I don't know what to think about this team

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LongLiveMilesTarver

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In the preseason poll, I voted for 6 Big 10 wins this season so obviously I did not think this was a very good team.

At no point during the season have they shown the ability to win multiple games in a row against quality competition.

So, why am I so deflated over a .500 team that already has the 6 wins I predicted them at?

Somehow, this team plays well enough in flashes that I'm encouraged they could be a really good team if they did that more consistently. They always seem to be one or two plays away from winning games but more often than not they do not make them.
 

if we have players besides Oturu or Carr step up we win - this was supposed to be a better shooting team but it is worse than last year. Grad transfer demir was supposed to shoot from the outside , which was supposed to open the offense up. - he hasn’t hit a three pointer in a month. The team physically has two players that are better than others at thier position - the others have to rely on offensive sets to get points - are sets aren’t that great. Pitino plays the shortest bench in the big ten and with modern scouting/film study that shortens our opponents prep time. It’s up to him to recruit players that can get on the floor and to run sets that uses the strengths that our players have.
 

LongLiveMilesTarver said:
Somehow, this team plays well enough in flashes that I'm encouraged they could be a really good team if they did that more consistently. They always seem to be one or two plays away from winning games but more often than not they do not make them.
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Couldn't agree more. Pretty much every role player has shown flashes of really quality play. There's just been zero consistency. While it's promising for the future as they grow, the looming Oturu decision really puts that in jeopardy.
 

LongLiveMilesTarver said:
In the preseason poll, I voted for 6 Big 10 wins this season so obviously I did not think this was a very good team.

At no point during the season have they shown the ability to win multiple games in a row against quality competition.

So, why am I so deflated over a .500 team that already has the 6 wins I predicted them at?

Somehow, this team plays well enough in flashes that I'm encouraged they could be a really good team if they did that more consistently. They always seem to be one or two plays away from winning games but more often than not they do not make them.
Click to expand...

A 7-year tenured coach who has no competition from other division 1 programs in-state should never lower your expectations to 6 conference wins...You answered your question right there.
 

LongLiveMilesTarver said:
In the preseason poll, I voted for 6 Big 10 wins this season so obviously I did not think this was a very good team.

At no point during the season have they shown the ability to win multiple games in a row against quality competition.

So, why am I so deflated over a .500 team that already has the 6 wins I predicted them at?

Somehow, this team plays well enough in flashes that I'm encouraged they could be a really good team if they did that more consistently. They always seem to be one or two plays away from winning games but more often than not they do not make them.
Click to expand...
they dont make them more often because they're not good enough to make them more often.

This is simple stuff.
 
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LongLiveMilesTarver said:
In the preseason poll, I voted for 6 Big 10 wins this season so obviously I did not think this was a very good team.

At no point during the season have they shown the ability to win multiple games in a row against quality competition.

So, why am I so deflated over a .500 team that already has the 6 wins I predicted them at?

Somehow, this team plays well enough in flashes that I'm encouraged they could be a really good team if they did that more consistently. They always seem to be one or two plays away from winning games but more often than not they do not make them.
Click to expand...
Probably because they've shown much higher potential than 6 total B1G wins, and there have been some really heartbreaking close losses (Today, at Purdue).
 


Not at all surprised at anything I've seen from this team, either good or bad this year.

This is what Gopher basketball is and will be under Pitino: The very essence of mediocrity.
 

Gophers remind me of the MN Wild. A couple good players to keep them competitive and on the bubble of playoff contention, but not enough to make them an elite team. Today we saw that team out on the court.
 




I'm astounded at how we are for so many years, at best a bubble team.

Lone exception being 2017.
 

We haven't had back-to-back 0.500 (or better) Big Ten seasons since 2008-09 / 2009-10 seasons.
 






LongLiveMilesTarver said:
In the preseason poll, I voted for 6 Big 10 wins this season so obviously I did not think this was a very good team.

At no point during the season have they shown the ability to win multiple games in a row against quality competition.

