ST: Tubby Smith's Texas Tech team knocks off another Top 25 opponent

Maybe he never should have been fired?

In truth I have no problem with him being fired but you don't replace him with Pitino.....unless it's his dad.

Keep in mind the AD did whatever he could to run talent out the door or keep it from playing.


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By "talent", do you mean the thief?
 

Let me know when Tubby's team ends up in the top half of the BIG 12. I'll be waiting because it wont be this year. He will have 9 years straight ending in the lower half of whatever his conference is... and 9 straight years of not having an above .500 conference winning percentage. (This post is 100% about Tubby and Tubby only)
 

We haven't won a game this year in the B1G. We probably would go winless in the B1G...except for the fact the B1G decided a few years ago to let Rutgers join the conference. We have gotten worse each of the past three years. We have been anything but consistent this year....except for losing games consistently. How does Pitino make you feel we have a shot of competing at the top of the B1G?

Again, Pitino has been learning on the job, which I agree that a B1G school should not be the place for that. He is missing several key recruits that makes him need to rely on too many freshman so early in their careers. And of course he is in charge so all of that is his fault.

But, it is obvious that he knows basketball. You can see it in the adjustments and game plans that he has run over the years. People that have access to the practices note how well they are run and how much time is spent on individual skills development. They say it is obvious they really know what they are doing.

Pitino's team benefited from Tubby's players the first years. He thought he would be able to bring in top flight recruits that first year, but none would commit to a coach with no track record. He reached on several players and we all know what has happened. He has learned and reset his recruiting expectations and has landed a very good crop of players. Now as they progress he will reach higher for recruits.

We all know that Pitino (and he freely admits it) was a little raw and was given this opportunity too early. There are many people that want to look at the stats/ record and just give up on him. It is still way too early. I would much rather have this potential than just drift through years of 8th place finishes and hope we make the tourney with no chance to win anything.

Tubby did get a wake up call by being fired by the U. He seems much more engaged, which is good. We wish him well.


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Again, Pitino has been learning on the job, which I agree that a B1G school should not be the place for that. He is missing several key recruits that makes him need to rely on too many freshman so early in their careers. And of course he is in charge so all of that is his fault.

But, it is obvious that he knows basketball. You can see it in the adjustments and game plans that he has run over the years. People that have access to the practices note how well they are run and how much time is spent on individual skills development. They say it is obvious they really know what they are doing.

Pitino's team benefited from Tubby's players the first years. He thought he would be able to bring in top flight recruits that first year, but none would commit to a coach with no track record. He reached on several players and we all know what has happened. He has learned and reset his recruiting expectations and has landed a very good crop of players. Now as they progress he will reach higher for recruits.

We all know that Pitino (and he freely admits it) was a little raw and was given this opportunity too early. There are many people that want to look at the stats/ record and just give up on him. It is still way too early. I would much rather have this potential than just drift through years of 8th place finishes and hope we make the tourney with no chance to win anything.

Tubby did get a wake up call by being fired by the U. He seems much more engaged, which is good. We wish him well.


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Nice post. I'm glad to hear that people who know the game and see practices have confidence in that part of his coaching. I must admit that seeing them play D earlier in the year had me wondering.

I think you are right on about the reach on the first full recruiting class. That by itself may what is damaging this season, since they had so little to work with. He would have done well to consult Belien, who recruited solid but not star players early on who had the personality to tough out a couple of crappy seasons and be good leaders of more talented players that came later. C'est la vie He shot for the moon and came up short. Live and learn.

The couple of times I have seen Tubby, he has seemed much more intense than he was most of the time here, and his players are reflecting that toughness on the court. He has something to prove and is working at it.
 




We get it. You don't like Pitino and wish he was gone. Nothing wrong with that. Your opinion.

I highly doubt they will be a tournament team next year, I'm thinking somewhere in the 7 or 8 B1G win season, it all depends on the fan base, will that be enough to bring people back, if not then I think it will be 50/50 for a fifth season, realistically two years from now they should be on the plus side of the bubble and be a tourney team. Still need to keep key players on the roster though.
 

Again, Pitino has been learning on the job, which I agree that a B1G school should not be the place for that. He is missing several key recruits that makes him need to rely on too many freshman so early in their careers. And of course he is in charge so all of that is his fault.

But, it is obvious that he knows basketball. You can see it in the adjustments and game plans that he has run over the years. People that have access to the practices note how well they are run and how much time is spent on individual skills development. They say it is obvious they really know what they are doing.

Pitino's team benefited from Tubby's players the first years. He thought he would be able to bring in top flight recruits that first year, but none would commit to a coach with no track record. He reached on several players and we all know what has happened. He has learned and reset his recruiting expectations and has landed a very good crop of players. Now as they progress he will reach higher for recruits.

We all know that Pitino (and he freely admits it) was a little raw and was given this opportunity too early. There are many people that want to look at the stats/ record and just give up on him. It is still way too early. I would much rather have this potential than just drift through years of 8th place finishes and hope we make the tourney with no chance to win anything.

