Reggie Lynch had impactful minutes on the floor, last night.. Block shots, rebounds, a bit of offense, screens.. He kinda did a little bit of everything. That is the kind of effort that I love to see in all the games but especially in Big Ten play.. I love our starting 5 guys right now and I still think we can improve quite a bit.

Right now, Isaiah Washington is our bench on offense... I kinda hope that as we get some of the out of conference opponents in December that Richard Pitino runs some plays for Devonte Fitzgerald, Michael Hurt, and Jamir Harris... I think it would help them to mentally be in the game at an even better level.. Have to be within the structure of the offense.. Fitzgerald seems to me to be a guy that needs a little injection of confidence on the floor.. His play will be critical during conference games.. Yes, defense and rebounding is needed most but his confidence will increase and body language get better with a few buckets, IMO. Not saying we need to ever have a stretch of the game to make any of these reserve players the focal point of the offense but give them a little taste of being the top option on a set, every once in awhile... I think Harris will eventually be one of those guys that could be streaky and hit 3-4 3-pointers in a row, in future games.

Older guys like Lynch and Nate Mason are critical to getting those bench players up to speed. Lots of teaching moments from experienced players and coaches.I haven't been this excited for Gopher basketball since the days of Clem so I am hoping we can get all cylinders firing. Lynch is a big part of that as he is one of the best rim protectors I have seen in a Gopher jersey. Guys should feel confident in their perimeter defense as they have that rim protector back there just in case... Plus on offense, those reserve players can know that if Reggie and Jordan are in the game, we have solid rebounders in case of a miss.

I just think if we can see 8-10 guys confident on the floor at any given time, we can make a nice run at the conference championship and beyond. I think our guys recognize that and now we just need to have a few reserves gain that same confidence in whatever they can do to help the team win.

The Big 10 has enjoyed a national resurgence the past 4 years largely on the strength of the top east division teams: Ohio State, Penn State, and the Michigan
Schools.

But suddenly the west division features arguably the most intriguing collection of up and coming HCs in the country:

PJ Fleck went from 1-11 to 13-1 and won WMU’s first conference title in 30 years. Broke MAC recruiting records and led league in recruiting each year. We are lucky he’s committed to turning programs around and living in Urban Midwestern locales.

Scott Frost: huge success at Oregon and UCF. Is an offensive guru and has good connections in Florida and the west coast. Will recruit well.

Jeff Brohm: offensive innovator who
Over achieved in year 1. Purdue will be a tough out going forward.

Pat Fitzgerald: went 9-3 this year and has won 9+ games 3 of the past 6 years.

Paul Chryst: just led Wisconsin to first undefeated season in school history.

Plus, Captain Kirk is always a tough out and is good for one great season every 5 years.

I* predict the west division will improve enough to make the Big 10 the consensus top CFB conference within 3 years.

I fully believe Bama is the 4th best team regardless of their resume. I know this because Ohio State lost to Captain Kirk in epically bad fashion.

Having said that, now that 2 major conferences have been left out of the playoffs for the 1st time, it’s time to re-evaluate and expand.

8 teams is too many and devalues the regular season. 6 teams is just right, and allows for the top 2 teams to get well deserved byes for playing great schedules and being the best regular season teams.

So, what I would propose is ALL 5 Conference champions make the playoff (regardless of record). I would then invite either the best At-large team, unless a Group of 5 team is Undefeated and ranked in the Top 10.

So, this year it would be:

Byes: Clemson & Oklahoma

Quarterfinals:
#8 USC vs. #3 Georgia
#5 Ohio State vs. #4 Alabama

Semifinals:
USC/UGA vs. Oklahoma
tOSU/Bama vs. Clemson

This set-up allows for the conference championships to matter, yet also rewards a top team like Bama. Only issue is how they rank UCF. There could be some serious screaming of collusion. However, it was clear to me watching UCF play that they are not a Top 10 team and also don’t have a strong enough resume.

This checks all the boxes for me for being fair and providing the best possible teams with conference champions.

Thoughts?

At least I'm guessing that "Coach D" is Dantonio.

Coach Harbaugh:

Saw Coach D comments on continuing to "focus" on how "he" can beat Michigan. Congrats on turning around a 3-9 team, plagued with off field issues. Good for BIG to have him back.