So, why am I so deflated over a .500 team that already has the 6 wins I predicted them at?

Somehow, this team plays well enough in flashes that I'm encouraged they could be a really good team if they did that more consistently. They always seem to be one or two plays away from winning games but more often than not they do not make them.
Click to expand...

Your predictions were too lofty I hate to say. This team was even overachieving at .500 this year, we have no depth, and other than Oturu and Carr, who can we count on? We didn't even know Carr would be this good coming into the year too. I say a .500 record in conference is a success at the end the day, with the talent we have on the team that is. Pitino is doing about as well as he can with this team, but the fact that the cuboards are so bare is the worrisome part, not how the team is playing.
 

At Purdue - they hit a 3 to tie at the end of reg. - loss - we miss fts - were up 8 and Payton makes a dumb foul - after t.o. Iowa sets up Garza for an open threee- they miss a ft and get the rebound... We play slow down with8 pt lead and dont score...Crowd was fine - this team drains out the enthusiam so much...
 

victor04 said:
Your predictions were too lofty I hate to say. This team was even overachieving at .500 this year, we have no depth, and other than Oturu and Carr, who can we count on? We didn't even know Carr would be this good coming into the year too. I say a .500 record in conference is a success at the end the day, with the talent we have on the team that is. Pitino is doing about as well as he can with this team, but the fact that the cuboards are so bare is the worrisome part, not how the team is playing.
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Whose fault is that?
 


PMWinSTP said:
Whose fault is that?
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I believe he goes by Richard the III Pitino.

Clearly he has made some coaching mistakes that have cost him a few games potentially, but the lack of depth and quality of the roster is more of a factor in my opinion.
 
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victor04 said:
I believe he goes by Richard the III Pitino.

Clearly he has made some coaching mistakes that have cost him a few games potentially, but the lack of depth and quality of the roster is more of a factor in my opinion.
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The lack of depth and quality of roster is whose fault?
 

fair said:
Couldn't agree more. Pretty much every role player has shown flashes of really quality play. There's just been zero consistency. While it's promising for the future as they grow, the looming Oturu decision really puts that in jeopardy.
Click to expand...

I really think this is coaching. We are not a very deep team but a good coach knows how to use his role players.

IMO, that last defensive sequence, we should have seen Ilhen rather than Demir. I think that's a pretty obvious move. There were times at the end of games (I can't remember if this one made sense) where we went with Willis instead of Williams. I think Williams gives you more on that side of the court.

He doesn't adjust well. It feels like he creates a blue print and a gameplan and then he sticks with it regardless. Today was not Demir's game and I am not going to put that on him. He is what he is and he has helped us at times this year. The rotation for the other big guy, especially on defense, should have been Ilhen and Omersa.
 


Team again fails to make plays when needed. Cost them at Purdue and cost them today.

Still the biggest problem with this team is the inability to make shots. Went
7-28 today from 3. It’s been their biggest issue all season.
 
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I like Ilhen potential but how many wide open threes did he miss? How many free throws did we clank again? If Oturo comes back (PSU Stevens and MSU guard) next year - keep Pitino and see what he can do with a pretty good roster but if he doesnt look for another 8 - 10 year. Are going to lose at NW?
 



book said:
I like Ilhen potential but how many wide open threes did he miss? How many free throws did we clank again? If Oturo comes back (PSU Stevens and MSU guard) next year - keep Pitino and see what he can do with a pretty good roster but if he doesnt look for another 8 - 10 year. Are going to lose at NW?
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We can't base keeping Pitino on what Oturu decides to do in May. He's either fired when the season ends or he's back.
 

bga1 said:
Except for about 3 years this has been a bubble team at best for 45 years.
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That's an exaggeration. We've been a single digit seed in the NCAA tournament 7 times since 1990. In any event, it doesn't mean we should except 2 NCAA's in 7 years and 30 games under .500 in conference as the best we can do.
 

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