***OFFICIAL MINNESOTA AT NORTHWESTERN IN-GAME THREAD!!!!***

He’s frustrated because his senior season is ruined because of bad injury luck and a ****ty teammate in Lynch.

I don't care. He needs to make the best of a bad situation and work with the supporting cast he has. Remember the 2012 season when Trevor went down, Sampson quit, Walker didn't play and the Gophers had a tough season? But, Rodney Williams, a freshman Andre Hollins, and a soph Austin Hollins led a supporting cast of Joe Coleman, freshman Elliot Eliason, freshman Otto, junior college transfer Andre Ingram, and transfer Julian Welch to the NIT finals while playing all of their games on the road. That was an inspiring performance.

Do the best with who you have around you. People, including scouts, will respect you for that.
 

Remember, under normal circumstances Konate and Diedhiou were not supposed to hit the floor this year. This team is emotionally shocked right now. You lose three players like Curry, Coffey and Lynch, plus have McBrayer hurting and Mason perhaps not at full strength yet and that's going to take a major readjustment mentally. It has obviously hit Mason the hardest. His final run here was going to be a dream and it has turned in to a nightmare. Pitino has seen worse spots in his time here and he will have them playing hard again.

Yes, we are shell shocked. It would be nice if we exhibited more discipline and didn't openly pout and show our frustrations. Mason, McBrayer and Murphy are dealing with a mountain of pressure. They know there isn't much help. They already have their frustrations and when fouls happen you don't expect added to no call when you attack the basket...it's difficult. Best guys handcuffed by fouls. The referees were a pretty big factor in the flow of the game for the Gophers.

Bad night. Let's see how we respond.
 

Remember, under normal circumstances Konate and Diedhiou were not supposed to hit the floor this year. This team is emotionally shocked right now. You lose three players like Curry, Coffey and Lynch, plus have McBrayer hurting and Mason perhaps not at full strength yet and that's going to take a major readjustment mentally. It has obviously hit Mason the hardest. His final run here was going to be a dream and it has turned in to a nightmare. Pitino has seen worse spots in his time here and he will have them playing hard again.

This is a horrendous indictment of this staff's roster management. Why do you have two multiple-year players on your roster who are not capable of playing the sport they're on scholarship for?

Beyond these two guys, what good is Stockman doing, and what good will he do next year? The team had big ambitions this year, but thanks to the two scholarship players who can't play, center was an Achilles heel. So what do they do? Sign a guy at that position who won't be eligible this year, has only one year of eligibility left, and averaged a hair over one point a game last season.

I was willing to let all this go if all's well that ended well, but this isn't ending well. Richard has some 'splainin' to do.
 

This is a horrendous indictment of this staff's roster management. Why do you have two multiple-year players on your roster who are not capable of playing the sport they're on scholarship for?
Yeah, Why?

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I don't care. He needs to make the best of a bad situation and work with the supporting cast he has. Remember the 2012 season when Trevor went down, Sampson quit, Walker didn't play and the Gophers had a tough season? But, Rodney Williams, a freshman Andre Hollins, and a soph Austin Hollins led a supporting cast of Joe Coleman, freshman Elliot Eliason, freshman Otto, junior college transfer Andre Ingram, and transfer Julian Welch to the NIT finals while playing all of their games on the road. That was an inspiring performance.

Do the best with who you have around you. People, including scouts, will respect you for that.

Excellent summation.
 


Opponents are most certainly going to keep throwing zones at us until we prove we can beat it. Given that the Gophers seemingly haven't been able to solve a zone since the Haskins era, and with a depleted team that can't shoot over them, I honestly wonder if we'll win another game this year.
 

Some of these negative statements about this team are absolutely RIDICULOUS!!

easy to replace Mason....are you kidding me?!?!?!?
Pitino should take most blame.......seriously!!


yes. the first half was horrible, but they played with some go in the second half. I'm still a Gopher fan and will always be a Gopher fan.
 

This is a horrendous indictment of this staff's roster management. Why do you have two multiple-year players on your roster who are not capable of playing the sport they're on scholarship for?

Beyond these two guys, what good is Stockman doing, and what good will he do next year? The team had big ambitions this year, but thanks to the two scholarship players who can't play, center was an Achilles heel. So what do they do? Sign a guy at that position who won't be eligible this year, has only one year of eligibility left, and averaged a hair over one point a game last season.

I was willing to let all this go if all's well that ended well, but this isn't ending well. Richard has some 'splainin' to do.

