U men's basketball: Time for more image-building

Nearly a year ago, Minnesota's national image stemmed solely from Tubby Smith's fame, not from its body of work.

A December neutral-court upset over Louisville, a top-10 team at the time, in Glendale, Ariz., changed everything. The Gophers became part of the daily menu of national college basketball chatter following that victory.

A nationally ranked recruiting class and the return of every key player from last season's NCAA tournament team created a big, preseason ball of Gophers hype that's rolled all the way to Anaheim, Calif.

A matchup tonight against No. 12 Butler in the 76 Classic could help confirm or defer the dreams of the No. 22 Gophers, who hope to make a serious run in March.

The Gophers could advance to meaningful contests against UCLA and likely either No. 19 Clemson or No. 8 West Virginia with a victory over Butler.

"This time of year everybody gets excited about the opportunity to play, when you're playing nonconference schedules," Smith said. "It's a time to test and measure yourself and figure out where you are."

He added: "I don't think there's a better eight-team tournament in the country."

The Gophers squeezed into last year's NCAA tournament with that Louisville win at the top of its résumé. But if the Gophers come out of the 76 Classic with one or two signature victories, they'll likely have a much easier time getting a bid this season. A solid Big Ten season could help the Gophers earn a high seed and put them in position to make a serious run.

"This would give us those quality wins," said Gophers director of basketball operations Joe Esposito, the team's scheduler and RPI guru. "Here's an opportunity for us to play good competition outside of our regular-season conference schedule, which we can't get normally, which is why it's important."

Minnesota's first opponent in the 76 Classic isn't any stranger to high stakes.

Butler, last year's Horizon League champion, hopes to play its way to the Final Four, which will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, minutes away from Hinkle Fieldhouse, where the Bulldogs play their home games.

Their challenging schedule includes Ohio State, Minnesota, Georgetown and Xavier.

The Bulldogs are taking their opening game Thursday just as seriously as their opponent.

"They're outstanding, I think they're really good," Butler coach Brad Stevens said of the Gophers. "When we watch them, the thing that jumps out is their depth and athleticism. ... We recognize that we're going to have to be pretty darn good on both ends of the floor to compete."

Minnesota's veterans stood around the Williams Arena floor Tuesday with numerous TV cameras and voice recorders pointed their way, only hours before they boarded a flight for the West Coast.

Damian Johnson, a senior leader on a young roster, said the Gophers will have to stay hydrated and focused to succeed in back-to-back games -- Saturday is an off day before Sunday's final round -- in a different time zone.

Lawrence Westbrook, a co-captain who lost 40 pounds over the summer, said he's not fazed by the slate of contenders in the 76 Classic.

Al Nolen, who has played a lot like the star who led Minnesota over the Cardinals last December through three games, said the Gophers hope to prove to the nation that they're "for real."

The Gophers see this tournament as a coming-out party and a springboard to bigger and better things.

"We haven't been able to get over the edge like I think we could, and I think this year is probably our best opportunity to get over that hill and start beating teams that are highly ranked," said Westbrook, the team's leading scorer who missed the Utah Valley victory last week but will be back for the 76 Classic. "And that's just going to help us come tournament time. It's going to help our confidence, it's going to help us jell. So I think this is a great tournament to prove what we can do."