Tubby did get a wake up call by being fired by the U. He seems much more engaged, which is good. We wish him well.

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Spot on. It's amazing how many people on here who follow closely can't see that.
 



So assuming we beat Rutgers twice this year and go 2-16....and then win 7 games next year you think Pitino should be safe after next year? So 23-49 after 4 years is acceptable to you? Wow thanks for setting the bar so high. Besides that, interest in the Gophers is at an all time low....except for the 20 guys on here puckering up their lips to Pitinos rear end. Great...we almost beat Iowa....guess what....Augustana beat them. Just like their football team...their basketball team is way overrated.

Have the Gophers improved this year...yeah definitely....it's hard not to when you were down over 40 to Nebraska....lost by a combined 49 to Northwestern....and got beat at home to South Dakota, South Dakota State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Some of you have the bar set so low for Pitino and I have no idea why. Yeah 4 years, zero NCAA appearances and a 23-49 B1G record....that should be acceptable. There is not ONE person on this board who would have felt that was acceptable after 4 seasons when Pitino was hired.

On this point, I actually think the team should win more than 7 conf. games. I used that as a base because I feel that it would get the team to 17 total wins which would be sufficient to get an NIT berth. He gets a reprieve I think. I'm being realistic. It sounds like you think we should be up there with IU, Iowa, and Wisc. by now. In the state the program was in, the road was bound to be bumpy. I'll admit I didn't expect this year to be this bad. But, we are finally seeing players that will be a good fit for the system. I fully expect this program to be a top 5 or 6 B1G team in two years (is that still setting the bar too low?). If not, than I can get on board with seeing a change.
 

Tubby is 15-9 on the year with a Strength of schedule of 3. 3rd toughest schedule in the Nation. Tubby is 5-7 in the conference, playing in what many think is the toughest deepest conference in the country.

Gophers have zero wins in maybe the weakest the Big10 has been in 5 years.

By no means do I think Tubby was our savior, but I think when the game tips off and its time to play and coach, Tubby is 10 fold a better coach than Pitino. I do not believe that is even arguable.

Without a major collapse, Tubby and Texas Tech will be Dancing in March, a team he turned around in 3 short years, yet us Gopher fans will be stuck saying "oh but just wait until we get this next recruiting class....blah blah"
 

. ... Without a major collapse, Tubby and Texas Tech will be Dancing in March. ...

Not ready to say that quite yet. If Tech beats Oklahoma tonight, then -- barring that major collapse -- I think we can say that.

They probably need one MAJOR scalp to add to the solid win trifecta of Iowa State (home), Texas (home), and Baylor (road). Win tonight and add 2 more Big XII wins to get to 8-10 and Tech is gonna' be dancing. With injury-depleted Oklahoma State (road), TCU (home), and K-State (home) still left on the schedule, they should be able to get at least 2 more wins.
 

This idea that the Gophers have a ceiling of 6-7 conference wins next season is ludicrous to me. This season the Gophers trailed at home to Michigan State by 2 with 2 minutes to play, the next game they choked away a win at Penn State, home against Indiana was a 4 point game with a minute left and a 3 point game with 20 seconds left, home against Illinois was the patented Gopher epic choke job, home against Purdue was a 2 point game with a minute left, at Indiana the Gophers led by a point with 2 minutes left, at Iowa was a 3 point game with 2 minutes left.

That is 7 conference games this season that were very much in doubt in the waning minutes and the Gophers have lost all of them. Let's say the Gophers simply beat Penn State and Illinois and then go on to win both Rutgers games. In that hypothetical scenario they finish this year at 4-14 in the conference and have a terrible (instead of an unreal 0-7) 2-5 record in games decided down the stretch.

I am personally down on Pitino now (not out, but down) and don't share in many of the "good effort" posts especially when they get down by 19 on their home floor to an ok Michigan team then rally to make it competitive. I am skeptical of the transfers actually being impact guys as Pitino also hyped Zach Lofton at one time and the Gopher program has a long history of transfers ability not matching the hype they get in the season in which they sit out. That said, assuming the talent on this team is significantly better next year the ceiling has to be higher than 6-7 wins. I think there's a good case to be made (IF the Gophers beat Rutgers twice and lose the rest) that this years team had a ceiling of 5-6 wins-with the benefit of hindsight. Reality is they won't get there and will likely finish with 0-3 conference wins.

I wish Tubby the best at the Texas Tech. If at this time next year it is apparent that Minnesota made a mistake, that mistake will be hiring Richard Pitino and not firing Tubby Smith.

This is a great post. Also, I hear you on transfers sometimes disappointing - but the fact is our situation at C is SO BAD right now that even if Lynch is mediocre he will be a huge upgrade in the defense / shot blocking department next year
 



Curious, when do you see Richard getting in the top 6-7 in the Big10 ? Great coaches should touch 4th by that 4th or 5th year and win the conference by year 5 or 6. That is what great coaches do.
 