Stewart Mandel‏:

And congrats to you, sir, on beating 0 teams with a winning record.

What position does he figure to play??

Omersa doing his best Murph impression...

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Gabe with 31pts in his opener...

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Pregame reads:

• Rutgers preview
• Film Review: Rutgers
• Behind Enemy Lines: Rutgers
• Richard Pitino presser notes

Richard Pitino said yesterday that this will be the best Rutgers team he's played while at Minnesota, and I'd agree that this team is better than last year's. The Scarlet Knights are gritty and tough -- the identity that Steve Pikiell likes in his teams -- and are No. 4 in the country in rebounding, No. 43 in defense according to Kenpom, and No. 302 in pace. The downside to this Rutgers team is their offense: they're No. 214 according to Kenpom and have struggled with floor spacing and getting buckets in general.

Corey Sanders is probably the Scarlet Knight that Gopher fans know best. He's a junior, former four-star combo guard that's likely their most talented player, but he's been inefficient this year. Sanders is better attacking the basket than he is jump shooting. With Sanders in the backcourt is true freshman combo guard, Geo Baker, a shooter who's actually leading the team in scoring. He's skilled and has been productive (although less productive against good competition) although quite honestly I would still take Washington over Baker. Amir Coffey for once will actually match up with someone his size: Rutgers' small forward, Issa Thiam, is a 6'8" 3 and D player. Power forward DeShawn Freeman is a bull of an undersized power forward that boards really well, plays hard, and doesn't foul. Four-star true freshman Mamadou Doucoure starts at center. He's not much of a scoring threat and that shots he does take comes at the basket. He rebounds well but isn't much of a shot blocker and is more foul prone than Reggie Lynch.

Rutgers runs a lot of four-out ball screen motion on offense. Defensively, they play mostly man but will mix in halfcourt traps and 2-2-1 and 2-3 zones.

Good for Jordan... bad for us. I personally see him as a 2nd round guy so not sure there is much difference with being undrafted and getting drafted in 2nd round.... 2nd round contracts aren't guaranteed. I think Murphy should test the process at the end of the year if his play keeps up as it is.... dude is a junkyard dog out there

https://247sports.com/college/duke/...g-stock-at-early-juncture-of-season-111461540

Currently, Minnesota and Wisconsin have nearly identically rated recruiting classes despite our 5-7 record and their undefeated record.

Fleck can catch Wisconsin if these trends continue.

BUT

If Wisconsin makes the playoff, who knows how much their recruiting might take off?

Go Buckeyes! Beat Bucky.

Better Dead than Red

Latest rumor....

That is what we have to have if we are ever going to beat wisconsin.

The speed difference between OSU and wisconsin last night was night and day.

If Barrett had any accuracy at all, OSU wins 35-10.

Barrett's INTs led to 2 badger TDs. Barrett's bad throws cost the Buckeyes 3 TDs.

The OSU WR's and RB's were simply faster than anything wisconsin put out there. The OSU DEs , LBs, and Secondary we're also faster and prevented all but 1 big play.

We need more play makers. We will find the OL. We simply need more athletic people at all other spots on the field.

After watching that game, and knowing Fleck's recruiting game plan, I think we have a shot if we simply add more athletes.

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Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Alabama. No OSU.

@nifloral's post in the Tim Brewster thread got me thinking about what the all-time U of MN coaching staff would look like. This is what I came up with. Thoughts? Changes?

HC - Bierman
AHC - Warmath/H. Williams
OC - Mason
DC - Claeys
DB - Sawvel
LB - B. Miller
DL - Nash
QB - Shanahan
OL - Browning
WR - Sumlin
RB - Adamle
TE/Recruiting Coordinator - Brewster (Maybe just as a recruiter and the TE coach under Mason?)

Rivals250 5.8 rated four-star defensive back Mario Goodrich just decommited from Nebraska.

I know the Minnesota staff was pretty interested in him at one time, and have almost all of their coaches following him on Twitter. No inside info, but I'm planning on reaching out and seeing if Minnesota is interested or has a shot here. His profile lists him as high interest on Michigan, but I'm not too sure why yet as I haven't seen this being discussed at all on Michigan's side yet.

