College basketball has something in common with high stakes poker. Both pastimes are a combination of skill and luck. Tubby Smith has been lacking in the latter since he began his tenure in Minneapolis. He has had to deal with health issues, an irrelevant football program, questionable decision-making by his players, and injuries. The one bright spot for fans and alumni is that … [Read more...] about Realistic Expectations for the Golden Gophers
Tubby Smith
Golden Gophers Lose Trevor Mbakwe for Year; Torn ACL
Thus far into the young college basketball season, prospects haven't looked exceptional for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Tubby Smith's squad barely escaped versus Big East weakling DePaul over the holiday weekend, and plenty of holes in their game have been exposed. Now this- losing their most talented player by far for the entire season. Senior forward Trevor Mbakwe … [Read more...] about Golden Gophers Lose Trevor Mbakwe for Year; Torn ACL
Can Gophers Ralph Sampson III Follow Dad to the NBA?
Minnesota Golden Gophers Coach Tubby Smith has seen drastic, if not dramatic improvements in the game of senior Center Ralph Sampson III. "His consistency, his numbers have improved each year. They haven't been leaps and bounds, but I think a lot of it has to do with Ralph getting in better shape, not that he hasn't worked at it, but he's had to focus on learning to breathe … [Read more...] about Can Gophers Ralph Sampson III Follow Dad to the NBA?
Golden Gophers Trevor Mbakwe is NBA Ready
Conference play hasn’t yet begun for the Big Ten yet this season, but the Minnesota Golden Gophers are anxious to start play in a league where they are an afterthought. Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan seem to be the consensus frontrunners for the top third of the league. Minnesota played the DePaul Blue Demons in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on Thanksgiving … [Read more...] about Golden Gophers Trevor Mbakwe is NBA Ready
#80 Minnesota Golden Gophers: College Basketball 111 in 111
Welcome to The Sports Bank’s second annual college basketball season preview series. Last year we looked at 99 teams in 99 days. This year, we are being slightly more aggressive and expanding to 111 teams in 111 days. We will rank the 74 power conference teams and top 37 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order. We’ll break down rosters, non-conference schedules, and pick … [Read more...] about #80 Minnesota Golden Gophers: College Basketball 111 in 111
The Deeply Beleaguered Minnesota Sports Fan
Sports fan in Minnesota haven’t had a whole lot to cheer about recently. The general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves, David Kahn, received some flack recently for simply stating the obvious. The NBA lottery is a flawed system that annually does not give the team the position it deserves in the draft. He insinuated that the good story of the year obtains the pick. … [Read more...] about The Deeply Beleaguered Minnesota Sports Fan
Will Minnesota Gophers Trevor Mbakwe Leave For the NBA?
Minnesota Golden Gophers starting forward Trevor Mbakwe put together a more-than respectable season in his first year in the maroon and gold. Mbakwe averaged a double-double with 13.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. His number of boards were good enough to make him the Big Ten rebounding champion and he earned Second-Team All Conference as well. With NBA scouts in … [Read more...] about Will Minnesota Gophers Trevor Mbakwe Leave For the NBA?
Minnesota vs. Northwestern Tips Off Big 10 Tourney: Injuries Aplenty
In this corner, you have the Minnesota Golden Gophers, a tean that's been a train wreck ever since losing their starting point guard Al Nolen. And in this corner, you have the Northwestern Wildcats, a team missing one of their starters in Jershon Cobb, a key reserve (and fill-in starter) in Mike Capocci. Not to mention their star player, John Shurna is still not even … [Read more...] about Minnesota vs. Northwestern Tips Off Big 10 Tourney: Injuries Aplenty