Tubby Smith and The Golden Gophers: Looking Ahead to 2010

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Luckily for Tubby, this is not Kentucky country where an NIT and first-round exit in the coach's first two years can put him on the hot seat.

While Minnesota went from winning 16 of their first 17 games to losing 10 of their next 16 to finish only a slightly above-average 22-11 (9-9 in Big Ten), Golden Gopher fans should have nothing to worry about. This is even after a first-round exit, thanks to Texas, that ended a season where it looked like there was so much promise for the Gophers after a 70-64 win over Louisville in late December.

Yes, they nearly gave away their NCAA tournament bid to teams like Penn State and Northwestern down the stretch. Being outplayed by Michigan State twice, and also being swept by a bubble-bound Michigan team didn't help their seeding in the NCAA Tournament either. Winning 42 games in two seasons after an ugly 9-22 record during the 2006-2007 season, however, should have Gophers fans optimistic for the future.

Now that Tubby has the Gophers on the winning track again, it's time for the rest of the Gophers squad to build on 2009's success. Here are five factors that could take the Gophers from a bubble team to a Big Ten Championship contender.

1. Ralph Sampson III -Sampson III has a higher ceiling than any of the other big men (Iverson and Paul Carter) that were first recruited by Tubby last year. Sampson III was a project coming into his first year, but him, Damian Johnson and Colton Iverson helped alter hundreds of opponent's shots around the hoop. Now that Sampson III has a full year under his belt, expect his offense to expand, his lanky frame to add some muscle, and his defense to lead to less foul trouble.

2. Devoe Joseph -Joseph showed flashes towards the end of the season of being a reliable scorer. Whether it will be from off the bench as a spark plug or replacing Al Nolen at the point guard position is yet to be determined. His offense is desperately needed though, as this Gopher's squad relies heavily on their defense to give them extra possessions because of there lack of polished offensive players beyond Lawrence Westbrook.

Like Ralph Sampson III, this was Joseph's first year as a collegiate player and will make great progress over the summer and into next winter.

3. Blake Hoffarber and Al Nolen -The Gopher's flop in the last half of the season was mostly because of Hoffarber and Nolen's season-long shooting slumps. Both players struggled mightily on offense as the season progressed. They were huge in the Gopher's win over Louisville early in the season but both have also tailed off since then, especially in Big Ten play.

Nolen shot only 32.7 percent from the field against conference foes. This doesn't let Hoffarber off the hook, however. As a 3-point specialist, he would get an F for his contributions this year as he shot just 26 percent from beyond the arc.

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