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With all these coaches opening still why hasn't Sumlin name been getting mentioned for any of them? He's a good coach you would think some team would grab him. Especially Tennessee who's offered just about everyone in the country.

Link: Rutgers preview

start complaining about how the west is weak? I predict they will want realignment shortly unless the west starts to win a few.

Our Gopher Wrestlers are in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend for the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational tournament. Over 100 ranked wrestlers, including 45 ranked in the top 10, are expected to compete at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, which takes place Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Thirteen of the top 25 teams in the InterMat Tournament Rankings will be in Las Vegas headlined by #2 Ohio State. Other tournament ranked teams include #3 Michigan, #6 Arizona State, #11 Virginia Tech, #12 Minnesota, #13 Nebraska, #15 Northern Iowa, #18 Central Michigan, #19 Wyoming, #21 Pittsburgh, #22 Edinboro, #23 Duke and #24 Navy.

MN dropped from #6 to #12 this week after being dominated by OKSU last weekend in Stillwater. Jake Short was injured and probably should not have wrestled, and several other Gophers lost some close matches that they might win later on in the year. Our line-up is also a little weaker than it will be in January as #8 ranked Steve Bleise is out until then based on transfer rules. We also have several starters who will not be wrestling in Las Vegas this weekend, per Coach Eggum in his Nov. 28th Coach's Corner (www.gophersports.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/112817aac.html) BTW, Eggum is quite funny in the beginning of this webcast.

Gophers not likely to be at the CK Invitational:
- 133 McKee was just at the U23 Freestyle Championships earlier this week in Poland; Steven Polakowski filling in.
- 157 Short still has a shoulder injury; Jose Champagne filling in.
- 184 Webster has a minor injury from the OKSU match; Dylan Anderson filling in.
- 285 Streifel has a broken toe, still is expected back soon. Not sure if anyone is filling in, maybe Nate Rose.

We will do ok this weekend, but I expect us to do a fair amount better as we get further into the season. I would expect the following Gophers to place:

- 125 # 1 seeded Lizak takes 1st.
- 141 #2 seeded Thorn takes 1st - 3rd.
- 165 #5 seeded Wanzek takes 3rd - 5th.

No other Gophers are seeded, but it's possible that some others might place 7th - 8th.

Here's the article from Gophersports.com, followed by a list of seeded wrestlers per weight:


Minnesota Ready for Cliff Keen Invite

A dozen Gophers will take their talents to the west coast this weekend to take on the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. on Dec. 1 and 2. Wrestling will begin at 9:00 a.m. PT both days.



Gophersports.com
Nov. 30, 2017

No. 12 Minnesota at Cliff Keen Invitational
Date/Time Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1 and 2, 2017 | 9:00 a.m. CT
Location The Las Vegas Convention Center
Live Video FloWrestling ($)
Tickets Buy Now
Social Media @GopherWrestling | Facebook | Instagram

Cliff Keen Invite Match Notes

Tournament Seeds
Cliff Keen Official Seeds

Tickets for Dec. 10 against Fresno State

A dozen Gophers will take their talents to the west coast this weekend to take on the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. on Dec. 1 and 2. Wrestling will begin at 9:00 a.m. both days.

How to Follow
Both Friday and Saturday, live video coverage is available on FloWrestling with a paid subscription. Fanatics can also follow each match at @GopherWrestling on Twitter. Be sure to check back on GopherSports.com to see full results from each day's action.

Last Time Out - SDSU/Okla. State
Minnesota had a long road trip prior to the holiday weekend. Traveling nearly 900 miles in a three-day span, the Gophers came away with one win and one loss. Taking down No. 16 SDSU, the Gophers won six of 10 matches while in Stillwater, Minnesota could only bring one win back. Many of the matches, even the losses, came down to the final period including six matches that were decided by two points or less in the Oklahoma State dual. Marquee Weight

Top Contenders
The Cliff Keen Invitational will host at least seven top-20 wrestlers in each division, along with 11 top-three ranked wrestlers across all weights. The 165-pound division looks to be one of the most talent-filled brackets of the weekend. There will be half of the top-15 in the bracket, including five top-10 wrestlers.

