One Down ....

by PJS on Mar 12, 2010 8:18 AM CST Comment 13 comments

Damian Johnson had every right to play determined basketball Thursday night in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. Completely and utterly slighted by the Big Ten coaches, who should be ashamed for not putting Johnson on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team, Johnson led the Gophers to a convincing 76-55 win over Penn State, a team also known as the supposed team "no one wants to play."

Talor Battle, slowed a bit by an ankle injury, was mostly shut down by Lawrence Westbrook, another MInnesota senior that was shunned by Big Ten coaches for any All Big Ten honors. Interestingly, Westbrook played what might have been his best game as a Gopher. He didn't force offense at all. He didn't score until the second half, but all the while he wasn't turning the ball over and he was focused on frustrating Battle. In the second half, Westbrook's offense came to him and he put up a quick 10 points.

Devoe Joseph led the Gophers with 15 points. Colton Iverson, playing confidently inside, finished with 12.

Defensively, the Gophers were either really good, or the Nittany Lions were disinterested on offense. At times, I think it was both. The Nittany Lions looked relatively uninspired, a look Minnesota had itself just last week against Michigan. Battle, Chris Babb, David Jackson and Andrew Jones III all had 10 points to pace Penn State.

The win sets up a Big Ten Quarterfinal tilt this evening against 3-seed Michigan State. The Spartans have owned Tubby Smith and the Gophers for the last three seasons winning each and every meeting. The Gophers blew a big second half lead earlier this year at home against MIchigan State. Perhaps the feeling from that loss, combined with the entire team feeling slighted for not having one of its members named to an All Big Ten Team, will propel the Gophers to an upset tonight.

Do that and the Gophers just might get the respect that the Gophers asked for by wearing white t-shirts before the Penn State game that had "respect" written on them.

Win, and the Gophers just might pump a little bit of life into its NCAA Tournament chances.

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according to Lunardi here is the order of bubble teams...

team (today’s opponent, time)

Virginia Tech (plays Miami 1:00)
Florida (Miss St, 5:30)
Georgia Tech (Maryland, 6:00)
Arizona State (done L to Stanford)
San Diego State (New Mexico, 8:00)
Illinois (Wisconsin, 1:00)
Washington (Stanford, 10:30)
-———-
Ole Miss (Tennessee, 2:15)
Memphis (done L to Houston)
Rhode Island (Saint Louis, 1:30)
Seton Hall (done L to Seton Hall)
Dayton (Xavier, 5:30)
Mississippi State (Florida, 6:30)
Minnesota (Michigan St, 7:55)

we obviously have to win, but this is the list of teams to root against today. Every one of those teams ahead of us could lose today (Ole Miss, Rhode Island, Dayton and Miss St). And a couple teams currently in could lose as well (Illinois and San Diego St). Beating the Spartans may not get it done but it will get us pretty close and make Sunday interesting.

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

by GopherNation on Mar 12, 2010 8:40 AM CST reply actions

I've got the open thread set for 5:00

we can start talking about the game early.

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

by GopherNation on Mar 12, 2010 8:55 AM CST reply actions

I think that...

5 teams are going to make the tournament from the Big Ten. If Illinois loses today and we beat Michigan State i think we are golden. Unless Northwestern or Michigan wins the whole thing.

Go Gophers!!!!

P.S. GO BUCKY?!?!?!?

by tc_brent on Mar 12, 2010 9:28 AM CST reply actions

Pac-10

I think Washington is in regardless of what they do today… The Pac10 has to get more than 1 bid, it would be absolutely shocking no matter how down a power conference is to only get 1 bid (Cal). Arizona State I think is out unless a bunch of bubble teams lose today.

I agree with you that it will come down to Illinois/Minnesota for the last NCAA spot… If they both advance as far, its a toss-up as Illinois had one more Big10 win, but lost to us at home and has one less overall win. If we advance one more round than Illinois, they have to go with us ahead of them, especially given their poor finish.

by mraveling on Mar 12, 2010 9:35 AM CST up reply actions

I strongly believe

that no decisions are made based on getting X number of teams in from a specific conference. Washington likely gets in based on their resume (RPI, beating A&M, 22 wins, etc), not because the NCAA thinks 2 Pac10 teams deserve it. Minnesota AND Illinois can both be in OR out based on their resumes. If both lose today there is a very good chance the B10 gets only 4 teams in.

The conference count is a media and fan driven stat that I believe holds no weight in the selection room.

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

by GopherNation on Mar 12, 2010 9:45 AM CST up reply actions

No way

Resume does dictate in most situations but 9 big east teams and only 1-2 pac 10 teams isn’t happening. Subconsciously (they’ll never admit it) the 6 power conferences always, always, always get multiple bids. Saying you’d take a big east team that finished 7-9 in conference (or even the Gophers who finished 9-9 in conference) over a team who went 12-6 or 11-5 in a power conference (even a weak one) and won 20 games overall… I’m probably convincing myself Arizona State will get in despite my previous comments.

Can anyone ever remember the last time one of the big 6 conferences got less than 3 bids?

by mraveling on Mar 12, 2010 10:34 AM CST up reply actions

but you are looking results, I'm looking at the process

the process does not dictate a certain # of teams from the conferences. Yes, fewer than 3 getting in from a BCS conference is extremely rare but that’s because there are almost always 3 or more teams that deserve to get in. Anecdotally it is easy to say no fewer than X number teams get in from a BCS conference but yes I do think a BE team with a losing conference record can and will get in over ASU.

The Pac10 is uniquely terrible this year. ASU has an RPI of 61 and of their 22 wins, 20 of them have come against RPI of 94 or worse. They really don’t deserve a big and the P10 will only get 2 teams in. Washington deserves a bid, their RPI is 49 and they have at least a couple signature wins.

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

by GopherNation on Mar 12, 2010 10:45 AM CST up reply actions