What grade would you give the Gophers 2016-2017 basketball season?

What grade would you give the Gophers 2016-2017 basketball season?

  • A

    Votes: 51 53.1%
  • B

    Votes: 40 41.7%
  • C

    Votes: 4 4.2%
  • D

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • F

    Votes: 1 1.0%

  • Total voters
    96

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What grade would you give the Gophers 2016-2017 basketball season?
 

C. Once the eight game win streak was over, they went back to their old ways of playing as a group of individuals rather than a team.

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A : considering my expectations coming into the season. Also I feel we would be still playing if we had springs and a fully healthy mason

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I'd give the a B plus, but drop it down to a B due to the crappy reaction to the zone defense MTSU threw at them. Being above .500 in the Big Ten and beating Maryland and Purdue on the road are all big accomplishments. Wining at Northwestern this year was a big deal as well.
 

A

I wanted 18 wins which included at least six in conference play. They got 23 and top-four finish in conference plus a conf. tourney win.

After an 8 win season, what they did was awesome and people expecting more are either unrealistic or just like being cynical.

The tournament game was disappointing. At the same time, the season as a whole was awesome. this program isn't at a point where it can define its season by what it does in the tournament. Getting there made this season a success in my book.

Now expectations change.
 


C. Once the eight game win streak was over, they went back to their old ways of playing as a group of individuals rather than a team.

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Those 16 other wins must've been all luck... Another brilliant take from Ewert.
 

The nicest thing of this year is that the Gophers raised our expectations for next year. Nothing short of Big Ten champions next year. I truely think that they pull it off especially if the new recruits contribute. I have to admit that I have not seen the new recruits play, I am trusting this board that they should contribute. Should they not win the Big Ten title, at the least I expect them to be in contention no worse than up and into the last week of conference play.
 

A

I'm a casual basketball fan and I remember they won like 9 games last year. This season in my mind was a huge step forward and a success.
 

A. Maximized the talent of this team. We played in the tourney down 3 scholarship players we thought we'd have 13 months ago in Dorsey, Springs and Fitzgerald.
 



Those 16 other wins must've been all luck... Another brilliant take from Ewert.
The other sixteen wins were just that wins.There was no streak involved, the team was figuring out that you can't solely rely on talent. Luck played a factor in them because most of the were one or two possession games that could have gone the other way. Many of those wins could have been losses if this team started their disappearing act sooner in the game. Think about it, how many times were people glad they held on to the lead at the end? The answer is enough that it would have made a big difference in how their post season went. Out of those sixteen wins not involved in the streak only a third of them could be considered decisive, even the nonconference games.

Decisive wins were not a signature of this team regardless of the players post season recognition.

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The other sixteen wins were just that wins.There was no streak involved, the team was figuring out that you can't solely rely on talent. Luck played a factor in them because most of the were one or two possession games that could have gone the other way. Many of those wins could have been losses if this team started their disappearing act sooner in the game. Think about it, how many times were people glad they held on to the lead at the end? The answer is enough that it would have made a big difference in how their post season went. Out of those sixteen wins not involved in the streak only a third of them could be considered decisive, even the nonconference games.

Decisive wins were not a signature of this team regardless of the players post season recognition.

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Decisive wins aren't the hallmark of teams that won 8 games the prior year, or really any team in a major conference that's not a top 10 team in the country( (source: watch some college basketball). I believe that over the course of a year, experience, coaching, and talent (in no particular order) determine a team's fate in close games... not luck. We won too many close games for their success to be categorized as such. This was a young and talented team who worked hard to figure it out.

Ewert, if this squad would have hit a few more open threes tonight (btw most of them were open looks they earned through working the defense), you might not have been back on this board moaning until Saturday.

My grade is an A+. The fact that there was room for improvement doesn't negate the fact that this current roster pulled themselves out of the gutter and have the big ten title in the crosshairs for next year. We got to the NCAAs a year after winning 8 games. This program has completed a 180 as a result of their on the court successes.


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Decisive wins aren't the hallmark of teams that won 8 games the prior year, or really any team in a major conference that's not a top 10 team in the country( (source: watch some college basketball). I believe that over the course of a year, experience, coaching, and talent (in no particular order) determine a team's fate in close games... not luck. We won too many close games for their success to be categorized as such. This was a young and talented team who worked hard to figure it out.

Ewert, if this squad would have hit a few more open threes tonight (btw most of them were open looks they earned through working the defense), you might not have been back on this board moaning until Saturday.

My grade is an A+. The fact that there was room for improvement doesn't negate the fact that this current roster pulled themselves out of the gutter and have the big ten title in the crosshairs for next year. We got to the NCAAs a year after winning 8 games. This program has completed a 180 as a result of their on the court successes.


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Here's an analogy that I hope you understand. We're all so happy that this team climbed fifty feet up a ladder, but we forget that they buried themselves twenty-five feet underground last season. You can argue all you want about the total of fifty feet, but twenty-five feet of the climb was just to get back above ground. It's stacking the deck, manufacturing unnecessary adversity. If you can climb fifty feet on the ladder, why did you have to drop down twenty-five feet to prove it?

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B. I ultimately couldn't give an A as I wanted to see a win or 2 in the NCAA for that (could argue the Top 4 B1G finish deserved an A). An awfully fun ride to watch this season. Next year the expectations are gonna be a heck of a lot higher. Sweet 16 / Top 3 finish in the B1G are my goals for the team. Lofty goals maybe, but an A for me next year would be a B1G championship and/or a final 4 trip. They are that close to taking the next step. See y'all next season. Go Gophers!
 





C. Once the eight game win streak was over, they went back to their old ways of playing as a group of individuals rather than a team.

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lol.

Officially the most conference wins since 1989-90.
 

Solid B if not a B+. Just looking at this season and the expectations, they exceeded what most everyone thought was going to happen. Springs injury really hurt them and his leadership was really missed in these last two games.
Anyone grading the entire season below a B is a complete fool and has unrealistic expectations.
 

Here's an analogy that I hope you understand. We're all so happy that this team climbed fifty feet up a ladder, but we forget that they buried themselves twenty-five feet underground last season. You can argue all you want about the total of fifty feet, but twenty-five feet of the climb was just to get back above ground. It's stacking the deck, manufacturing unnecessary adversity. If you can climb fifty feet on the ladder, why did you have to drop down twenty-five feet to prove it?

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Why did they spend a whole offseason underground?

Where is the ladder going? Do they have more ladder to climb? Is the ladder 100s of feet long? Is it safe to be on the ladder with the whole team or does like McBrayer climb Tuesday's, Murphy Wednesday's, etc?

Your analogy was stupid and made no sense. It made things less clear, which by definition, is not what an analogy should do.

oh yeah, I give em a B. Great effort all year, fell short in some winnable/important games.
 

Once again I went A because there was not A- option. The Gophers were #18 on the NCAA selection committee's "true seed" list. The Gophers essentially had the 18th best regular season in the country in the eyes of the people that matter (not the people that vote in some top 25 poll). The negatives this year: a completely ridiculous and avoidable 5 game losing streak in conference play, being swept by Wisconsin, and saving their worst performance of the year for the NCAA tournament. That said, the 5-4 road record in conference play was excellent and can't be overstated how rare it is for a team to be "in" nearly every game all year as the Gophers were this season. They finished the season with 2 scholarships guards. TWO. That has to be taken in to account IMHO before you downgrade them for their performance against Michigan in the BTT or against MTSU. I can't let the end of season overshadow the way this team played at Purdue, at Northwestern, or that gutty, physical win over Michigan State. Make no mistake, today was a huge missed opportunity and one I hope we don't have to point to 2-3 years down the road, but the program is in infinitely better shape today than it was at this time last year. Also I feel like the Oturu commitment is at least somewhat tied in to the season and deserves some consideration in the grade. I don't think there's any way he's a Gopher right now if Pitino didn't solidify his job status.
 

B. I almost gave it a C but I'll give it a moral victory bump up because of a such a drastic turnaround. In the end, I think the verdict is that this team was definitely NOT a top 25 team.

Hopefully we get to the point where a round of 64 exit is a D. The goal is to consistently be a top 20 team nationally. This is a good first step but building a lasting foundation after year one is the tough part.
 

