Richard Pitino spoke with reporters Friday before the University of Minnesota men's basketball team hosts Iowa on Sunday at Williams Arena.
MINNEAPOLIS - Thursday was supposed to mark the official beginning of March Madness, the NCAA Tournament. But when 11 a.m. hit and tips were to begin, arenas across the country were empty and slient.
An eerie site for any sports fan.
Last week, University of Minnesota men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino had to deliver some tough news to his players after beating Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament: Their season was over. Due to concerns over Coronavirus, the Big Ten Tournament was canceled before the Gophers ever got the chance to take on Iowa in the first round of the league tournament. They were going to try to play on without fans, but it just wouldn't work.
Not long after, the NCAA announced it was canceling all winter championships. No March Madness, no Final Four and no One Shining Moment.
The Gophers were a longshot, at best, to be dancing this year. They finished 15-16, and likely needed to at least make the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament to even be on the bubble of Selection Sunday, if it weren’t shut down. Such is life. Then, Pitino met with his boss, Athletic Director Mark Coyle. There were rumblings about Pitino’s future in Minnesota after an 8-12 Big Ten season. Coyle released a statement last week, saying the two met and Pitino knows Coyle's expectations for the Gophers to compete at a high level.
Pitino recapped Minnesota’s season in a blog post on Wednesday, as we all sit in our houses and become experts in social distancing. Here are a few takeaways:
The numbers
Minnesota finished 8-12 in Big Ten play this season. In Pitino’s seven seasons, the Gophers have finished above .500 just once. They were 11-7 in 2016-17, when Pitino was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Gophers lost eight Big Ten games this year by eight points or fewer. They had home leads against Iowa and Maryland in the second half before losing both.
Minnesota finished 27th in the KenPom rankings, the program’s fourth-highest since 1997. They finished 42nd in the NCAA’s NET rankings, 30th in offensive efficiency and 41st in defensive efficiency. They had the third toughest schedule in the country. They were 69th in the country in made 3-pointers, but 158th national in three-point percentage. They also had just two true road wins this year (Ohio State and Northwestern).
The numbers tell the story: The Gophers were very close to being an NCAA Tournament team this year, they just didn’t finish close games in key situations.
A 2020 match-up with Iona?
Are the Gophers going to face Iona in the non-conference next year? Why should we care? Well, Richard Pitino’s father, Rick Pitino, just took the Iona head coaching job. And the likely starting point guard for the Gaels next year? Former Gopher Isaiah Washington, who averaged 11.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and four assists per game for the Gaels. He’ll be a senior at Iona next year.
As for a rematch? Pitino said he’s talked with his father about it and hopes to get something in the works. It’s happened once before. Minnesota faced Louisville in Richard Pitino’s second season, on a naval ship in Puerto Rico. Louisville won the game, 81-68.
Daniel Oturu’s status
Richard Pitino told KFAN on Wednesday that he met with sophomore Daniel Oturu this week. Oturu was named Second Team All-Big Ten, was named to two All-America lists and is the only player in the NCAA to average 20 points and 11 rebounds for the season. Oturu, like man future NBA prospects, has submitted his name to the NBA for an evaluation.
The problem is due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Oturu can’t work out for any NBA scouts and won’t be attending any combines any time soon. He’ll have a decision to make between leaving school for the NBA Draft, or returning for his junior year.
What’s up with recruiting?
Well to be quite frank, not much. Due to Coronavirus concerns, Pitino can’t visit recruits, and they can’t come to campus. Contact is currently limited to phone calls and text messages. Minnesota’s coaching staff is all working from home these days.
What we do know is that his returning to the Gophers assures that Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Martice Mitchell, already signed for 2020, will be with the program next season. One other name to keep an eye on? Hopkins guard Kerwin Walton. He’s the top Minnesota prospect left that’s not committed, and he went to several Gopher games as a guest of the team this season.