Tubby Smith’s four-year Big Ten regular season coaching record is 32-40 following yesterday’s 66-63 loss to Penn State at Williams Arena.

After 8-10 and consecutive 9-9 records at Minnesota, Smith produced a 6-12 mark this season.  The totals don’t include Big Ten Tournament games where Smith is 5-3.

The Gophers, who begin play in the tournament on Thursday afternoon against Northwestern in Indianapolis, finished in ninth place in the conference standings.  Minnesota was a top 25 ranked team until the Gophers ran out of point guards in January and then lost nine of its last 10 games.

Without Devoe Joseph who transferred to Oregon and Al Nolen who broke his right foot, the Gophers often stumbled in the closing minutes of games and lost.  The late season collapse left coaches, players and fans frustrated.

Assistant coach Saul Smith told Sports Headliners a couple years ago that the coaching staff came to Minnesota to compete for Big Ten titles.  So far the Gophers haven’t been able to go beyond .500 results.

When asked about the program competing for Big Ten championships in July of 2008, Saul Smith talked about NCAA titles, too.  “We feel like that’s our goal is to compete nationally and win national titles and to compete (for) Big Ten titles.  We’re going to be all right. …”

Saul’s dad won a national championship at Kentucky in 1998 and for six out of his first eight seasons there never lost more than four regular season Southeastern Conference games.  During Smith’s last two seasons at Kentucky, prior to taking the Gophers job, his record was 18-14 in SEC games.

Handicapped as they were at point guard, this year’s Gophers should not have stumbled so badly; they had the talent to produce a better record in the Big Ten than 6-12.  In December the team inspired hopes of not only playing in the NCAA tournament, but also winning a couple of games.  Instead this season has stirred doubts about the program, perhaps even in Smith himself.

Does Smith believe he can win here and does he want to continue at Minnesota?  Months ago he was offered a contract extension but he still has not accepted it.  If he was holding back from signing in hopes of leveraging support for a new practice facility that task seems more difficult now.  Such a disappointing season could easily take the glow off a sales pitch to a lead donor for the facility that will likely cost at least $15 million.

Past winters have included rumors that other schools were courting Smith.  This one continues the trend that Smith will go some place else and there’s been speculation it could be Georgia Tech.

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Trevor Mbakwe on teammate Blake Hoffarber whose clutch shooting almost rallied the Gophers to a win against Penn State yesterday: “He’s a fighter.  He’s a warrior.”

There’s been talk the Big Ten Conference will use a nine game league football schedule in 2015 but the change will not take place until 2017 because of nonconference commitments.  Until then the 12 member schools will each continue with eight conference games and four nonconference.

The move to the unbalanced schedule will mean some teams each year have five conference road games while others have four.  That’s no different than the Pac-10 did last year.  The change to additional Big Ten games will be welcomed by fans who more often than not receive increased value in watching league games rather than nonconference.

During a couple of seasons in the near future, Big Ten schedules are expected to include not one, but two byes for each conference team.  That will be a conference first in modern Big Ten history.

Former Gophers basketball coach Dan Monson’s Long Beach State team won the Big West Conference with a 14-2 regular season record.

If the Twins’ starting rotation doesn’t perform as an effective group, there’s no blaming youth.  Among the six most likely pitchers to become the five regular starters, no one is younger than 26.  Carl Pavano is 35, Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn are both 29, Brian Duensing, 28, Francisco Liriano, 27, and Kevin Slowey, 26.

John Gordon said on Friday’s Twins radio broadcast that new middle infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka apologized in the dugout during the game to Slowey for an error.  Gordon’s broadcast partner Dan Gladden noted that such unexpected courtesy is common for Japanese players.

The Twins played Tampa Bay in games on Friday and Saturday, winning both games.  Gordon reported that the Rays’ roster is minus “18 players” from last season.

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There are proponents for building a new Vikings stadium near Target Center but that plan would necessitate relocating the Sharing and Caring Hands nonprofit, a move that would be emotional, controversial and not likely.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier being quoted in the February 28 issue of Sporting News Magazine: “I really believe that there’s some things that if we address them this offseason, we’re right back in the hunt for the NFC North championship and the NFC championship as well.”

The 2011 NFL college draft will likely be dominated in the first round by defensive line prospects.  The Vikings, drafting at No. 12 in the first round, not only need a quarterback but a replacement for 38-year-old defensive tackle and starter Pat Williams.

Pro scouts will be at the University of Minnesota’s Gibson-Nagurski Complex tomorrow to evaluate draft prospects.  About 30 players are expected, counting former Gophers and others who attended area colleges.

Inductees into the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame on April 2 will be Terry Karlsgodt, Mark Kroulik, Bob Majeski, Merrill Pavlovich, Don Stueve and Darrell Wincek.

John Barrett, Jim Carrington, Jim Dotseth, Jeff Gallagher, Ed Homan, Bruce Thompson, Stephen Saxe and Joel Sharratt will be inducted into the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame on April 9.

In a preseason MIAC men’s tennis coaches poll, Gustavus, Carleton and St. Thomas are picked to finish first, second and third respectively.

Wild captain Wes Walz will talk to season ticket holders prior to tomorrow night’s home game against Colorado.  Walz will provide perspective on the game with his talk that starts at 5:45 p.m.

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