That's simple. Tubby left almost no underclass talent on the team he left Pitino. Pitino went out and grabbed two big man prospects with potential, one in Konate whom Louisville was considering. That was Pitino's first class and he has not made that error since. If you look at Big Ten rosters you will find that most teams have a few guys who should not and do not see the floor. Many coaches run these guys off. Pitino, to his credit has not done this to a couple of foreign imports who would not have many options if sent packing. I feel good about the recruiting Pitino has done to fill out his roster. Others may differ.
 

I will very rarely ever criticize a player if it obvious they are playing hard and things just are not going their way.

But it is very hard to be positive about players when they are clearly pouting and acting like children, especially when they are supposed to be leaders as upperclassmen. I agree that when Mason is on his game he will be near impossible to replace, but that crap we saw last night...never acceptable from the guy who is supposed to be the leader.

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That's simple. Tubby left almost no underclass talent on the team he left Pitino. Pitino went out and grabbed two big man prospects with potential, one in Konate whom Louisville was considering. That was Pitino's first class and he has not made that error since. If you look at Big Ten rosters you will find that most teams have a few guys who should not and do not see the floor. Many coaches run these guys off. Pitino, to his credit has not done this to a couple of foreign imports who would not have many options if sent packing. I feel good about the recruiting Pitino has done to fill out his roster. Others may differ.

Totally agree wit this statement!
 

That's simple. Tubby left almost no underclass talent on the team he left Pitino. Pitino went out and grabbed two big man prospects with potential, one in Konate whom Louisville was considering. That was Pitino's first class and he has not made that error since. If you look at Big Ten rosters you will find that most teams have a few guys who should not and do not see the floor. Many coaches run these guys off. Pitino, to his credit has not done this to a couple of foreign imports who would not have many options if sent packing. I feel good about the recruiting Pitino has done to fill out his roster. Others may differ.

Right, it's Tubby's fault Richard has no depth in year 5. Got it.
 

Right, it's Tubby's fault Richard has no depth in year 5. Got it.

Actually, he was correct. They used two scholarships on BK and Gas. That was a desperation move that Pitino OBVIOUSLY regrets. Tubby was recruiting HORRENDOUSLY at the end of his tenure, and there weren't any front court players to fill the interim. The BK and Gas schollies handcuffed the team for four seasons. For those of you not able to see the future, allow me to enlighten you. Front court depth for 2019: Oturu, Stockman, Murphy, Curry, Omersa. That is very good depth. If Pitino can add a solid center in the 2019 class to back up Oturu, we'll be off and running for a long while to come.
 

Actually, he was correct. They used two scholarships on BK and Gas. That was a desperation move that Pitino OBVIOUSLY regrets. Tubby was recruiting HORRENDOUSLY at the end of his tenure, and there weren't any front court players to fill the interim. The BK and Gas schollies handcuffed the team for four seasons. For those of you not able to see the future, allow me to enlighten you. Front court depth for 2019: Oturu, Stockman, Murphy, Curry, Omersa. That is very good depth. If Pitino can add a solid center in the 2019 class to back up Oturu, we'll be off and running for a long while to come.

Year 5.

If it were year 2 or 3 there might be an argument for it. Tubby didn't force Pitino to give BK and Gas scholarships.
 



So 2 freshman, a guy who averaged 1 pt a game in 3 years and has shown absolutely nothing that he is a legit power 5 bench player, and one coming off an ACL to go with Murph. And dont forget Martin was a huge miss in that same class as a big. Sorry it does not appear all roses and daisies to me, banking one and using one as a favor to his dad will haunt them for the foreseeable future. This is going to be a hard program to sell this spring despite having a brand new facility.



Actually, he was correct. They used two scholarships on BK and Gas. That was a desperation move that Pitino OBVIOUSLY regrets. Tubby was recruiting HORRENDOUSLY at the end of his tenure, and there weren't any front court players to fill the interim. The BK and Gas schollies handcuffed the team for four seasons. For those of you not able to see the future, allow me to enlighten you. Front court depth for 2019: Oturu, Stockman, Murphy, Curry, Omersa. That is very good depth. If Pitino can add a solid center in the 2019 class to back up Oturu, we'll be off and running for a long while to come.
 

Some of these negative statements about this team are absolutely RIDICULOUS!!

easy to replace Mason....are you kidding me?!?!?!?
Pitino should take most blame.......seriously!!


yes. the first half was horrible, but they played with some go in the second half. I'm still a Gopher fan and will always be a Gopher fan.
You sound like I did when I was a student, I'll of hope and optimism in the face of adversity. Take it from me, once that is crushed, it his more difficult to gain it back. Then again I was a student season ticket holder for football from 1981 to 1986, one of the darkest periods for football, on the field. It is not unlike the last two years of hoops.

