Thoughts from a random dude...

Donate To GopherHole


howeda7 said:
I agree with all except #6. This starting 5 could go toe-to-toe with 97. The bench would get blown out though. Quincy Lewis, Charles Thomas an co. They went 10 deep. This bench has IW and not too much else.
Click to expand...

Word. This is why I'm shaking my head at this Final Four talk. We've seen what a FF team looks like, and this is not it. I'll be overjoyed if the Gophs are playing in the second weekend of the Tournament. The NCAA's are such a minefield: a top 20 team would have to play a top 25 team right away in the SECOND ROUND. It's a meat grinder; nothing is certain.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Word. This is why I'm shaking my head at this Final Four talk. We've seen what a FF team looks like, and this is not it. I'll be overjoyed if the Gophs are playing in the second weekend of the Tournament. The NCAA's are such a minefield: a top 20 team would have to play a top 25 team right away in the SECOND ROUND. It's a meat grinder; nothing is certain.
Click to expand...

As much as people bandy about Final Four talk now, I don't recall any talk like that in the preseason in '97 (although the pre-message board world creates a huge asterisk on that). The first mention of Final Four in 97 came from Fran Fraschilla after the Gophers dominated St. John's at home, and his word was "sleeper" in the Final Four conversation. That team was coming off a first round NIT exit the previous year (although jobbed by the committee in not getting in).

I too would be ecstatic to see them playing the second weekend. There are way too many variables to predict much more than that now, the biggest one being the bench. The weak B1G this year could be to our advantage though. Perhaps the starters can get a bit more of a break against the bottom feeders of the conference, lessening the chance of injury. Alas....
 

Holy Man said:
As much as people bandy about Final Four talk now, I don't recall any talk like that in the preseason in '97 (although the pre-message board world creates a huge asterisk on that). The first mention of Final Four in 97 came from Fran Fraschilla after the Gophers dominated St. John's at home, and his word was "sleeper" in the Final Four conversation. That team was coming off a first round NIT exit the previous year (although jobbed by the committee in not getting in).

I too would be ecstatic to see them playing the second weekend. There are way too many variables to predict much more than that now, the biggest one being the bench. The weak B1G this year could be to our advantage though. Perhaps the starters can get a bit more of a break against the bottom feeders of the conference, lessening the chance of injury. Alas....
Click to expand...

What Pitino has been saying is true and not just trying to lower expectations. The bench needs to get better in order for this to be a team that can go deep in a region. I continue to like Jamir Harris. He can shoot 3s with his eyes closed and can defend and handle a little.
 


Bad Gopher said:
Word. This is why I'm shaking my head at this Final Four talk. We've seen what a FF team looks like, and this is not it. I'll be overjoyed if the Gophs are playing in the second weekend of the Tournament. The NCAA's are such a minefield: a top 20 team would have to play a top 25 team right away in the SECOND ROUND. It's a meat grinder; nothing is certain.
Click to expand...

I'll agree that I think the 97 team was slightly better thanks to the bench, but this team could definitely make a Final Four. Look at the top teams, Duke plays 8 guys, Kansas plays 7, Villanova and Notre Dame only play 8. The Gophers starters can match up with anyone.

Another difference is that in 97 most college players still played 3-4 years, not a bunch of 1 and done's like today. 97 was filled with a lot more deeper and experienced teams than we see today.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Word. This is why I'm shaking my head at this Final Four talk. We've seen what a FF team looks like, and this is not it. I'll be overjoyed if the Gophs are playing in the second weekend of the Tournament. The NCAA's are such a minefield: a top 20 team would have to play a top 25 team right away in the SECOND ROUND. It's a meat grinder; nothing is certain.
Click to expand...

I love our team, but watching the Duke-Florida game last night brought me back down to earth regarding expectations for Minnesota. Those teams are on another level.
 

WanderingGopher said:
I love our team, but watching the Duke-Florida game last night brought me back down to earth regarding expectations for Minnesota. Those teams are on another level.
Click to expand...

I agree. I am so trilled to have a competitive Top15 team to watch again and so looking forward to a great basketball season but Mason and Murphy are the only players that could out-play their position matchups against those two teams. That said, a top 25 team can easily win a game against a top 5 team on any given night.
 

The Gophers can beat almost anyone in the country. You get a little bracket luck and you can play a 13 seed, a 5 seed and an 8 seed to get yourself deep into the tourney.
 



You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom