2011-2012 Gophers

[SkunkedAgain]

It's fun to watch them playing well, but it's important for us all to remember that they aren't playing Big10 teams right now. We should look good against Middle Tennessee State versus Michigan State!

[BartmanMN]

Andre Hollins was amazing last night. Fun to watch. Eliason seemed really bad and out of place out there.

And missing those 2 calls at the end of the game to force an OT was ridiculous. How much more jersey can you pull on a guy.

[pegleg]

Mbakwe is probably waiting to hear if he has a scholarship for next year. Right now the Gophers don't have one available for him. As a father to a young child he couldn't afford a year in graduate school on his own. He should come back and play for the Gophers but Tubby needs to work through how he is going to handle an additional free ride if nobody transfers at the end of the season.

[Bryce]

What I saw was a lot of raw pure talent playing well until any situation that requires coaching arises. Tubby is horrible. Always has been, always will be. Don't be surprised that he doesn't make this Mbakwe situation work out. Be ready for more transfers.

[Scott M]

Yeah, might see a transfer. They're down a scholly, someone on another forum suggested redshirting on of the incoming freshmen, but that kid would still have school bills to pay.

[schmitty3]

Maybe we can get Armalin or Ahamesie to transfer lol

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Skunkedagain is right... Tubby's problem has never been non-conference games, especially on neutral courts... Its always been the big ten that has given him WAYYYYY TOOO MUCH trouble. Hopefully he can change that next year.

[mrklean]

Im sure Mbakwe could get a loan to stay in school

[pegleg]

It would be nice if one of the Hollins who's father is a NBA head coach would pay his son's tuition to the U. This would give Tubby an extra scholarship to play with the next 3 years. With what NBA head coaches make, I would guess he could afford it.

[Scott M]

Nice angle pegleg! That is very true! It will be interesting to see how it shakes out. If Ahanmisi transferred it wouldn't bother me one bit.

[Dotch]

IA St. probably has a scholarship he could use...

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Wow, all the way to the NIT championship for this? What a PATHETIC game.... Looks like the team we saw most of the big ten season. Down by 30 points to stanford? Whoa....

Welsch better work on his game a little in the off-season to say the least. That guy looks like he should be playing at Minnesota St, not the U.

[Dotch]

Yeah, purty sad. Because they didn't win it, if Tubby doesn't pull off something substantial next season it won't be nearly as difficult to show him the door. Looked like midway through the first half they were gassed from all the travel. Shots weren't even close, they weren't hanging onto the ball and were telegraphing their passes. Stanford played about as well they're capable of. Still, some positives have come out of this tournament experience and now it will be interesting to see what develops in the off season.

[schweady]

Pee-yew. Tough to stink that bad. Good defense? Poor coaching? Sadly -- NIT or no -- still a championship game that quite a few folks tune in to and will remember. Very physical game, even compared to Big Ten play.

[Scott M]

That was ugly. Take the bad in the finale with the good that came in the tournament and hope for better days next year. We should hear about Mbakwe in the next couple weeks. Getting sick of waiting for next year with Tubby all the time, if he wants that extension its time to make a Sweet 16.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

. Getting sick of waiting for next year with Tubby all the time, if he wants that extension its time to make a Sweet 16.

YEP!!!!!!

[mrklean]

It was fun while it lasted but last night was horrible to watch, hopefully everyone can stay healthy and they can come back next year and show something

[EBass]

Quote:

Looks like the team we saw most of the big ten season.

Yup, this team is bi-polar. Which will show up is a mystery until tip-off.

So who's going to pick up Ralph? I don't think any team will, well maybe D league.

[Scott M]

Dilemma solved. Armelin is transferring out. Should have put him on a football scholarship.

[schmitty3]

Best case scenario there

[Scott M]

Here's a snippet from an ESPN Eamonn Breannen article:

"What if Minnesota had [fill in what-if scenario of choice here]?

Tubby Smith's tenure at Minnesota has been defined by this very question. This season, there were two major what-ifs of note. The first: What if guard Devoe Joseph -- who starred at Oregon this season -- hadn't transferred in 2011, before guard Al Nolen lost the remainder of his senior season to injury. The second, and by far the most important: What if Trevor Mbakwe hadn't torn his ACL? The Gophers managed to put together a decent late-season run, and a solid path through the NIT (excepting the last loss, a 30-point blowout to Stanford, of course) even without Joseph and Mbakwe. What if either player had been available? That's a tournament team, right?

And let's not forget about the loudest silence in Gophertown … the one coming from the power forward position, where Minneapolis native Royce White could have been. White, who struggled silently with anxiety disorder, spent his entire freshman season at Minnesota mired in bizarre trouble and outspoken distrust. Eventually, after attempts at reclamation, Smith let White get away. What if he had stayed? What if he had developed and displayed his remarkable NBA-ready talent -- his rare mix of size and quickness and guard-like ball skills -- in his hometown? What if he had the chance to do so alongside Mbakwe? That's one of the nation's best frontcourts, hands down.

Instead … nothing. Such is life in The Barn these days, unfortunately. The Gophers' fortunes are a microcosm of every fan base's lot when the discussion is not about what was, but what may have been. It's a painful place to be.

But then again, the sun always comes out tomorrow, the offseason is always a route to rebirth, and the new season always begins before we know it. For subjects of the above questions -- and so many more -- November can't come quickly enough."