Gophers Draw Northwestern

by PJS on Mar 9, 2009 9:29 AM CDT

It wasn't the 8-9 game most of us were hoping for, but Tubby Smith's troops will suit up Thursday morning to kick off the Big Ten Tournament against the best Northwestern team to ever wear purple and white.

In my opinion, the Gophers need a win in this game to get into the tournament. A loss will put them in a very precarious position, especially given the team's Tim Brewster-like late season swoon.

Some people have pointed to Minnesota's recent throttling of the Wildcats as proof to be upbeat about this game. But many Wildcats were off their game because of flu symptoms when they came to The Barn. One thing that does help is the Wildcats will use the same 1-3-1 defense that Michigan did for most of the game Saturday. It wasn't until John Beilein switched to a 2-3 zone that Minnesota's offense went silent.

Should the Gophers get by Northwestern, top seeded Michigan State waits.

The other first roud matchups include #7 Michigan against #10 Iowa, with the winner facing Illinois. At the bottom of the bracket is #6 Penn State taking on lowly Indiana with a right to face Purdue. Your 4-5 game pits Wisconsin against Ohio State.

So, what say you? Can the Gophers beat Northwestern? If so, do they have any chance against the Spartans? And who is your conference favorite? My pick is the Spartans (on a limb, I know), because they seem to be far and away superior to anyone else in the conference. But the sad thing is, they are probably hoping to see the Gophers and not Northwestern in round 2.

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I'll take the Gophers against NW!

Then the problem comes with MS. MS is beatable — no doubt about that. And it’s also hard to beat a team three times in a row. I think the Spartens will win but Minnesota will make a good showing.

by COJOMAY on Mar 9, 2009 10:26 AM CDT reply actions

This is a better spot than Michigan is in

I would much rather be playing Northwestern than Iowa. A win over Northwestern would be a quality win over an NIT team (assuming that Northwestern is a lock for the NIT should we beat them) while Iowa would just be a bad loss and doesn’t really help much if you beat them (and Michigan already lost to them once).

Of course, it also means a certain end to our Big 10 tournament if/when we face MSU. As long as the Spartans don’t embarrass us (again) we should be okay. I can’t see us playing as badly as we did in East Lansing.

First things first. Let’s beat the Wildcats!

by rencito on Mar 9, 2009 10:50 AM CDT reply actions

The problem the Gophers find themselves in....

…is that if Northwestern beats the Gophers, there’s a fair chance the Wildcats could make the NCAA tourney at the Gophers’ expense. NW folks have money and would travel to their first-ever tournament game. If the Gophers are placed ANYWHERE other than Minneapolis, I question how much people would want to travel to see a team that stumbled down the stretch, especially given this economy.

The Gophers are currently placed 8th in conference. Michigan has a far superior strength of schedule and resume, unfortunately, than the Gophers do. Although Cornell is in the tourney, and Louisville won the Big East, Michigan’s wins against Duke, UCLA and near-miss against UCONN hold greater weight. So does that strength of schedule – #9 or 10 in the country. So do those two wins against Minnesota.

The other white elephant in the room – does the Big Ten deserve 8 or 9 tournament berths? I don’t think so – as a result, this weekend is critical for a few teams. Minnesota needs at least 2 victories to make the tournament.

by JG2112 on Mar 9, 2009 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions

If the Gophers are in and play anywhere on the East Coast I'm going. ...

Despite the economy and the headache Goldman Sachs is currently creating for me.

As for the Big Ten, I do think the conference has a legit argument for 8 after the great non-conference season.

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by PJS on Mar 9, 2009 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions

I'd hope you'd go.....: )

Even if the league gets to 8 teams, that leaves the Gophers with it all to do on Thursday. And, 8 teams presupposes no conference tournament surprises. If some lousy team like Oregon or Iowa or Kentucky (this is fun) wins their tournament that makes it even tougher for the Gophers.

by JG2112 on Mar 9, 2009 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions

I disagree

with your assessment that Michigan has a stronger resume than the Gophers. Yes, they have a better strength of schedule, but it isn’t like the Gophers schedule hurts them. One big thing that the selection committee examines is a team’s road record and Michigan’s is atrocious. Also, Michigan has a loss to Iowa, which the Gophers do not. So Michigan definitely has bad losses on their resume, which the Gophers do not.

Yes, I understand if you put Minnesota and Michigan side by side, you can favor the Wolverines because of their sweep over us, but that isn’t how the process works. I don’t think it is a Michigan OR Minnesota decision at this point. Michigan doesn’t really gain anything from beating Iowa, I think they still need to win two to guarantee themselves a spot. I think Minnesota only needs to beat Northwestern.

