Before the Gophers men's basketball team went to play Arkansas on Saturday, coach Richard Pitino talked about making sure his players knew the difference between perception and reality.
Last year's Gophers team engineered a surprise turnaround and made the NCAA tournament. Because the Gophers already have been told they are good, this year presents a new challenge to his team.
"People are telling us we're good. So the illusion of people telling us that we're good should not mean that we're good," Pitino said Friday. "We can't fall into the trap of the illusion that just because people tell us we're going to beat Miami at home because it's a great atmosphere. That's not really why you're going to win. So it is a challenge. I found it a lot easier when people told us we were going to stink to get everyone to band together."
Big man Reggie Lynch talked Friday of "not thinking teams are going to roll over" for the Gophers just because they're ranked.
"We need to flush that down the toilet," he said, "and understand every team is going to try and come at us this year."
As always, though, this is easier said than done.
The Gophers went out and lost by 16 at Arkansas — their third loss in four games. If Pitino was concerned that the team's presence in the Associated Press Top 25 was creating an illusion among his players that the team has it all figured out, he shouldn't have to worry about that when the new poll comes out Monday.
The Gophers aren't the only team going through this. Countless teams in countless sports, both locally and nationally, have struggled through an adjustment period following unexpected success.
