Minnesota will notably improve both offensively and defensively in 2014-15, but manage to win just one more conference game than a year ago and will fall back in the Big Ten standings according to Kenpom.com, the highly respected tempo-free statistics brainchild of Ken Pomeroy.
In Pomeroy's rankings, which were released this weekend, the Gophers land at No. 37 nationally -- projected to lose neutral site non-conference games to Louisville and St. John's before dropping nine games – seven by five points or fewer – in the Big Ten slate.
Minnesota's offensive efficiency improves from 112.1 points per 100 possessions (40th nationally) to 110.5 (27th nationally), in Pomeroy's predictions, and its defense, from 110.4 points per possession allowed (82nd) to 97.4 (59th). Pomeroy, who estimates the Gophers will finish ninth in the league, two spots lower than last season, also expects this team to be a step quicker than last year's, when coach Richard Pitino's uptempo promise translated into only the 257th fastest team nationwide. Even so, Pomeroy believes Minnesota will fall in the national adjusted tempo rankings, with the Gophers' 67.7 pace dropping to 277th in a faster basketball landscape.
These statistics take into account what Pomeroy considers to be a very strong Big Ten this season, despite the sentiment around the country that the perennially tough league could be a bit softer than usual.
The Big Ten has by far the most teams (11) tucked in Pomeroy's top-40, a fact pointed out by BT Powerhouse's Thomas Beindit on Twitter this morning. The Big 12 has the next most, at seven; the ACC has six; the AAC, four. Additionally, the Big Ten's lowest ranked team, Rutgers, sits at just 103. The Big 12 has the next "best" bottom-dweller, with TCU at 130; in the SEC, Auburn, the worst team sinks to 137. The AAC, ACC, Big East and Pac-12 all contain at least one team sitting at 168 or lower.
Pomeroy's full Big Ten rankings, with national ranking in parentheses:
1. Wisconsin (6)
2. Michigan State (12)
