents in the extended offseason, but hockey fans are much more of a niche group to really take over in my opinion.
So, yes, the chance is there for this team to capture the majority of the media's -- and spectators' -- attention in this great state.
And why not?
There is nothing unexciting about this squad. They have personality, skill and most importantly, a joyous aura that cannot be ignored (winning will go that).
Also, for the first time in years, I'm not waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I'm waiting for the other shoe to knock someone out.
Led by home-grown seniors Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams, Minnesota is playing at a level I haven't seen in the Tubby Smith era. In years past, the Gophers would shrivel under pressure and repeatedly choke in the spotlight.
Not this year.
In every conference game this season, they have been tested.
And in every conference game they have responded.
Against mighty Michigan State, the Gophers thwarted several Spartans' comeback attempts.
Against Northwestern, they scored 17 points in the opening 20 minutes and replied with 51 in the final 20.
And against No. 12 Illinois, it was another local talent -- Joe Coleman -- who stepped up, scoring the majority of his career-high 28 points in the second half.
The three Minnesotans are balanced in the starting rotation by a pair of Tennesseans -- Andre and Austin Hollins.
Both have already fastened dazzling individual performances this season. Andre's was against Memphis when he scored 41 points. Austin's was against Northwestern when he nailed five consecutive 3-pointers in a key stretch in the second half.
Sure, the bench lacks a true playmaker, but Tubby has displayed a flexibility he once resisted in years past to stretch his ultra-talented starting five, especially during key situations.
If the once stern and stubborn Tubby Smith is willing to evolve, so should those that watch his team.
Like hopeless romantics finding the lover of their dreams, the die-hard fans are as giddy as ever.
And those who have become increasingly passive after decades of frustration and futility, they’re beginning to fall in love too.
Maybe I’m being overly-dramatic and starry-eyed about a team that has played exactly three conference games.
Or maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic.
Either way, all aboard!

BigGopherFan said:

maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic

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I assure you that is not the case. You will jump off the bandwagon and lament how horrible this team is as soon as Indiana takes a 2-0 lead.

BGF, your post was too long, no spacing to be able to follow your thoughts, I got to the end and could not remember what you said to start with, so screw it.

What I took away from this post is that BGF needs a new signature.

To answer your question, yes. I think this team is ready for the spotlight.

I say this being both a huge hockey, and Gopher Basketball fan, but hockey is no more of a niche sport than college basketball in this town. I don't want to start a fight because I'm loving the squad this year. It's just that the old cliche of "niche sport" and hockey always seem to get thrown together. In Minnesota, it's basically the Vikings (which I'm not a huge fan by the way) and a bunch of niche sports.

Good intentions, but I read all day at school. Too much for me to be able to read, I'll assume it was a fun post though, so kudos.

Hockey is a cult sport here and nationally. A small but fervent bunch of fanatics. No national TV contract. Basketball is on all the time; ESPN, BTN, as is football.The Twins drew 2.7 million last year with a lousy team. The Twolves have a big following with Rubio and Love.To say Minnesota is the Vikings and a bunch of niche sports is false. To each their own of course.

Basketball is NOT a niche sport. Not in Minnesota, not anywhere. Yes, this state is all about the Vikings, and 2nd place would go to the Twins. After that, the most likely to gain a huge bandwagon, is the Gopher Men's BB team. After that, the one with the most potential, is the football team, but people are more skeptical of them than the BB team, because we all witnessed the BB team in the FF in 97. It's been since 61 that we made a Rose Bowl. Glen Mason was one game that was already won vs Michigan away from gaining that huge bandwagon, and he blew that. And a loss in fb is devastating, while a loss in bb can essentially be meaningless if it comes during the regular season.

After mens bb, all other sports teams in Minnesota are niche sports. This is just a fact, and the only exception to this is when the Timberwolves are doing VERY well, and thats happened maybe one season in their history? The Wild had a similar season at least once in the last decade or so. The Gopher Women's BB team did the same with their FF run. Minnesotans in general, rabid Gopher fans not included, are very fair weather. They sit around doing other things, waiting for one of the teams I've mentioned already, to have a championship caliber year, and then they jump on the bandwagon until the team loses, and then they jump off until the next great team comes around. The Vikings get the biggest leeway as far as actually being good. Even mediocre Viking teams get good crowds and all. Same with the Twins.

