Hey, wake up Gophers basketball fans. Coach Richard Pitino’s 6-0 team is the surprise of the Big Ten in this just getting started season and tonight has its biggest challenge so far, playing on the road against 5-1 Florida State, an opponent ranked No. 25 last week in the Associated Press poll.
Last season’s 2-16 Big Ten record drove fans into hibernation and the Gophers have yet to attract a crowd of more than 10,000 in six home games at 14,625 seat Williams Arena. As reported in Sports Headliners earlier this month, nonstudent public season tickets were at 6,246 compared with 7,221 for the 2015-2016 season. The student season tickets total was 1,181, after a 2015-2016 total of 1,748.
But as Pitino likes to say, “That was last year’s team.” With a core of new and improved talent, the Gophers have been impressive with victories over well-known basketball schools Arkansas and St. John’s. Minnesota won those games by scores of 92-86 and 85-71, but the Gophers led both opponents by margins bigger than the final totals.
After last week’s win against Arkansas, Pitino was asked how his players feel about themselves. “They should be confident,” he said. “They’ve worked hard. They stayed humble throughout the tough offseason and they’ve just been eager to get back to proving themselves on and off the court. Very proud of these guys. They deserve success right now. They’re getting it.”
Tonight comes a prove-it game at Florida State. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge game (6 p.m. ESPNU) is the only time Pitino’s young team (one scholarship senior) plays away from Williams Arena during the nonconference schedule. The Seminoles represent a sizeable challenge both because FSU is a potential NCAA Tournament team and has a roster with big guards like 6-foot-7 Dwayne Bacon and four front court players who are 6-9 or taller including 7-1, 304-pound center Michael Ojo and 7-4 (not a typo) center Christ Koumadje. Forward Jonathan Isaac is 6-10 and a potential NBA lottery pick. He is averaging 15.3 points, second on the team to Bacon’s 18.2.
Minnesota might not be able to win if 6-10, 260-pound center Reggie Lynch can’t play because of the injured ankle that forced him to miss last Friday night’s game against Southern Illinois. Lynch leads the Big Ten in blocked shots at 3.6 per game and his interior defense has changed the Gophers’ ability to stop opponents from last season. Minnesota’s roster has length, too, but Lynch is the player who best combines height and muscle.
With or without Lynch, tonight’s game will provide a learning experience for the Gophers. If Minnesota is to become a postseason tournament team, the Gophers will have to win on the road. The poise of young players including freshmen forwards Amir Coffey and Eric Curry will face a test tonight against a quality opponent and noisy crowd. Both players have been impressive, with Coffey leading the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game, while Curry is fifth at 8.2 and third in rebounding average at 7.2. Junior guard Nate Mason, who is tied for first in Big Ten assists at 5.5 per game, will need to exert leadership tonight.
This is a “how good are we?” week for the Gophers with not only the Seminoles, but also a neutral court game coming up on Saturday in Sioux Falls against 3-3 Vanderbilt. The Commodores have been mediocre so far, losing to Butler, Bucknell and Marquette, but Vandy has a respected basketball brand and could pull off upsets in the SEC. Vandy’s notable players include Jeff Roberson (multiple positions) and 7-1 center Luke Kornet who ranked near the top nationally in shot blocking last season.
This should be the most meaningful week for the Gophers until they open the Big Ten season against Michigan State, a favorite to win the conference title. That game on December 27 is at Williams Arena and figures to bring some missing Gophers fans out of hibernation.
Worth Noting
With the Big Ten football regular season completed, it’s time for observations and conclusions. Big Ten boosters can argue their league is the best in the country with four teams ranked in the A.P. national top 10—Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State. That’s rare territory for the Big Ten and it’s not often the conference has more teams top-10 ranked than the mighty SEC (only No. 1 ranked Alabama).
Among the four Big Ten powers, Ohio State is likely to receive an invitation to the College Football Playoffs. Nine other conference teams are expected to play in bowl games, with only Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue and Rutgers not participating.
There is so much parity in college football, I doubt there is a great Big Ten team and maybe not anywhere in the nation. Alabama is the best team I have seen, but certainly could be upset in the playoffs.
The Gophers finished 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten. It’s the second time in three years Minnesota has won eight games and also been over .500 in the Big Ten. Media and fans believe Minnesota’s records this season met minimum expectations because the team played its easiest schedule in years.
The Gophers have been competitive in just about every game the last couple years because of the team’s defensive improvement. Minnesota, though, isn’t going to take that next step toward a West Division championship without developing quality quarterback, pass catching and offensive line play.
Best guess is Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle will extend head coach Tracy Claeys’ contract, adding two or three years, with a small compensation increase and minimal buyout provision. Claeys has two years remaining on his present contract and is in an awkward place, assuring high school and community college recruits that he will be around for awhile.
Here are Sports Headliners’ final Big Ten power rankings: 1) Ohio State; 2) Michigan; 3) Penn State; 4) Wisconsin; 5) Iowa; 6) Nebraska; 7) Minnesota; 8) Northwestern; 9) Indiana; 10) Maryland; 11) Michigan State; 12) Illinois; 13) Purdue; 14) Rutgers.
Gophers junior defensive end Gaelin Elmore was featured this fall in Ski-U-Mah, the official magazine of Gophers athletics. Elmore had a traumatic childhood including moving at least 19 times in his first year of foster care. Elmore said in the magazine he had a five-year experience in a foster home where he was “slapped, kicked, punched, slammed down, thrown, and beaten with cable, extension cords, chains and tree branches.”
Elmore has flourished with the Gophers, becoming a starter and impressing teammates including senior defensive end Hendrick Ekpe who praised his friend’s character. “He comes from a humble beginning and a humble background,” Ekpe said. “He understands and loves the game, and shows passion on the field. At first he wasn’t…a big talker or anything. Now he’s a leader. He definitely helps you out on the plays.”
Among reasons to be optimistic about the Gophers’ defense next season is the return of high potential linebackers. Sophomore Blake Cashman and freshmen Thomas Barber, Carter Coughlin and Kamal Martin are all Minnesota natives and have impressed with their play off the bench.
Starting senior linebacker Nick Rallis has noticed. “I am excited. I think physically they’re all very gifted, (and) explosive. They’ve got size.
“I think about when I first got here, I am like, man, these guys are ahead of where I was. I hope they keep working hard. If they do, they could be one of the best linebacker corps around here of all-time.”
Former Vikings tight end Joe Senser’s rehabilitation from a stroke earlier this year is featured on WCCO TV news tonight.