Minnesota Basketball: 2017-18 season preview for the Golden Gophers
By Bryan Mauro
Schedule Overview and Conference Finish
Minnesota is going to be one of the hunted teams with a target on their back this year. They can not afford to have a game off against anyone because they are going to get every team’s best shot. Minnesota has some difficult games in the non-conference portion of their schedule.
They have to play at Providence for the Gavitt Tip-off Games. The, in the Barclays Center Classic they play UMass and Alabama. Miami is their opponent in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Arkansas and Harvard close out their non-conference. Even though Arkansas and Harvard are pretty good teams, those teams have to come to the Barn.
The Barn is a tough place to play and it can get very loud. Minnesota thrives in that environment, so Harvard and Arkansas will need to make some shots early to quiet the crowd. If not, it could be a long night for those teams. Minnesota gets the following home and homes in the Big Ten: Nebraska, Indiana, Northwestern, Iowa, and Purdue.
Minnesota is one of the best teams in the Big Ten. Their schedule is favorable overall as they have most of their tough games at home. If Minnesota is able to navigate through the tough part of their schedule which includes the games highlighted above and they avoid the injury bug and regression, Minnesota should be a high seed in the NCAA tournament.
They are a force in this league, they can play swarming defense and light up the scoreboard. They will be a fun team to watch, and also a really talented team.