But teams like the Wrestling team, the Women's VB team and the Women's Hockey team and YES, the Gopher Men's Hockey team have to basically WIN A NATL TITLE before anyone outside of the niche fans even notices. Thats partly their own fault. Gopher sports have been so successful, tournament runs are expected. Even Natl Titles are expected when it comes to hockey. And the VAST NUMBER of sports in Minnesota that do well also hurts. In the south, you have high school football on Friday Nights, and College football on Saturdays. Thats it. College bb in the winter, if you live in Kentucky.

In Minnesota, we go from the Twins in the summer, to the Vikings and to a much lesser extent, cfb, women's VB and soccer in the fall, to cbb and college hockey in the winter, along with the Wild and the Timberwolves back to spring training and the Twins again.

Admittedly and thankfully, if the Gopher hockey team makes a Frozen Four thats played here in Minnesota, then they can attract Minnesotans outside of their niche fans. Otherwise, no.

That is just the way it is, its not an insult to be a niche sport. We are VERY VERY RICH when it comes to sports, here in Minnesota. You wonder why SEC fans are so crazy over their football? They don't honestly have much else, and what else they do have, they don't appreciate. Football is like a religion down there and its actually pretty sick. Rabid Gopher fans are extremely tame in comparison.

Hockey's a very regional sport, so from a national perspective it's a niche, but this is the one state where you can argue that hockey is king. The perception among other big ten schools is that we are "Hockey U" and I know for a fact that due to the incompetence of BTN, there will be more men's hockey games on T.V than men's basketball and from a student perspective I would say they support the hockey team the best

I was in no way trying to argue that we are not the State of Hockey, and that Hockey is not King here. And we may be Hockey U, although I prefer either Back2BackTitle U or Dynasty U, but thats another discussion, lol.

But what I am saying, is that there are people out there in Minnesota, who are kind of bandwagon fans when it comes to our hockey team, but thats because they like hockey and maybe are too busy to pay too much attention to it every year, but when the Gophers show signs of being elite, then they jump back on the bandwagon. But those people like hockey.

I'm talking about that large portion of Minnesotans, who will sit and watch the Vikings every Sunday, at least when they are doing well, and will watch or listen to or go to a few Twins games, but not necessarily every year, and who will turn on the TV to watch the Gopher BB team, when they are doing well, and they on a rare occasion, might be found watching the Wild or Timberwolves if they are in the playoffs, or the Women's BB team if they are in the FF.

But they otherwise don't like hockey. They might turn on the Gopher hockey game if its a Frozen Four game? But they probably won't watch it from start to finish, unless there are tons of distractions during the game, lots of friends there watching it with them, or something like that.

I know a lot of these people. They like great sports teams, and like cheering on the local team when its doing well, they are total bandwagon fans, and when its a sport that they can handle watching, but thats often, not hockey. And there are alot of them in Minnesota. The Gopher BB or Fb teams can capture their attention and get them on their bandwagon, but the Gopher Hockey team just isn't going to be able to get their attention, for the most part. Not a dig on hockey or our hockey team. I love hockey and I love Gopher hockey. It's just the way it is.

gopherMD said:

Hockey is a cult sport here and nationally. A small but fervent bunch of fanatics. No national TV contract. Basketball is on all the time; ESPN, BTN, as is football.The Twins drew 2.7 million last year with a lousy team. The Twolves have a big following with Rubio and Love.To say Minnesota is the Vikings and a bunch of niche sports is false. To each their own of course.

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I disagree completely. I think all but about 2 of the Gopher Hockey games have been on tv, and I've watched them all. And the 2 that weren't were in Anchorage. The hockey team has (and has had since the mid-80's) more games on tv than the basketball team. All that said, let's beat Indiana on Saturday and beat Alaska-Anchorage who happens to be at Mariucci this weekend as well.

Right now lets just say the Gophers have the spotlight.

Gopher Baksetball best team in 15 years and ranked #8

Gopher Hockey best team since last NCAA Championship and ranked #1

Vikes really improved, Wild should be better once things get rolling, Wolves.....who knows but I like their potential, Twins need work and lots of pitching.

Is or is not Minnesota a hockey state?

Is or is not hockey a niche sport?

These discussions are always brought up by hockey people.