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That's simple. Tubby left almost no underclass talent on the team he left Pitino. Pitino went out and grabbed two big man prospects with potential, one in Konate whom Louisville was considering. That was Pitino's first class and he has not made that error since. If you look at Big Ten rosters you will find that most teams have a few guys who should not and do not see the floor. Many coaches run these guys off. Pitino, to his credit has not done this to a couple of foreign imports who would not have many options if sent packing. I feel good about the recruiting Pitino has done to fill out his roster. Others may differ.

Excuses like this are for losers. The reason these players would not have many options if sent packing is that they can't play. This isn't a halfway house; it's not the island of misfit toys; it's a D1 program with high expectations and $30 seats. Even if you run Gas off, as you put it, you still gave him free college for a year or two and invaluable life experience. He'd have been fine. Staying the course on players who can't play is foolishly doubling down on your errors.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Pitino would have done much better to not panic and instead grab a local 2-star center. Those players are available to round out a roster and give you capable backup play. They'd probably have played basketball before and come in knowing how to defend a high pick-and-roll instead of still not having that ability four years into college.
 

Excuses like this are for losers. The reason these players would not have many options if sent packing is that they can't play. This isn't a halfway house; it's not the island of misfit toys; it's a D1 program with high expectations and $30 seats. Even if you run Gas off, as you put it, you still gave him free college for a year or two and invaluable life experience. He'd have been fine. Staying the course on players who can't play is foolishly doubling down on your errors.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Pitino would have done much better to not panic and instead grab a local 2-star center. Those players are available to round out a roster and give you capable backup play. They'd probably have played basketball before and come in knowing how to defend a high pick-and-roll instead of still not having that ability four years into college.

Even if we got a 3 star back in the day as opposed to konate or gaston none of them would have been as good as lynch. We are all pissed because konate and gaston have to play i get it. The bottom line is that we were 14th in the nation weeks ago and two great back to back recruiting classes. You just cant win with lynch, curry, and coffey out no matter who you replace them with. Everyones answer because of bad timing with lynch and two injuries is that it is pitino's fault. Come on really? So these guys we should have gotten 4 years ago were gonna get us into the tourney this year replacing those 3? I say let's fire Pitino and set this program back another 5 years. Are we mad like me that weve had a promising year hit the dumpster because of some misfortune, or are we all mad because konate and gaston have to play instead of the 2 3 star guys that we all think would get us over the top to the ncaa this year. Bottom line is you just cant replace what we've lost. Every other team in nation that cant replace their 4 star or 5 star guys with other 4 or 5 star guys are in the same boat as we are! We have lost 3 guys that were a major part of our success.
 

Great recruiting classes, I’d say above average. Next years class is currently 40th on 247 I don’t call that great

QUOTE=gophereric30;1503658]Even if we got a 3 star back in the day as opposed to konate or gaston none of them would have been as good as lynch. We are all pissed because konate and gaston have to play i get it. The bottom line is that we were 14th in the nation weeks ago and two great back to back recruiting classes. You just cant win with lynch, curry, and coffey out no matter who you replace them with. Everyones answer because of bad timing with lynch and two injuries is that it is pitino's fault. Come on really? So these guys we should have gotten 4 years ago were gonna get us into the tourney this year replacing those 3? I say let's fire Pitino and set this program back another 5 years. Are we mad like me that weve had a promising year hit the dumpster because of some misfortune, or are we all mad because konate and gaston have to play instead of the 2 3 star guys that we all think would get us over the top to the ncaa this year. Bottom line is you just cant replace what we've lost. Every other team in nation that cant replace their 4 star or 5 star guys with other 4 or 5 star guys are in the same boat as we are! We have lost 3 guys that were a major part of our success.[/QUOTE]
 

Great recruiting classes, I’d say above average. Next years class is currently 40th on 247 I don’t call that great

QUOTE=gophereric30;1503658]Even if we got a 3 star back in the day as opposed to konate or gaston none of them would have been as good as lynch. We are all pissed because konate and gaston have to play i get it. The bottom line is that we were 14th in the nation weeks ago and two great back to back recruiting classes. You just cant win with lynch, curry, and coffey out no matter who you replace them with. Everyones answer because of bad timing with lynch and two injuries is that it is pitino's fault. Come on really? So these guys we should have gotten 4 years ago were gonna get us into the tourney this year replacing those 3? I say let's fire Pitino and set this program back another 5 years. Are we mad like me that weve had a promising year hit the dumpster because of some misfortune, or are we all mad because konate and gaston have to play instead of the 2 3 star guys that we all think would get us over the top to the ncaa this year. Bottom line is you just cant replace what we've lost. Every other team in nation that cant replace their 4 star or 5 star guys with other 4 or 5 star guys are in the same boat as we are! We have lost 3 guys that were a major part of our success.
[/QUOTE]

Ok ill give ya above average! Havent seen alot of those lately for us let alone two years in a row.
 