What Happened in Vegas
Last season, Minnesota took on the 35th annual Cliff Keen Invitational, and brought back a pair of champions, and five place winners. Jake Short is the only returning champion from last year's finishers. Short won the 157-pound bracket a year after he was the 149-pound runner-up in Vegas. Short was unranked at the time, and defeated two ranked opponents while on the mats in Nevada. Mitch McKee also seized a fourth place finish last season while Nick Wanzek finished eighth. Minnesota as a team captured fourth place with 100 points, it was the third straight top-four finish at the Cliff Keen.

The Lizard
Being the final undefeated wrestler on the Gophers roster, No. 3 Ethan Lizak pulled off one of the most impressive comebacks you will see against former No. 3 Nick Piccinnini of Oklahoma State. Trailing 8-1 after the first period, Lizak used two near fall scores to come within one point by the start of the third period, and then used a takedown in the third to pull off the come from behind win on the road.

On the Horizon
After Minnesota takes their talents to the west coast, they will return home to face Fresno State. The Bulldogs wrestling program was gone up until this season, and the Dec. 10 matchup with Minnesota will be their first true Division I road test since the program started back up.

Solid Start
In his first month of action, transfer Owen Webster has earned respect at the Division I level. Webster has won five of his first seven matches, including an 11-second pin in the Daktronics Open. Even in his two losses, Webster lost only by a two-point decision and by fall.

All the Way in Poland
The Gophers were able to send one current and one former wrestler to Poland for the U23 World Championships. Sophomore Mitch McKee and alumnus Michael Kroells took on some of the best wrestlers in the world on one of the biggest stages. Both wrestlers fell in their first matches, and were not able to advance to the consolation brackets.

Follow the Gophers
As the season progresses, the best Gopher Wrestling news source is GopherSports.com. Find match previews, tournament recaps, features on the wrestlers you see at each event or anything else, keep it here. Be sure to also follow the Gophers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you do not miss any content during the 2017-18 season.


Probable Starters (InterMat Rankings):

125
#3 Ethan Lizak Schnecksville, Pa. / Junior / 7-0 overall / 3-0 duals / 1 pin / 1 tech fall / NCAA Finalist (‘17)
133
Steve Polakowski Libertyville, Ill. / Junior / 3-1 overall / 0-0 duals
141
#8 Tommy Thorn St. Michael, Minn. / Junior / 4-2 overall / 1-1 duals All-American (‘17)
149
Hunter Marko Amery, Wis. / Sophomore 5-4 overall / 2-1 duals / 1 pin
157
#16 Jake Short Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Senior / 4-3 overall / 1-2 duals
NCAA Qualifier (‘16, ‘17) or Jose Champagne: Griffith, Ind. / RS Freshman / 5-3 overall / 0-0 duals
165
#9 Nick Wanzek Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Senior / 6-1 overall / 2-1 duals NCAA Qualifier (‘16, ‘17)
174
Chris Pfarr Le Sueur, Minn. / Senior / 5-3 overall / 1-2 duals NCAA Qualifier (‘17)
184
Owen Webster Shakopee, Minn. / Sophomore / 5-2 overall / 2-1 duals / 1 pin, or Dylan Anderson Hudson, Wis. / RS Freshman / 10-3 overall / 0-0 duals
197
Bobby Steveson Apple Valley, Minn. / Sophomore / 0-3 overall / 0-3 duals NCAA Qualifier (‘17)
285
Rylee Streifel Prior Lake, Minn. / Sophomore 5-2 overall / 2-1 duals


Seeded Wrestlers:

125:
No. 3 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota)
No. 6 Ryan Millhof (Arizona State)
No. 8 Sean Russell (Edinboro)
No. 10 Dalton Macri (North Carolina)
No. 11 Connor Schram (Stanford)
No. 14 Luke Welch (Purdue)
No. 15 Louie Hayes (Virginia)
No. 16 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley)
No. 17 Zeke Moisey (West Virginia)
No. 18 Drew Mattin (Michigan)

133:
No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan)
No. 6 Dom Forys (Pittsburgh)
No. 7 Jack Mueller (Virginia)
No. 9 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State)
No. 11 Korbin Myers (Edinboro)
No. 12 Dennis Gustafson (Virginia Tech)
No. 13 Josh Terao (American)
No. 16 Cam Sykora (North Dakota State)
No. 19 Sean Nickell (CSU Bakersfield)

