Last night's Gophers men's basketball game at Michigan State was often difficult to watch. Players acknowledged the offense grew stagnant -- more so than should even be expected in such a hostile environment as Breslin Center. The result was a 61-50 loss, which came one night after Michigan and Ohio State played one of the best games of the season.

A Gophers season that started 15-1 and 3-0 in the Big Ten has now slipped to 17-6, 5-5. This is an extremely tough league, and losses are going to happen. That said, there has been some troubling slippage -- causing a dent in the perception of what this Gophers team could achieve by the end of the season.

As such, we ask this simple question: What is the minimum the Gophers need to accomplish this season in order for you to consider it a success?

Simply make the NCAA tourney? That should be a given, but maybe that's enough.

Win an NCAA tournament game? That hasn't happened during the Tubby Smith era, and it sure would be nice.

Make the Sweet 16? That's no easy task, but maybe you set the bar here.

More than the Sweet 16? Hey, it's a lot to ask, but maybe you expect big things.

Your thoughts, please, in the comments.