With 1 month left of the season, how will Minnesota finish?
The Big Ten Tournament begins in just under one month and Gopher basketball has just seven games remaining on their regular season schedule. How will this team finish after a rough start?
From Thanksgiving to the middle of January this team was almost unwatchable. Over this 11-game stretch, they could not score 70 points in five of those games and had a 3-8 record. Their only wins were over Bethune Cookman, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Morgan State. Three teams who are not at the top of their respective conferences, and those are the three lowest ranked conferences in college basketball. Watching this team during that stretch, especially against Big Ten competition, was a labor of love.
And then something happened, this Gopher squad started winning games. They beat a ranked Michigan team at home, went on the road to beat Iowa and then managed to take down a ranked Oregon squad for a 3-game winning streak. They’ve been mostly competitive and are 4-3 since the middle of January.
So I’m here to ask, what are the questions to be answered in the last month of the season?
How will they finish?
Well, seven games are remaining and the metrics have us losing all of them. But wouldn’t count them out quite yet. There are some winnable games on the schedule.
- @USC and @UCLA – their next two games are the Southern California road trip. I’ve felt for a while that the Gophers go 1-1 on this trip and while Eric Musselman’s crew is vulnerable, I’m less confident than I was a couple of weeks ago. USC should be focused and UCLA only loses when they leave the West Coast time zone.
- Home games against Penn State and Northwestern – this is our best chance at a win or two. We took care of Penn State on the road, so they may be chomping at the bit to exact some revenge. And Northwestern isn’t great, especially after losing Brooks Barnhizer for the season.
Can they be 2-2 over the next two weeks?
- @Nebraska – I wouldn’t have guessed it, but Nebraska is solidly “in” to the NCAA Tournament. Fred Hoiberg’s squad has overcome a rough 6-game losing streak in January and were riding a 4-game win streak before losing to Maryland at home last night. Their lack of tempo plays in our favor, but we NEVER win in Lincoln.
- Wisconsin – I just don’t see this one going well for Minnesota.
- @Rutgers – The Scarlet Knights had high hopes coming into this season with two, 5-star recruits coming to campus. But instead of playing for a great seed in the Tournament, they are languishing just above Minnesota in the Big Ten standings. On the road and with the talent on that roster, I’d be surprised with a win. But maybe our experience and grit can find a way.
So what does that mean? I think Minnesota gets two more wins, possibly three.
What are they playing for?
This team is playing to make sure they make the Big Ten Tournament. In the new format with 18 conference teams, not everyone gets in. And with the way this season started, just getting in feels like an accomplishment.
Even if they managed to go 4-3 and somehow found a win in the Big Ten Tournament, I don’t see how the NIT is inviting Minnesota.
What happens after the season?
The likelihood that Ben Johnson is retained for another season as the Gophers head coach is highly unlikely. More will be written about this when his employment status is confirmed, but his return is improbable at this point.
On the one hand, good for him and this team for bouncing back after an ugly start. Maybe bringing in all of these new faces took more time to come together than we realized. But Johnson has them playing better. On the other hand, maybe they never should have been that bad in November and December.
Roster turnover was inevitable with so many seniors on the roster, but whoever is coaching this team next fall is going to have a lot of work ahead of them to construct a more competitive lineup. Isaac Asuma is a really nice, young guard. But the other names returning offer very little in terms of reason for optimism.
Tell me something good!
We have another month to watch Dawson Garcia. Overall, this year’s team is playing competitive basketball. Before we know it the season will be over and we will be in the sports abyss without any basketball or football. Just the NBA and early-season MLB to occupy our time.
Enjoy the season, it will be an eventful offseason.