Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball

Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith has been identified in the past two weeks as a candidate for the openings at the University of Oregon and Auburn University. Coach Smith has vehemently denied that he is a candidate for either job but the rumors persist that he is leaving Minnesota.

The most persistent rumor is that Smith is headed back south to the Southeastern Conference to coach Auburn.   John Shultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Phillip Marshall of Auburn Undercover,  Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News, John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Leader, and Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports have all reported that sources at Auburn are ready to hire or are considering hiring Smith.

When major college coaches leave a program, rarely do they make their intentions known beforehand.   Typically, there a few rumors . . . and then there is a press conference with the coach putting on the new hat of his new employer.  

While all of the daily sports radio talk stations in the Twin Cities are quick to point out that Smith has given no indication that he is interested in leaving, none of the radio stations have completely ruled out the idea that Smith will be gone from the Twin Cities for the warmer climate of Alabama.

Which begs the question in Minnesota: Is this just smoke or is Tubby Smith leaving the Minnesota Gophers?

When one examines the benefits of staying at Minnesota against the potential upside of going to Auburn, Gopher fans who appreciate Coach Smith have to feel pretty confident that this story has more smoke than fire.

Minnesota currently pays Coach Smith $1.8 million a year with an escalator clause in his contract, which will pay him $2.0 million in 2012.  Could Auburn match what Smith is being paid? 

Probably. However, former Auburn coach Jeff Lebo was paid only $750,000 last year.  Minnesota athletics director Joel Maturi has said he can’t afford to pay a higher salary to keep Smith from leaving as a university-wide salary freeze is in place.

One in the hand is better than two in the bush, slight advantage Minnesota.

Minnesota plays in one of the best stadiums for college basketball.  Yes, the Barn has some poor sight lines if you are unfortunate enough to purchase a ticket behind a pole, but the Barn has an intimate college basketball feel that is second to none.

Auburn is scheduled to christen Auburn Arena this summer.  The Auburn Arena at a price tag of $90 million will not only be a great new arena to play in but also contains practice facilities for both the men’s and women’s program.  

The only downside for Coach Smith in Minnesota is that the Gophers lack their own practice facility.  While committed to the idea, Maturi is unable to say when the Gophers will have their very own practice facility.

A slight advantage for Auburn because they will be able to practice in their very own practice facility beginning next year.

Smith is a coach that does not appear to be content to get to the NCAA tournament but wants be a Final Four contender on a regular basis.  Which team is best suited to give Smith an opportunity to win a NCAA Championship?

In each of the past three years, Minnesota has won at least 20 games.  The Gophers have made the NCAA tournament twice in the last three years.

In the last three years, Auburn has won 20 games only once.  In the last three seasons, the Tigers won 20 games only once, and when they did they were only able to make it to the NIT tournament.

Minnesota went 21-14 this year and made the NCAA tournament where they lost to Xavier in the first round.  Auburn finished 15-17 and was bounced in the first round of the SEC tournament.

The recent appearances in the NCAA tournament favor Minnesota.

Coach Smith plays an up tempo style of basketball using a deep bench.

Minnesota returns six players next year who averaged more than 15 minutes of playing time–Blake Hoffarber, Paul Carter Devoe Joseph, Ralph Sampson III, Al Nolen, and Colton Iverson.   Hoffarber, Joseph, Sampson, and Nolen started an appreciable number of games during the year; Carter and Iverson picked up occasional starts during the year. 

Auburn player Frankie Sullivan is the only player to average more than 15 minutes of playing time.  Sullivan started an appreciable number of games during the year.

The players returning next year for Minnesota averaged a total of 56.7 points a game, while Auburn's  returning players average a total of 27.7 points a game.

Players returning ready and able to contribute to make an NCAA tournament run favors Minnesota.

While Smith could ultimately decide that he is tired of the snow and cold in Minnesota, most observers who objectively look at the two programs would be surprised if he leaves for Auburn. 

Now, if next year Minnesota loses two players because of allegations of criminal conduct and another player to academic problems, then Coach Smith might reconsider his long term prospects in the Twin Cities and then the smoke may become fire.