Even if we got a 3 star back in the day as opposed to konate or gaston none of them would have been as good as lynch. We are all pissed because konate and gaston have to play i get it. The bottom line is that we were 14th in the nation weeks ago and two great back to back recruiting classes. You just cant win with lynch, curry, and coffey out no matter who you replace them with. Everyones answer because of bad timing with lynch and two injuries is that it is pitino's fault. Come on really? So these guys we should have gotten 4 years ago were gonna get us into the tourney this year replacing those 3? I say let's fire Pitino and set this program back another 5 years. Are we mad like me that weve had a promising year hit the dumpster because of some misfortune, or are we all mad because konate and gaston have to play instead of the 2 3 star guys that we all think would get us over the top to the ncaa this year. Bottom line is you just cant replace what we've lost. Every other team in nation that cant replace their 4 star or 5 star guys with other 4 or 5 star guys are in the same boat as we are! We have lost 3 guys that were a major part of our success.

I agree with all of that, and I have never been one calling for Pitino's head. I do have a problem with people finding a way to blame this years struggles on Tubby. Sure, we didn't have any great underclassmen when Pitino took over. But it's year 5. He's had plenty of time to mold and develop his own roster. This doesn't all fall on Pitino, and I've never said it did. Coffey and Curry were both cases of bad luck. Lynch was either poor decisions by him, an unfair university process, or a combination of both depending on what you believe. The lack of depth behind them is on Pitino.

It's fair to expect a drop-off in performance after losing three players, two of them starters. But it's also alarming that the guys behind them are not able to contribute in really any meaningful way.
 

There's been a lot of criticism of Mason on this thread, and a lot of it was warranted after his poor play and leadership tonight. However, try thinking what it's like for him. He endured the worst season in Gopher history (though it ended badly for him with the suspension). He was a big part of the rise in the program last year and his senior season was set up to be excellent. In the span of two days last week, this season was completely ruined. The starting lineup right now is Mason, Mcbrayer, Hurt, Murphy, and Konate. The Gophers are playing 3 on 5 the rest of the season with that lineup. He took a lot of shots today he normally wouldn't have taken, but I bet he did that out of frustration because he knows Hurt hates trying to score and Konate is one of the worst centers in D1. I'm not making any excuses for his attitude tonight, but I think I would be emotionally beat down after this past week as well if I was him.
 

You sound like I did when I was a student, I'll of hope and optimism in the face of adversity. Take it from me, once that is crushed, it his more difficult to gain it back. Then again I was a student season ticket holder for football from 1981 to 1986, one of the darkest periods for football, on the field. It is not unlike the last two years of hoops.

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I'm 48 and I still have faith....and Patience, which very few have now days. building a program is a time consuming ordeal. And yes, it is difficult to be optimistic at times........like now
 

Year 5.

If it were year 2 or 3 there might be an argument for it. Tubby didn't force Pitino to give BK and Gas scholarships.

The recruitment situation was set up in part to Tubby's inability to recruit big men. Can you name any centers from that time that would have helped bridge the gap? Get a clue
 

So 2 freshman, a guy who averaged 1 pt a game in 3 years and has shown absolutely nothing that he is a legit power 5 bench player, and one coming off an ACL to go with Murph. And dont forget Martin was a huge miss in that same class as a big. Sorry it does not appear all roses and daisies to me, banking one and using one as a favor to his dad will haunt them for the foreseeable future. This is going to be a hard program to sell this spring despite having a brand new facility.

Wrong. 5 capable front court players in 2019. How many do we have this season? Allow me to answer that, currently 1, previously 2. Easy math.
 