141:
No. 3 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming)
No. 7 Chad Red (Nebraska)
No. 8 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota)
No. 11 Javier Gasca (Michigan State)
No. 12 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)
No. 13 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa)
No. 18 Michael Longo (Oklahoma)
No. 19 Kanen Storr (Iowa State)
No. 20 Mason Smith (Central Michigan)

149:
No. 3 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa)
No. 5 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska)
No. 6 Justin Oliver (Central Michigan)
No. 8 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State)
No. 9 Troy Heilmman (North Carolina)
No. 11 Solomon Chishko (Virginia Tech)
No. 12 Josh Maruca (Arizona State)
No. 18 Zander Wick (Wisconsin)
No. 19 Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma)
No. 20 Nick Monico (Kent State)

157:
No. 5 Josh Shields (Arizona State)
No. 6 Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
No. 11 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan)
No. 12 Clay Ream (North Dakota State)
No. 14 Collin Heffernan (Central Michigan)
No. 15 Justin Staudenmayer (Brown)
No. 18 Andrew Crone (Wisconsin)
No. 19 Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh)
No. 20 Archie Colgan (Wyoming)

165:
No. 3 Logan Massa (Michigan)
No. 5 David McFadden (Virginia Tech)
No. 7 Te'Shan Campbell (Ohio State)
No. 8 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State)
No. 9 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota)
No. 12 Branson Ashworth (Wyoming)
No. 13 Keilan Torres (Northern Colorado)
No. 17 Evan Wick (Wisconsin)
No. 18 Jon Jay Chavez (Cornell)
No. 20 Lorenze De La Riva (CSUB)

174:
No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State)
No. 3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State)
No. 6 Myles Amine (Michigan)
No. 7 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy)
No. 8 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa)
No. 9 Brandon Womack (Cornell)
No. 10 Drew Hughes (Michigan State)
No. 11 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina)
No. 13 Yoanse Mejias (Oklahoma)
No. 15 Keaton Subjeck (Stanford)
No. 16 C.J. Brucki (Central Michigan)
No. 17 Ben Harvey (Army West Point)
No. 18 Will Schany (Virginia)
No. 19 Josef Johnson (Harvard)

184:
No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State)
No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan)
No. 6 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech)
No. 7 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa)
No. 8 Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan)
No. 10 Max Dean (Cornell)
No. 11 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin)
No. 14 Steven Schneider (Binghamton)
No. 15 Dylan Gabel (Northern Colorado)
No. 16 Christian LaFragola (Brown)
No. 17 Michael Coleman (Navy)

197:
No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech)
No. 5 Kevin Beazley (Michigan)
No. 6 Jake Smith (West Virginia)
No. 9 Matt Williams (CSU Bakersfield)
No. 13 Corey Griego (Oregon State)
No. 14 Jeric Kasunic (American)
No. 15 Christian Brunner (Purdue)
No. 16 Nathan Traxler (Stanford)
No. 17 Daniel Chaid (North Carolina)
No. 18 Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin)

285:
No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan)
No. 4 Tanner Hall (Arizona State)
No. 6 Jacob Kasper (Duke)
No. 8 Ryan Solomon (Pittsburgh)
No. 13 Nathan Butler (Stanford)
No. 16 Garrett Ryan (Columbia)
No. 17 Brett Dempsey (American)
No. 18 Gage Hutchison (Eastern Michigan)

PREVIEW: GOPHERS VS. RUTGERS

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Dec. 2, 2017

#12/12 Minnesota (7-1, 0-0) vs. Rutgers (6-1, 0-0)
Date / Time Sunday, Deec. 3 | 5 p.m.
Location Williams Arena - Directions
Tickets MyGopherSports.com
Travel Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels
TV Big Ten Network
Live Video BTN2Go
Radio KTLK 1130 AM / 103.5 FM
Live Stats Gametracker
Game Notes Minnesota | Rutgers
Official Sites Minnesota | Rutgers
Social Media Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, December 3, 2017
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Arena: Williams Arena (14,625)
TV/Live Video: BTN - Cory Provus (Play-by-Play); Shon Morris (Analyst)
Radio: Learfield/KTLK 1130 AM & 103.5 FM -
Mike Grimm (Play-by-Play); Spencer Tollackson (Analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 205/XM 201

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