The Xavier Musketeers come into this game fired up, after losing an Atlantic Ten overtime battle with Richmond. They haven't lost back to back games all year and they don't plan to. Minnesota comes into the game after an embarrassing 29 point lost to Ohio State who just worked the Gophers over in the second half.

To say that these two teams have something to prove is an understatement. The Gophers got bounced in their first round game last year, which left a bitter taste in their mouth. They also have had to overcome the loss of Al Nolen at point guard. Since then they have gone 9-7 but they may have found their chemistry in the Big Ten Tourney. They defeated two highly ranked, yet depleted teams in Purdue and Michigan State.

Xavier came off a Sweet Sixteen season last year and heading into the off season it looked like Xavier would be a potential preseason top 15 team. But alas Sean Miller ruined Opening Day and decided to go the Arizona taking a couple prize recruits with him. To add to their disappointment they lost Derrick Brown to the NBA. If you add Browns numbers to Seniors CJ Anderson and BJ Raymond they lost over 3,000 points and were looking for leadership heading into the 2010 season.

Xavier found that leadership in senior Jason Love, new coach Chris Mack and redshirt sophomore Jordan Crawford (yes he dunked on Lebron James). This teams identity has evolved throughout the year and finally heading into A10 play they found themselves a good one. Jamel Mcclean has become a powerful force on the boards with his recent double digit rebounds and two hand slams. Any Mac Willaims writes Few teams have two lead guards as quick and as effective as Terrell Holloway and Mark Lyons." 7 foot sophomore Kenny Frease has come off the bench and been very serviceable on the low block. The X factor in the NCAA tourney is Dante Jackson. He always seems to step up in big games so we'll see if he's the next BJ Raymond for XAVIER.

About two weeks ago on the University of Minnesota's campus, the only rumblings you heard of post-season basketball were "N.I.T."

Gopher fans have been furious with the lack of chemistry on the court with Tubby Smith's basketball team. A dreadful offense had not shown any upside all season.

A once stout defense, lost all of its moxy with the loss of suspended junior guard, Al Nolen. A team once ranked as high as #16 in the polls had fallen flat on their face.

They were all bloodied up and looked to have little hope of a resurrection.

All the drama brought forth by the incoming recruiting class was finally taking its' toll on Tubby. Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe both appeared to be a lost cause. They were supposed to be the saviors of the lackluster offense being run in our half-court sets.

It could be possible that they were the right people, but Gophers fans will likely never know.

It turned out that it didn't matter.

A sophomore star might have been born in the midst of all of this trouble. Canadian, Devoe Joseph has taken it upon himself to become a real threat as the point-guard in Smith's offense.

Freshmen Justin Cobbs should have been red-shirted. He looks nowhere near ready to be playing Big Ten basketball at this point. His turnover ratio is much to high, leaving Joseph as the only true guard who can dribble.

He has a brother who is a top ten recruit overall coming out of high school this year. If the Gophers can land him, they will have one of the best backcourt duos in the country. It is just going to depend on how much he wants to play with his older brother.

Tubby Smith has already had him on campus, and if things go well in the NCAA Tournament, the Gophers could be going into their next season all set in the back-court.

The Xavier Musketeers are up first for Minnesota on Friday morning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You probably can lay pretty good money on it, that the Gophers contingent at the Bradley Center will be significant. It may not be Williams' Arena, but it will definitely give the Gophers a much needed boost.

The play of the sophomore duo of Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson III is going to be critical in controlling Jason Love and Jamel McLean. The inside presence was a key in their consecutive victories over Michigan State and Purdue last week. If that happens and if Senior Damian Johnson is flying around like he was in Indianapolis than the Gophers will get a shot at Pittsburgh or Ohio.

The NCAA Committee did them a favor by granting them a #11 seed instead of a #9 or #10. This way they get to play a #3 seed instead of a #1 ir #2. They also got a gift with it being Pittsburgh. They have played terrible of late, and primed for a pre-Sweet Sixteen upset.

Get your popcorn ready. If Blake Hoffarber and Devoe Joseph can find their strokes, then Xavier will not out-rebound the Gophers. The Musketeers rank 142nd in the country in keeping others off the glass.