Tubby is 15-9 on the year with a Strength of schedule of 3. 3rd toughest schedule in the Nation. Tubby is 5-7 in the conference, playing in what many think is the toughest deepest conference in the country.

Gophers have zero wins in maybe the weakest the Big10 has been in 5 years.

By no means do I think Tubby was our savior, but I think when the game tips off and its time to play and coach, Tubby is 10 fold a better coach than Pitino. I do not believe that is even arguable.

Without a major collapse, Tubby and Texas Tech will be Dancing in March, a team he turned around in 3 short years, yet us Gopher fans will be stuck saying "oh but just wait until we get this next recruiting class....blah blah"

I'm tired of hearing how the B1G is allegedly so much weaker this year. Once again the B1G has several Final Four contenders. Michigan St. beat Kansas in non-conference play. The B1G won the ACC challenge again this year.

If you look at KenPom.com the B1G has 5 top 23 teams, and the Big 12 has 5 top 23 teams. The B12 proved how overrated they were last year in the NCAA tournament, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it again this year.
 

Maryland, Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana and Purdue all will decent shots at making it to the sweet sixteen. It will all depend on the matchups and how well they are playing in March. I still think there is a good shot that a quarter of the final eight and four will be from the Big Ten.
 

I'm tired of hearing how the B1G is allegedly so much weaker this year. Once again the B1G has several Final Four contenders. Michigan St. beat Kansas in non-conference play. The B1G won the ACC challenge again this year.

If you look at KenPom.com the B1G has 5 top 23 teams, and the Big 12 has 5 top 23 teams. The B12 proved how overrated they were last year in the NCAA tournament, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it again this year.

I love this post coming from someone who argued that Sagarin ratings are "biased" and that the SEC was "overrated" in football this past season. Stats are only valid if they support your bias, right?
 

I love this post coming from someone who argued that Sagarin ratings are "biased" and that the SEC was "overrated" in football this past season. Stats are only valid if they support your bias, right?

I was wrong about the SEC this year, but they were overrated the previous year. This is also basketball, not football.

In basketball there is a much larger sample size with many more non-conference games, including many match ups between the top teams in every conference.
 

Tubby is 15-9 on the year with a Strength of schedule of 3. 3rd toughest schedule in the Nation. Tubby is 5-7 in the conference, playing in what many think is the toughest deepest conference in the country.

Gophers have zero wins in maybe the weakest the Big10 has been in 5 years.

By no means do I think Tubby was our savior, but I think when the game tips off and its time to play and coach, Tubby is 10 fold a better coach than Pitino. I do not believe that is even arguable.

Without a major collapse, Tubby and Texas Tech will be Dancing in March, a team he turned around in 3 short years, yet us Gopher fans will be stuck saying "oh but just wait until we get this next recruiting class....blah blah"

I hope they make the Field. It'll be good to have a rooting interest outside our own conference.
 

Big10 won the challenge with the ACC but got slaughtered when it was best teams on best teams.
 

Big10 won the challenge with the ACC but got slaughtered when it was best teams on best teams.

So your saying the Gophers would do better in the ACC record wise?
 

Big10 won the challenge with the ACC but got slaughtered when it was best teams on best teams.

There were 7 games involving ranked teams, and the Big Ten went 3-4 in those games. I guess they "got slaughtered", huh?
 

IU has lost to Wake Forest, Duke by 20. They did best Notre Dame but Notre Dame beat IOWA as well. Maryland lost to UNC, UVA won at Ohio State.
 

I agree with this post 100%. We need to pick up recruiting and we need to do a much better job of coaching up the players.
 

IU has lost to Wake Forest, Duke by 20. They did best Notre Dame but Notre Dame beat IOWA as well. Maryland lost to UNC, UVA won at Ohio State.

Purdue beat Pitt, Michigan St. beat Louisville, and Wisconsin beat Syracuse. What's your point?
 

IU has lost to Wake Forest, Duke by 20. They did best Notre Dame but Notre Dame beat IOWA as well. Maryland lost to UNC, UVA won at Ohio State.

Virginia is top 10, and from what little I know, it seems Ohio State is an NIT team.
 


I agree with this post 100%. We need to pick up recruiting and we need to do a much better job of coaching up the players.

This has been done over the last two classes. One group are current freshman and the other class is still in high school.
 

Maryland, Indiana and Iowa all lost and the best teams in the ACC won.
 

Maryland, Indiana and Iowa all lost and the best teams in the ACC won.

Wrong. Iowa beat Florida State.

Maryland and Indiana played road games at UNC and Duke. Flip home court advantage and the results could easily have been different.

The season also isn't over yet. Indiana may not finish in the top 4 of the Big Ten with the schedule they have left. (If you are basing who the best teams are solely on the current standings.)
 




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