Even Smith not sure Gophers deserve NCAA Tourney
Coach Tubby Smith isn’t sure his Gophers have earned, or even deserve, an NCAA Tournament bid this season. Following a 70-63 loss to Michigan on Saturday, the Gophers have fallen to 6-10 in the Big 10, despite a 17-11 record. Once ranked among the top dozen teams in the country, the devastating losses at point guard have left Smith’s team a shadow of its former self.
With Al Nolan injured and Devoe Joseph transferred to Oregon, the Gophers have virtually no experienced point guard to pair with senior Blake Hoffarber in the back court. Their only options there are a pair of freshmen and a second-year player; while both might develop in the future, they simply lack enough experience to handle the heat of Big 10 play as starters.
The deficiencies extend to the post, where the lack of a good floor general has made Trevor Mbakwe, Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson less effective than they otherwise have been. The last two Gophers losses have come with teams posting runs of 14-1 and 11-1 in the final five minutes of the last two games, despite reaching that point in both games holding winnable leads. Giving up 25-2 scoring runs is enough to make a coach like Smith consider selling enzyte instead of coaching basketball.
But Smith’s no quitter; he’s looking for more help at guard for the late signing period. Recruiting talented players can cover over a multitude of this season’s woes.
Unless, of course, the Gophers can turn things around in their final two regular-season games and win a couple times, at least, in the Big 10 tournament. If they manage that, the could still finish with a 21-11 record come Selection Sunday, and slip in an at-large berth as a 12-seed or something.