To win in the NCAA Tournament you need to be able to take punches, and if the Gophers have not learned how to do that through this season then what have they learned.            

The state of Minnesota is now 0-2 in conference championship games in 2010.

After impressive wins against Michigan State and Purdue in the Big Ten tournament, the Minnesota Golden Gophers became the most recent to come close to a trophy, only to leave fans hungry after losing to Ohio State in the Big Ten Conference title game.

The Minnesota Vikings lost the NFC Championship Game last January to the New Orleans Saints.

In fact, losing big games has become a recent trend in Minnesota sports. The Minnesota sports scene was the only sports market to have an appearance in all four major sports conference championship games (Vikings in 2000 and 2009, Timberwolves in 2005, Twins in 2002, and Wild in 2003) without a world championship appearance.

Since the Minneapolis Lakers left for Los Angeles in 1960 after winning six titles from 1948-54, Minnesota teams have had a difficult time advancing to world championship games.

Minnesota pro sports are 9-13 in conference championship games since 1960. The Vikings are 4-5, the Timberwolves are 0-1, the Twins are 3-3, and the North Stars/Wild are 2-4.

And of those 9 world championship appearances, Minnesota has won only two world titles, with the Twins winning the World Series in 1987 and 1991.

The Vikings lost the Super Bowl in 1969, 1973, 1974, and 1976. The Twins lost the World Series in 1965, and the North Stars lost the Stanley Cup Finals in 1980 and 1990.

Since Minnesota's last World title in 1991, Minnesota is 0-6 in conference championship games.

After an embarrassing loss at Michigan on March 2, the Minnesota Golden Gophers' "Bubble" burst with a loud pop. Two dominant efforts (against rival Iowa and cellar dweller Penn State) later, the Gophers were under the impression a trip to the "Big Dance" would only happen if they won the Big Ten Tournament.

They have a chance to accomplish that today against Ohio State in the last championship game of the day. You can guarantee that just about every other bubble-team in the country will be rooting for Ohio State to blow Minnesota out of the gym. Could it? Yes. Will it? Maybe.

The Gophers got destroyed in Columbus earlier in the conference season. They were playing their worst basketball at the time, and it is evident with their last two victories that Tubby Smith has this team's mind-set right where he wants it: Desperate, scratching and crawling for every point.

The Gophers are known for blowing huge leads this season, or it wouldn't even be a question if they were worthy this afternoon. They blew home leads to Purdue and Michigan State after leading by double-digits with less than 10 minutes remaining in both games.

Big Ten doubters, if you look a little deeper into Minnesota's numbers, you will notice five quality victories. (No. 10 Butler, neutral court; Ohio State, home; Wisconsin, home; Michigan State, Big Ten Tourney; Purdue, Big Ten Tourney) You could include in that a road win at Illinois, as the Illini could be the team the committee would chose instead of the Gophers.

The record of the opponents the Gophers have beaten is 340-296 (Win Pct: 63.43). That number is higher than Illinois, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Rhode Island, and every other bubble-team. That alone should be enough for the committee to give Minnesota a surprising berth after a stellar weekend of play.

Tubby Smith has been getting blasted in the media in the Twin Cities for the lack of chemistry on his team. It has come to the point where rumors have started to swirl around him leaving for Oregon or Virginia. Some are calling it a retirement job after the 9-9 record his squad posted in the Big Ten.

This was supposed to be "The Season" for the Gophers. They had a nice crew of seniors, a great crew of juniors, and an up-and-coming group of sophomores. Surprisingly enough, the sophomores might be the reason the Gophers have earned a berth in the Big Ten Championship today. Sharp shooting from Blake Hoffarber propelled the Gophers to No. 16 in the country at one point this season, while shutdown defense from the currently suspended Al Nolen, and some timely shots by seniors Lawrence Westbrook and Damian Johnson, had the Gophers thinking Big Ten Championship.

But losses to Indiana, Michigan twice, Northwestern, Portland, and Miami (Fla) had all but derailed the "Tubby-train" in the Twin Cities. Now, though, I'm back on board. You know you have a great coach when you win in March, and that's what Tubby has done to get the Gophers where they want to be. There should be no NIT to worry about this year.

