The Daily Gopher Fix 9.23.08
by PJS on Sep 23, 2008 3:00 AM CDT
in Golden Nuggets
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PrintAs the 2008 football season is about to get serious, the broad question that will define this season is this, as asked by the bloggers at Fourth and Dumb:
Like Northwestern, the Golden Gophers did not face anyone with a pulse, but they are definitely better than last year. Will one or both of these teams be a factor in conference play, or will they just hold up well enough to go bowling?
In all honestly, that's the question that defines the University of Minnesota football program. Jim Wacker and his predecessors couldn't get the Gophers to even average bowls. Glen Mason made the Gophers a perennial player in lower-tier bowls, but that too soon grew old. Mason was ushered out and the expectations rose again. These days, success isn't the Centrum/Viagra Performance Bowl, it's contending for Big Ten championships and major bowls.
That might be too much to ask coming off a 1-11 season. But I'd bet the energy that we now see with a 4-0 record subsides if the Gophers stumble through the Big Ten schedule. Looking at the schedule, and having watched the Big Ten stumble through non-conference play, it seems to me Brewster's team has a chance for something more.
The Gophers have home games against Indiana (just throttled by Ball State), a weak Northwestern team, a transitioning Michigan team and a season-ended against Iowa. All four are winnable. The four road games could be tough--at Ohio State, Illinois, Purdue and Wisconsin. Anyone else think winning 8 games is reasonable?
- The Minnesota Daily notes that the Gophers are two gamess away from bowl eligibility. Again, I wonder if Minnesota fans will be bored with lower tier bowls.
- Eleven Warriors begins to brace OSU fans for the possibility that Beanie Wells might be out for the entire year.
- If Tubby Smith has met expectations in the recruiting department, well, Thad Matta in Columbus continues to exceed expectations. Matta has what might be the best class for 2010. Yes, 2010. Minnesota's class of 2009 is still in the works. From Buckeye Grove.
The Ohio State Buckeyes recruiting train just keeps on rolling. Days after getting a verbal from five star shooting guard Jordan Sibert, OSU got more good news on the recruiting from on Monday. Lenzelle Smith Jr., a four star prospect out of Chicago, and has decided to join Ohio State's 2010 recruiting class and he becomes the fifth commitment in a group that is shaping up to be possibly the best in the country.
- Don Lucia's team is ranked ninth nationally in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Preseason poll. BC, Michigan and Notre Dame round out the top three. Full poll here. How many here follow Lucia's boys?
- Things aren't pretty in Iowa, writes Adam Rittenberg of the 4-letter. Over the last 17 months, 19 Hawkeyes have been arrested. And, as Rittenberg points out, Kirk Ferentz was exonerated of any wrong doing over a sexual assault case involving Iowa players some thought he might have covered up..
- Please continue to vote in the poll to name The Daily Fix. It's a two-name race at the moment and if it stays really tight, we might have a run-off!
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Matta And Staff
They are superb recruiters. Ohio State was a Sleeping Giant in college hoops until he arrived and woke them up.
by FortyYearCatFan on Sep 23, 2008 5:15 AM CDT reply actions
I was unimpressed ...
…. with last year’s big get Kosta Koufos. But you’re obviously right about Matta.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.
Koufos
Will be better in NBA than you expect. He was poorly utilized at OSU (I think) last season.
by FortyYearCatFan on Sep 23, 2008 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions
FOT ....
…. Some great original content coming in about 10 minutes re: Justin Cobbs.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.
Sent It 2 OTS Tonight
Great interview.
by FortyYearCatFan on Sep 23, 2008 8:12 PM CDT up reply actions
“I wonder if Minnesota fans will be bored with lower tier bowls.”
One would think most fans would see this as a huge uptick and a good show of future promise coming off of 1-11. In addition, almost every prediction I saw from fans on the message boards predicted less than a .500 season. In addition, I hope this would play well with potential recruits.
"How many here follow Lucia’s boys? "
Gopher Hockey is by far and away my favorite University team. I post regularly on GPL message boards (the primary Gopher hockey website). One thing I saw over there recently was the following mix for this years team -
Freshmen – 12
Sophomores – 6
Juniors – 7
Seniors – 2
When you add in the fact that a majority of our top scorers are gone it would lead me to believe we may struggle at first. I definitely think that we won’t be in the upper tier of teams this year and a good goal will be to make the NCAA tourney (not to necissarily win it like many year’s goal may be for the fans).
I'm hoping for some hockey content on the Daily Gopher.
"How many here follow Lucia’s boys? "
I’m just a simple guy from North of the Range… Hockey is my first love.
by Sir Tipsy McStagger of Minnesota on Sep 23, 2008 7:45 AM CDT reply actions
And hockey coverage you shall receive. .....
. …. we’re just trying to figure out how to do it. I grew up playing hoops in the winter, so I’m one of three Minnesotans who aren’t well-versed on hockey.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.
Hoops are no excuse
I grew up spending the winter on the basketball court, too, but I’ve still managed to become a hockey die-hard – and you can too!
Lesson 1: Enemy #1 is Wisconsin. Enemy #2 (and annoyance #1) is North Dakota.
by Jon Marthaler on Sep 23, 2008 8:29 AM CDT up reply actions
Watch yes, Understand .....
I watch the Gophers hockey team, and back in the day I used to go to a lot of high school hockey. Great atmosphere in all the arenas around Minneapolis. But understanding the intracacies of the game is another matter entirely.
Last year seemed to be a down year for the U, are people expecting a turnaround in 08-09?
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.
Last year was definitely a downer. If not for goaltender Alex Kangas, who knows how bad it would have been? The thing people need to remember is that the team lost Ryan Stoa the first weekend to an injury and Kyle Okposo left at the winter break. That forced some Froshs to play bigger minutes, and truthfully, they just weren’t ready.
I think there is 4-5 Froshs that are ready this year. We have a few kids that played juniors and developmental team. We’ll see a better team throughout the season.
I should be in attendance for the WCHA opener Oct. 17 in St. Cloud.
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