Even if we got a 3 star back in the day as opposed to konate or gaston none of them would have been as good as lynch. We are all pissed because konate and gaston have to play i get it. The bottom line is that we were 14th in the nation weeks ago and two great back to back recruiting classes. You just cant win with lynch, curry, and coffey out no matter who you replace them with. Everyones answer because of bad timing with lynch and two injuries is that it is pitino's fault. Come on really? So these guys we should have gotten 4 years ago were gonna get us into the tourney this year replacing those 3? I say let's fire Pitino and set this program back another 5 years. Are we mad like me that weve had a promising year hit the dumpster because of some misfortune, or are we all mad because konate and gaston have to play instead of the 2 3 star guys that we all think would get us over the top to the ncaa this year. Bottom line is you just cant replace what we've lost. Every other team in nation that cant replace their 4 star or 5 star guys with other 4 or 5 star guys are in the same boat as we are! We have lost 3 guys that were a major part of our success.

Exactly. What else is there to say? Everyone needs to move on and hope for the best. Unless of course you're a recruiting wizard waiting in the wings, then we could use you on staff!
 


The recruitment situation was set up in part to Tubby's inability to recruit big men. Can you name any centers from that time that would have helped bridge the gap? Get a clue

Any big man that Tubby recruited would be graduated by now unless he redshirted. Again, I would get that argument year 2 or 3, but it doesn't make sense in year 5.

I don't know what exactly the question there means, but I'm sure you could find plenty of quality centers who signed with other teams over the last 4 recruiting classes on the Rivals web site. Or did no teams get quality players over 6'9" in the last four years? They are Pitino's scholarships to give out, it's on him for not using them on quality players. And I don't understand the "bridge the gap" part either. Bridging the gap makes sense in the first couple years. In year 5 you aren't bridging any gaps created by a previous coach, you are only bridging a gap that you have created yourself.
 

Any big man that Tubby recruited would be graduated by now unless he redshirted. Again, I would get that argument year 2 or 3, but it doesn't make sense in year 5.

I don't know what exactly the question there means, but I'm sure you could find plenty of quality centers who signed with other teams over the last 4 recruiting classes on the Rivals web site. Or did no teams get quality players over 6'9" in the last four years? They are Pitino's scholarships to give out, it's on him for not using them on quality players. And I don't understand the "bridge the gap" part either. Bridging the gap makes sense in the first couple years. In year 5 you aren't bridging any gaps created by a previous coach, you are only bridging a gap that you have created yourself.
The training wheels ate still one, cut Richard a break. It's only been five years.

*headsplode*

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Any big man that Tubby recruited would be graduated by now unless he redshirted. Again, I would get that argument year 2 or 3, but it doesn't make sense in year 5.

I don't know what exactly the question there means, but I'm sure you could find plenty of quality centers who signed with other teams over the last 4 recruiting classes on the Rivals web site. Or did no teams get quality players over 6'9" in the last four years? They are Pitino's scholarships to give out, it's on him for not using them on quality players. And I don't understand the "bridge the gap" part either. Bridging the gap makes sense in the first couple years. In year 5 you aren't bridging any gaps created by a previous coach, you are only bridging a gap that you have created yourself.

Which player do you want taken off the team then. Because if he would have signed another center sometime in the past few years that player would have taken the spot if someone we currently have


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Excuses like this are for losers. The reason these players would not have many options if sent packing is that they can't play. This isn't a halfway house; it's not the island of misfit toys; it's a D1 program with high expectations and $30 seats. Even if you run Gas off, as you put it, you still gave him free college for a year or two and invaluable life experience. He'd have been fine. Staying the course on players who can't play is foolishly doubling down on your errors.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Pitino would have done much better to not panic and instead grab a local 2-star center. Those players are available to round out a roster and give you capable backup play. They'd probably have played basketball before and come in knowing how to defend a high pick-and-roll instead of still not having that ability four years into college.

As to your second paragraph, I agree that a couple of lightly recruited players with an extensive basketball background and some skills would have been better than Konate and Gaston. Some players with impressive measurables but low experience and skills do develop but you're taking a chance.

As to your first paragraph, I also agree. Some people seem to believe that a basketball scholarship is an automatic four year commitment regardless of performance level. I've asked before on these pages if they would feel the same way about someone who received an academic scholarship but consistently underperformed in academics. If someone received an academic scholarship and that scholarship required the recipient to maintain a 3.0 average (which is only an average GPA these days) and that person earned a cumulative 2.0 after two years, would people feel bad about that person losing that scholarship so it could go to another student? Essentially Gaston is the basketball equivalent of a student on an academic scholarship who earns a cumulative 1.8 GPA over a 3+ year term while being required to earn a 3.0. Bakary is a little more deserving over his career but he's still probably the equivalent of a 2.4 GPA.

I don't agree that these players would have had nowhere to go. I still thing Gaston could have found a place on a D2 roster just based on size and Bakary probably could have made low level D1 roster just based on his size and some level of defensive skills.
 




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