I apologize to Smith and his team for writing them off as underachievers and overrated coaches. Even if the committee pulls one over on the Big Ten this afternoon, I applaud the resiliency of Minnesota through all of the off-the-court issues it has gone through this season. It has been very noticeable on the court that the legal issues of most of their incoming recruits, the suspension of their starting point-guard, and the lack of chemistry between coaches and players have not negatively effected the team's performance.

Ski-U-mah Minnesota, and hail whomever need be this afternoon. You could secure yourself a tourney bid with a victory over Ohio State, and speculation will turn into reality in the blink of an eye.

Last year, Colton Iverson teased Gophers fans as to what he could do.  Prior to the start of the Big Ten season, Iverson had several games which whet the appetite of the Gopher faithful.

In the second game of his freshman season, Iverson made a serious bid for a triple-double against Bowling Green.  Iverson was a dominant force against the Falcons as he grabbed eight rebounds, scored six points, and had nine blocked shots. 

Iverson followed up his game with the Falcons with two solid pre-Big Ten performances against Eastern Washington and Virginia.  Against the Eagles, Iverson scored 20 and grabbed five rebounds and four assists.  Against the Cavaliers, Iverson scored 14 points and grabbed four offensive rebounds on his way to a total of seven boards.

Unfortunately, Iverson found life in the rugged Big Ten much more and could not sustain his level of play once the Big Ten season began. 

All could be forgiven with Iverson as he was a freshman, and the speed and the power among the big men in the Big Ten season can’t be replicated during the non-conference schedule.

The conventional wisdom was that with a year of experience under his belt, Iverson would emerge during his sophomore year and develop into a more consistent player.

All appeared to be according to plan as Iverson showed flashes of brilliance in the November Anaheim Classic.

Against No. 10 Butler, Iverson came off the bench and was the difference as he scored 13 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked two shots in just 18 minutes of play.  Two nights later, Iverson would score 14 points and post 12 rebounds against Texas A & M.

No more cupcakes for Mr. Iverson like Bowling Green and Eastern Washington.  Iverson had posted two double-double performances against two quality opponents and the season was only six games old.   

Fans who appreciated hard-nosed defense were overjoyed with the toughness that Iverson brought to the team.  Gopher fans were salivating about Iverson’s upside once the Big Ten season began.

Then, for Gopher fans to quote Yogi Berra, it felt like déjà vu all over again with Iverson.

Iverson would not score more than five points in a Big Ten game until he posted 10 in mostly mop-up duty in a meaningless blow-out against Michigan on Mar. 2.  Iverson would also fail to record a blocked shot in 13 Big Ten contests.

Iverson, in some ways, was a microcosm of Minnesota’s team.  Minnesota started the season strong, ranked among the top teams in the country.  However, the Gophers became lost along the way and stumbled to a very pedestrian 9-9 record in the Big Ten.

Minnesota, coming into the Big Ten Tournament, clearly needed to do some work in order to position itself to receive a NCAA Tournament bid.  The Gophers had only themselves to blame if they did not receive a bid, as they wasted several opportunities during the season to win games.

A good run during the Big Ten Tournament could potentially alter how a player and a team would view their season.

Iverson has been a dominant force in the tournament.  Against Penn State, Iverson scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds.  Iverson had the same stat line against the Spartans and then added two blocked shots for good measure.  Against Purdue, Iverson scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Beyond Iverson’s statistics is the way in which he is playing alongside Ralph Sampson III.

Against Michigan State, the sophomore duo was too much for the Spartans front line, demanding double teams in the post which in turn allowed Devoe Joseph and Blake Hoffarber to have open looks from beyond the arc.

In the Purdue game, the sophomore duo gave the Boilermaker fans an early knockout by altering shots and limiting them to one shot at the basket.  Purdue was held scoreless for over 11 minutes in the first half and needed a last second shot to tally 11 points in the half.

The Gophers have won three straight games against Big Ten opponents for the first time this season.  They have beaten two teams ranked among the top 15 teams in the country on successive nights.

Next up is the Ohio State Buckeyes and Big Ten Player of the Year Evan Turner.  Earlier in the season, this game would have given Gopher fans pause.