I also disagree that Northwestern is going to travel better than Minnesota. Minnesota has a much larger alumni base that is hungry for basketball. I truly believe that Minnesota has more passion for Gophers basketball than they do Gophers football. Nonetheless, this isn’t college football. They don’t select teams based on travel, otherwise a team like Siena or Saint Mary’s would never get an at large bid. Because the NCAA runs this, it has to be equitable, unlike college football.

If the game is in Miami, I will be there. I will be in Miami regardless of who is going to be there for the first weekend. I think a lot of people would echo PJS sentiment. There is a lot of love for Tubby Smith and the resurection of the program. I think we will be well represented no matter where we play.

by rencito on Mar 9, 2009 3:10 PM CDT up reply actions

See below....

…I already discounted my own comment about travel. I keep forgetting that only Duke and North Carolina get taken care of when it comes to NCAA seeding.

Minnesota’s road record is 4-6, Michigan’s is 3-8. A committee member would probably look at the extra road game as Michigan’s loss to UConn, when they played them tough until the end. So the teams are about a scratch. The loss to Iowa was bad but was in OT. Minnesota lost to Northwestern, not the greatest loss, and lost twice to …… the team which they’re in competition for a post-season with….Michigan.

But the fairest stat is record since the turn of the year – Minnesota is 9-8, Michigan is 9-9 (the extra loss being a “good loss” to UConn. The only way I know to break the tie is head-to-head. Neither team has played well this year which hurts them both. A lot depends on this weekend (and other tournaments), so I think if the teams match each other in Indy, Big Blue is going to be ahead of the Gophers because of the head-to-head.

(okay – enough of defending Michigan basketball – I gave them up after the Ed Martin scandal – I’m a Gopher basketball fan, I’m a Gopher alum. I’m a Michigan football apologist only).

I hope we’re well represented wherever we travel to. I think this year though that NCAA attendance is going to be down in the first two rounds. I do know that Minneapolis first round day packs are still available on Ticketmaster. Athletics in the next year or two are going to be significantly hit by what is causing PJS’s headaches.

by JG2112 on Mar 9, 2009 10:19 PM CDT up reply actions

Minneapolis tickets are ALWAYS available

…because they play the games in the Dome. You could fit 40,000 people in there if you wanted to. It is among the largest venues for the tournament. Other sites only hold 10-20k people. So I wouldn’t use that as a barometer.

I do agree that sports is going to take a hit during this current economic strife. I actually think we will see some professional sports teams fold in the next year—most likely in the NHL and NBA.

by rencito on Mar 10, 2009 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions

The first paragraph has nothing to do with the selection process, JG.

We are 8th, but effectively 7th or better because PSU has nothing to show for its non-conference. It’s debatable, but the numbers have them behind the Gophers. If Wisky were to lose their opener, brings them into a near tie with us.

It’s going to be a battle for a number of teams.

by InflectionPoint on Mar 9, 2009 11:11 AM CDT reply actions

There I go...

…thinking this is like college football again.

by JG2112 on Mar 9, 2009 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions

Well

Personally, I think that the game against Northwestern will mean the difference in making the NCAA tourney or not. I also think that this is deservedly so.

If they can’t beat NW they don’t deserve to be in considering the finish to the season they had.

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by FishingMN on Mar 9, 2009 12:59 PM CDT reply actions

Agreed. They won't deserve to be there if they can't beat NW on a neutral court.

Not saying NW is bad, I think they’ve played great. And I think this is the best the B10 has been in years, but if we’re the 8th team out of the B10 we need to earn it and beat NW.

Maroon and Gold Headquarters: The Daily Gopher

by PJS on Mar 9, 2009 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions

also agree

We don’t deserve it if we finish 8th in conference and lose first game of B10 tourney.

what you say here can, and will, be used against you

by GopherNation on Mar 9, 2009 2:56 PM CDT up reply actions

For the record

I also agree. If we had held on against Michigan on Saturday, I think we would have been a lock. Now we have to win a game to show we can win on a neutral court. I’m hoping the UM alumni that live in Chicago/Indianapolis make it to the game. It would have been better for us had the game been in Chicago since there are a large number of Gophers faithful there, even though it is in Northwestern’s backyard.

by rencito on Mar 9, 2009 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions

Lunardi has Gophers in at 11 seed...

and playing Tennessee in Portland in the first game.

by COJOMAY on Mar 9, 2009 2:54 PM CDT reply actions

That absolutely will not stand.

I need the Gophers to be on the East Coast. Unless it’s Portland, ME—which is absolutely an awesome place to visit—I can’t travel that far. Gophers need to go to Philly!!!!

Maroon and Gold Headquarters: The Daily Gopher

by PJS on Mar 9, 2009 3:12 PM CDT up reply actions