THIS totally. Minnesota, as a Basketball program, has all the tools to be a top 20 national power on a regular basis. The "little engine that could against all odds" mentality will never apply to the program. The "not a college town" or location excuses might fly for football, but not for Gopher basketball.

Here's an analogy that I hope you understand. We're all so happy that this team climbed fifty feet up a ladder, but we forget that they buried themselves twenty-five feet underground last season. You can argue all you want about the total of fifty feet, but twenty-five feet of the climb was just to get back above ground. It's stacking the deck, manufacturing unnecessary adversity. If you can climb fifty feet on the ladder, why did you have to drop down twenty-five feet to prove it?

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B. Exceeded my preseason expectations, and when they were good (e.g. at Purdue, at Maryland, vs. Michigan and Nebraska) they were really good and so fun to watch. But when they were bad (e.g. at Wisconsin, at Michigan State, Middle Tenn) they were really bad and painful to watch. The team had an 8-game win streak sandwiched by a 5-game losing streak on one end, and losing 3 of 4 on the other. They need to smooth that out next year with more consistent performances by key players. I'm looking forward to next season, but expectations have been significantly raised among Gopher fans, so I hope the coaches and players can rise up to exceed them once again.
 

Man, I don't know how you can give this less than an A. We had 8 wins last year, lost a key player, were picked in the bottom three of the big ten by everybody, and came out finished top four in the big ten, got a fifth seed, and went out early because of a bad injury to a key cog. If you would have asked me and most others on this board what the best case scenario was, pretty much everybody would have said be around .500 in the Big Ten, and get to the NCAA. Nobody on here was saying sweet sixteen or bust. That would have been silly. This was an A season, gang. Now if they have the same season next year, and go out in the first round, I'll be a lot harsher. Because they've raised expectations. We've seen how good these guys can be. It's up to them to build on it.
 

C. Once the eight game win streak was over, they went back to their old ways of playing as a group of individuals rather than a team.

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I gave them an A because they exceeded my expectations this year, and my expectations were pretty high compared to last year. You are right in that they did lose 3 of their final 4 games. They have had a tendency to get lost at times as they did in Wisconsin in the second half, for a period of time against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament and of course yesterday. In the last 2 games they showed what they are capable of with remarkable comebacks without Springs who was clearly their leader, but they ran out of gas and came up short.

My biggest question for next year is can the upper classmen step up into that leadership role. We will have 2 seniors and 3 juniors either starting or playing significant minutes (Mason/Lynch - Fitzgerald/McBrayer/Murphy). I also see a much more mature and experienced Coffey possibly moving into that role. I have seen both of our incoming guards play and they both will contribute. My biggest concern for next year is lack of depth at the 5. Konate' did not take a significant leap this year. Curry is more of a power forward and he needs to add mussel and he needs to slam dunk more instead of missing the easy layups.

I agree that getting an A next season will take a lot more. We will need to be 12 and 6 in the Big Ten with 28 wins over all including the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA's.
 

Here's an analogy that I hope you understand. We're all so happy that this team climbed fifty feet up a ladder, but we forget that they buried themselves twenty-five feet underground last season. You can argue all you want about the total of fifty feet, but twenty-five feet of the climb was just to get back above ground. It's stacking the deck, manufacturing unnecessary adversity. If you can climb fifty feet on the ladder, why did you have to drop down twenty-five feet to prove it?

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Ewert, even your analogies don't make sense! You cannot start out a season behind or underground! Every team in the nation starts from scratch, which I would consider ground level.

Hakuna Matata, They put the past behind them and over-achieved expectations. Don't be a raccoon who $#!+$ in the pool!

A for the season!
 

B++ Exceeded fan expectations big time but 11-7 B10 record isn't great and first round one and done in the dance with a 5 seed feels empty.

Next season expectations are big and B10 should be wide open.
 


Quoting the most ignored GH'er defeats the purpose of the ignore button.

Now if someone had the stones to ban this clown . . .
 

B

No tournament win brings it down, mtsu was tough draw but still


Excited for future, bar has been raised
 





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