Iverson, however, has stepped up his game at the end of the season and is playing like a force to be reckoned with on the floor.  Iverson is emerging and Minnesota now looks like a top-20 team.

Instead of Gophers fans only taking pause over the prospect of having to face Turner,   Ohio State Coach Thad Matta now has to pause and reflect how he is going to handle Iverson.

Have you ever wanted to go to a school dance party but you were just waiting for someone to invite you to it?

Well, that's probably how Tubby Smith's Minnesota Golden Gophers (21-12) feel right about now—anxious.

Will they get their ticket to the dance?

After an impressive 69-42 drubbing of the Robbie Hummel-less Purdue Boilermakers (27-5), a game where Matt Painter's men scored only 11 points in the first set; the Gophers may get asked to attend after all.

Of course, beating Ohio State in Sunday's Big Ten Tournament final would all but guarantee that the Gophers will be cutting a rug in March Madness' elite ball.

Ohio State struggled against Michigan, needing a prayer shot from Evan Turner in order to secure the 69-68 win. Thad Matta is an intelligent coach, and he undoubtedly took notes to formulate a game plan to stop those party-crashing woodland creatures.

The Buckeyes don't want a close game with Minnesota, and who would after it's knocked off two of the conference's top dogs in consecutive contests?

An overtime win over the hobbling Michigan State Spartans is where the Gophers' tournament dreams started—and they forged ahead with a full head of steam against Purdue.

These Gophers want to tango with the 65 best squads in the land—and they should.

Granted, Minnesota didn't have a league season to write home about. One thing that the tournament selection committee takes into account is the performance of a team in its conference playoff. Especially close attention is paid to a team like the Gophers, they're on the bubble.

Have they moved off the bubble and slid their way into it? Smith's club has to feel that it's done everything within their power to get to another round of post season play.

Gopher sophomore Colton Iverson has anchored the team looking for a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t. He posted 12 points in 27 minutes against Sparty, and reached double-figures again against the Paint Crew (11 points).

Iverson's physicality has come to the forefront of Smith's offense and translated well on the other end of the court as well.

Ralph Sampson III didn't sink one bucket yesterday against the Izzo clan. He then turned around and bounced back Saturday with a team-high 13 points—and was ultra-efficient defensively with five rebounds and two blocks. 

Tournament fans may get their wishes granted, it looks like there's another Cinderella that wants to attend the Big Dance—and it might be the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Minnesota is the wrong team for the Purdue Boilermakers to play in the Big Ten Tournament.  Minnesota has a significant size advantage, they have a huge chip on their shoulder and they are playing with more passion than any time in their season.

Against Northwestern, Purdue went with a small lineup in the absence of their 6’8" forward Robbie Hummel.  Coach Matt Painter paired four guards with First Team All-Big Ten center, 6’10" JaJuan Johnson.  Purdue held its own against Northwestern and out rebounded the Wildcats 30-29.

If Coach Painter wants to go “big” his only option is to insert 6’8" freshman Patrick Bade.  Bade is the only player on the Purdue bench over 6’6".  The lack of size may be the difference against the Gophers.

Minnesota has two solid post players in 6’11" Ralph Sampson III and 6’10" Colton Iverson.  While Sampson and Iverson don’t yet have the quickness of Johnson, the Gopher players aren’t going to be afraid to put a body on Johnson as they both outweigh Johnson by more than 20 pounds.

While the Gophers don’t have a smaller bruising power forward to pair with Sampson and Iverson, Minnesota can play several athletic three forwards taller than 6’6" who are active and aggressive in attacking the glass.   Gopher forwards Damian Johnson, Paul Carter, and Rodney Williams may have an opportunity for a big rebounding game as Johnson will be preoccupied with Sampson, Iverson or both.

Coach Smith had to like what he saw last night when he went with a big line-up against the Spartans.  Minnesota was able to develop a solid lead against the Spartans playing Sampson, Iverson, Johnson, and guards Devoe Joseph and Blake Hoffarber.  If Smith uses the same lineup against Purdue, the Boilermakers could be in trouble.

