Sources, including a former member of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, believe the Gophers might need a win in this week’s Big Ten Tournament to be included in the NCAA’s field of 68 teams.
McKinley Boston, the former Gophers athletic director, served on the selection committee for several years. During an interview with Sports Headliners, he labeled the Gophers, 20-11 overall and 8-10 during the Big Ten regular season, a “bubble team.”
The Gophers have stunned their followers after a 15-1 start that included nonconference wins over Memphis, Stanford and Florida State, and Big Ten Conference victories in their first three league games against Michigan State and Northwestern at home and Illinois on the road. Since January 9, Minnesota has won five games, losing 10. The Gophers are 4-6 in their last 10 games, including two consecutive losses. Their league road record is 1-8.
Boston, now athletic director at New Mexico State, was asked about how the selection committee views teams that stumble late in the season. “Well, that was one of the things that the committee looked at. How was your record in the last 10 games? Were you hot? Were you faltering?
“It’s not a good thing that they’re not finishing strong (the Gophers), but at the same time you can’t dismiss the strength of the league this year. That’s going to carry a lot of weight.”
Many authorities who rank college basketball conferences — like Teamrankings.com — have the Big Ten No. 1. The league has four teams in the A.P. top 10 and five in the top 25 this week.
And then as every “March Madness” expert knows, the selection committee uses the Ratings Percentage Index (the famous RPI) as prime criteria in deciding who is invited to the NCAA Tournament and who is rejected. There are five Big Ten teams among the top 25 in the latest RPI listings from CBSsports.com including the Gophers at No. 24. Statistically, Minnesota’s strength of schedule ranks near the top nationally.
Although Minnesota finished in a three-way tie for seventh place in the Big Ten, the Gophers are ahead in the RPI rankings of No. 41 Wisconsin even though the Badgers were 12-6 in league games and tied for fourth in the standings. Illinois, a team that tied the Gophers along with Purdue for seventh place in the Big Ten, has a No. 43 ranking.
The Illini, the No. 8 Big Ten Tournament seed, and the Gophers, the No. 9 seed, split two games during the regular season. Minnesota won at Illinois, 84-67, while the Illini were winners in Minneapolis, 57-53.
It’s possible — perhaps even likely — that regardless of who wins tomorrow’s game, both Illinois and Minnesota will make the tournament. Eamonn Brennan, writing yesterday for ESPN.com, believes both schools probably will be invited when the tourney selections are announced on Sunday. “Odds are the Gophers will back their way into this thing. But it’s not like they’ve been convincing in doing so,” he wrote.
Worth Noting
Gophers coach Tubby Smith wasn’t happy with his defense in 53-51 and 89-73 road losses to Nebraska and Purdue last week. “This is probably the worst defensive team we’ve had, to be honest with you,” Smith said on Saturday during his postgame show on 1500 ESPN. “That’s disappointing — to have five seniors and still have the worst defensive team we’ve had.”
Smith has coached the Gophers for six seasons and his regular season Big Ten record is 46-62. This season’s seventh place finish in the league standings follows 10th and 9th place finishes the two previous years. None of his teams have placed higher than sixth in the Big Ten or won more than nine games in a league season.
Sid Hartman, the Star Tribune and WCCO Radio personality, has defended Smith and said the coach won’t be let go after this season. But Hartman said on WUCW’s “Sports Show” on Sunday night that Smith needs to have a winning team next season.
The name often speculated upon as Smith’s successor is VCU’s Shaka Smart but he may prefer to wait for an opening at one of the nation’s premier programs. His name is rumored with the job at UCLA, arguably still college basketball’s most storied program.
This is the 75th year of the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. Sports Illustrated, in its March 6 issue, picked the 10 players the magazine believes were the “best performers” in tourney history: Lew Alcindor was No. 1 followed by Bill Walton, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Bradley, Magic Johnson, Christian Laettner and Jerry West.
Former Gophers athletic director McKinley Boston, now AD at New Mexico State, expects the 2013 Aggies football team to be better than the group that defeated Minnesota, 28-21, at TCF Bank Stadium in 2011. Boston said the Aggies have “more overall team speed” than the team that upset Minnesota two years ago.
The Aggies will open their season on August 31 at Texas before hosting the Gophers on September 7. Boston didn’t have the exact figure but believes his school will receive about $900,000 for playing the Longhorns.
Kickoff time for the Gophers game in Las Cruces will be 6 p.m. (daylight Mountain time). Boston predicted temperatures in the ”mid-90s” and possible rain.
The Aggies are a college football independent now and have a home game next season against Boston College. Former Gopher player DeWayne Walker left his job in January as New Mexico State’s head coach to become an assistant with the NFL Jaguars. Ex-Kent State head coach Doug Martin, who was offensive coordinator in the Aggies’ win in Minneapolis, is now head coach at New Mexico State.
A story yesterday on the International Business Times website listed the Seahawks — following the Percy Harvin trade with the Vikings — as 8-1 favorites to win the 2014 Super Bowl. The Patriots are 6-1, 49ers 7-1 and Broncos 8-1 favorites while the Vikings are 50-1.
Rookie Aaron Hicks, who already has Twins fans excited to see him during the regular season as the team’s new center fielder, leads the club in spring training home runs with four although he never hit more than 13 in five minor league seasons. Hicks, who is hitting .371 this spring and also leads in RBI with 13, led all Twins minor leaguers last season in stolen bases with 32 playing for New Britain.
Tom Windle, the former Osseo all-stater who last Saturday threw the first nine inning no-hitter for the Gophers since 1933, was an academic All-Big Ten choice last season as a sophomore. During his freshman season he made the Big Ten All-Tournament team after pitching eight scoreless innings and striking out six.