Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino is in his first year in the Big Ten, and he’s already establishing himself as a man that will have his team ready to play against any team in the country.
The Gophers pulled their second upset over a ranked team with a 13-point win over No. 9 Wisconsin Wednesday night at Williams Arena. It closed out a stretch of four consecutive games against teams ranked in the top 15. Prior to that they took No. 5 Michigan State to overtime and lost; defeated No. 11 Ohio State; and got blown out by No. 14 Iowa.
Earlier this season, Minnesota took Syracuse – which might be the best team in the country – to the wire at the Maui Invitational.
Pause for a moment. Are these wins really as impressive as they look? Maybe not. SportsCenter tweeted an ominous stat that included each team Pitino and the Gophers picked up a signature win against – Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Crazy stat of the day: Ohio State, Oregon, Wisconsin and Iowa State started the year a combined 58-0. Since then? 0-14.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 23, 2014
Pitino is taking the success in stride. Before beating the Badgers, Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis asked him if he feels like he’s already proved that he belongs in the Big Ten.
“I don’t look at it like that. Maybe it’s because people have compared me to my father my whole life,” Petino answered. “I’m a guy with 30-something wins, and there are guys in this league with six or seven hundred. I’m just trying to prepare our guys as much as possible for each game.”
The success has some of college basketball’s biggest names saying some very good things about Pitino and the Gophers.
Richard Pitino is doing a terrific job in his first season at Minnesota. Had a chance to really watch him in Maui. An excellent coach.
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) January 23, 2014
Richard Pitino's stock keeps rising -Gophers beat Badgers- Richmond upsets Mass- Duke gets solid D & plays with passion to rout Miami!
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) January 23, 2014
Richard Pitino has done a tremendous job thus far. Somehow, has Minnesota on right side of bubble. Two resume wins: Ohio St, now Wisconsin.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 23, 2014
There's one thing that Minnesota fans always want from a coach. They want a win over Wisconsin. Pitino just did that. On his first try.
— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) January 23, 2014
Minnesota now has serious equity w wins over Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Florida State. Gophers building an NCAA resume under Richard Pitino.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 23, 2014
Minny lost best player in opening minute, still up 12 on Wisky. Testament to energy Richard Pitino has injected — and Wisconsin's slide.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) January 23, 2014