If Sampson, Iverson and Johnson are on the floor together against Purdue, the Gophers should be able to get good shots in the low post with their considerable size advantage.  Purdue can only counter with Johnson and Bade leaving one member of the Gophers front line with an opportunity to do some damage.

If Purdue attempts to bring a guard down to double team they do so at their own peril.  Hoffarber is the best three point shooter in the Big Ten shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc.  Joseph is no slouch from downtown as he connects on 39 percent of his shots from three point land.

Minnesota neutralized the Spartans with their big lineup mixing up a zone defense with aggressive man to man defense.  Coach Smith will likely employ the same strategy against Purdue to force them to shoot from downtown.

Purdue is not a very good shooting team from the perimeter with the exception of guard E’Twaun Moore.  Moore is a legitimate talent and showcased his skills with a great game against Northwestern scoring 28 points.

If Moore gets off to a quick start, Minnesota may use a box and one on Moore.  Lawrence Westbrook will likely get the assignment to shut Moore down.

Westbrook and Minnesota have done a nice job in the Big Ten Tournament in shutting down Talor Battle and Kalin Lucas.  Battle shot 30 percent and Lucas shot 35 percent.    Moore is likely going to need to shoot higher than 40 percent if Purdue is going to put up enough points to beat Minnesota.

Minnesota in the first two games of the Big Ten Tournament has played with more passion and emotion than almost any time this season.  Most Gopher fans had to be concerned last night when the Spartans pushed the game into overtime and especially when they scored the first basket in overtime.

Earlier in the season, the Spartans would have put away the Gophers.  However, the Gophers didn’t roll over.  Joseph barked at his teammates to create space for him and then calmly knocked down to three point daggers to give Minnesota a lead they would never relinquish.  Minnesota has a swagger that they haven’t had since they knocked off Butler in November. 

Of course, Purdue is not concerned with the Gophers.  Purdue is a veteran team with experience.  Big Ten Coach of the Year Matt Painter knows he has two all Big Ten performers in Moore and Johnson.  Coach Painter also knows that he also has two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year Chris Kramer.

Who will win?  Experience would say Purdue, but the Gophers are playing like a team on a mission; a mission to get to the NCAA tournament.  Don’t count Minnesota out.

INDIANAPOLIS—The Minnesota basketball team showed up for this weekend’s Big Ten Tournament wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the word “RESPECT.”

After Friday’s 72-67 quarterfinal upset of Michigan State, the sixth-seeded Golden Gophers are well on their way to earning some.

“Anybody wants to earn respect in anything they do,” senior Lawrence Westbrook said. “So we’re just going to play hard, and if we do that we have enough talent to compete with anybody.”

Indeed, while all the attention this weekend was on the Big Ten’s top four teams (a quartet of Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan State, and Wisconsin that seemed head and shoulders above the rest of the league), it’s the Cinderella Gophers that are making headlines.

Don’t look now, but Minnesota is undoubtedly moving the right way on the NCAA bubble and could be one of those teams no one wants to play when March Madness kicks off next week.

The Gophers are dangerous because of Devoe Joseph, he of the 17 points and back-to-back long-distance daggers in overtime.  Whether it’s confidence, cockiness, or something in between, Joseph was willing and ready to take the big shot every time it looked like the Spartans had Minnesota on the ropes.

“I think the sky’s the limit for us,” Joseph said as he pondered his team’s postseason chances.  “We’ve got as much talent as any team in the Big Ten and in the country.”

The Gophers are dangerous because of Lawrence Westbrook, who’s embracing the challenge of shutting down opponents’ stars, not just scoring himself.  Westbrook was key in frustrating Penn State’s Talor Battle and Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas the past two days.

“I really like playing against guys like that because it pushes me and it shows I can do another part of my game,” said Westbrook.

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith knows his team is in good hands with Joseph’s offensive potential and Westbrook’s defensive mindset.

“Guys like Devoe, Westbrook, you’re not going to find any guys with bigger hearts and mentally tougher than those two,” Smith said.

The Gophers are dangerous because of Blake Hoffarber’s silky-smooth jump shot.  Hoffarber, one of the nation’s leaders in three-point percentage, knocked down four triples in the upset of Michigan State.

The Gophers are dangerous because of the height and inside presence of Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson.  Sampson, in particular, sees great things in his team’s future as March wears on.

“Third time’s the charm,” the seven-footer told me after his team finally broke through against the Spartans.  “We’re coming into Purdue [Saturday’s semifinal] with the same mentality, because it’s our third time playing them as well.”

Lastly, the Gophers are dangerous because of Tubby Smith, who ensured what seems like his hundredth straight 20-win season (okay, it’s only 17) with Friday night’s victory.  Smith has done a masterful job of helping his team overcome adversity and bringing them to Indianapolis with a hunger and focus that should carry over to a possible run in the Big Dance.

“I’ve been staying positive and telling those guys, ‘Don’t listen to the garbage, don’t listen to the static, don’t listen to the people that disrespect you. Concentrate on what we have to get done and we’ll be fine.’”, Smith said.

So who wants to play the Gophers with the season on the line?  Show of hands? Anybody?  Bueller?

I didn’t think so.

Of course, an invite to March Madness is not 100 percent guaranteed.  There’s still work for Minnesota to do here at Conseco Fieldhouse. 

“We know for us to get in there, we have to get quality wins,” said Westbrook.  Another upset victory over the Boilermakers Saturday is probably the bare minimum, but don’t tell that to recently vanquished MSU coach Tom Izzo.

“They’re a tournament team,” Izzo said simply.  “All in all, our loss is hopefully Minnesota’s gain and hopefully the Big Ten’s.”

Hoffarber thinks the only way to make sure his team is playing in the NCAA tournament is to come away with the Big Ten trophy in Indy.   “Win the tournament,” he said in the locker room after his team’s latest statement victory.

If the Gophers do cut down the nets in Indianapolis, the respect they so desperately crave is sure to follow.

Get those Cinderella slippers ready.

For more Bleacher Report coverage from the Big Ten Tournament, follow Tim on Twitter at @TimCary.

Judging by the 6'10" sophomore's performance against Michigan State on Friday night, Colton Iverson could be just what the doctor ordered for a Minnesota Golden Gopher tournament run.

The Gophers (20-12) are on the proverbial bubble but strengthened their playoff bid's case with a 72-67 win over the Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

Iverson doesn't typically rack up a truck load of minutes, but he was effective in the 27 minutes that Gopher coach Tubby Smith assigned to him.

The sophomore finished with 12 points before he administered a love tap to Michigan State's Kalin Lucas which caused him to foul out with just minutes to play in regulation.

Minnesota's guards Devoe Joseph and Lawrence Westbrook have been past keys to its success, but it could be the lanky kid from Yankton, S.D., that holds the Gophers tournament hopes in his hands.

Iverson's showing against the 11th-ranked Spartans could be construed as a call for more minutes. When the Gophers needed an inside presence, he was there—all 6-foot-10 of him.

Although he collected only four rebounds, Iverson gave Izzo's club headaches as they attempted to retrieve missed field-goal opportunities.

A little extra vigor on the glass—and smarter play pertaining to when and when not to foul—Iverson could boost the Gophers into the real madness: the Big Dance.

Does a win over conference powerhouse Michigan State mean that Minnesota's golden ticket for the ball has been punched?

Not necessarily, but it sure does help.

There's no guarantee on being invited to the dance unless the Gophers sweep their remaining opponents and take home a Big Ten Tournament Title.

That's easier said than done, because next on Smith's boys' list are the Boilermakers of Purdue.

Matt Painter's crew escaped an upset at the hands of Northwestern by winning 69-61 and are looking to add a tournament playoff crown to their already impressive regular season resume.

The Gophers are going to need their bigs to play a vital role in its tournament equation: both of them, not just Iverson.

"Inconsistent" doesn't exactly sum up the play of Smith's other big man, Ralph Sampson III. Perhaps "struggling" would be a better use of words. Sampson III also clocked in for 12 minutes just like Iverson—the only difference was that he failed to sink a bucket.

It's going to take more than just swift guard play for Minnesota's golden boys to topple Purdue.

Westbrook and Joseph are the engine of the Gophers' machine, but the keys are firmly within Iverson's grasp at the moment.