Dan Monson doesn't know the answer. Neither do any of the Minnesota players.

	Rick Rickert and the Gophers will be tested by Georgia's best over the next week.

They'll all tell you that they can be a very good basketball team and one that's greatly improved. They'll tell you that they think they can be legitimate contenders for the Big Ten title. They'll tell you that their aspirations are higher than simply reaching the NCAA Tournament.

There's little question that the Gophers have talent. With sophomore star Rick Rickert, Jerry Holman and Michael Bauer, Minnesota has a frontline that's difficult to defend. With Kevin Burleson, Northwestern transfer Ben Johnson and sophomore Moe Hargrow, the Minnesota backcourt -- an issue a year ago -- should be improved.

But beyond that, it's difficult to get a real grasp on this Gophers team. After all, the Gophers are the only team in this week's ESPN/USA Today top 25 that didn't play in last season's NCAA Tournament. They were extremely inconsistent in their season-opening victory over UNC Asheville, a game in which Minnesota led by 23 points at halftime, but only won by six.

That much said, everyone will know soon if these Gophers are any good. In a little more than a week, it should be clear whether Minnesota is a legitimate top 25 team or if the Gophers still have work to do.

On Saturday, the Gophers have their first true test of the season when they host No. 17 Georgia. Next Wednesday, Minnesota hosts Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

"The next two games are huge," Gophers forward Michael Bauer said. "We can't allow what happened to happen again or we'll come out with losses."

Could the Gophers win both games and improve to 3-0? Certainly. Could they be swept and fall to 1-2? Absolutely.

The game against the Bulldogs will be telling for the Gophers. A year ago, during a season in which the Gophers had spotty guard play and saw five leads vanish in the final minutes of games, Minnesota was routed in Athens, 77-55. The Gophers simply couldn't handle the Bulldogs athleticism or their pressing defense. The result was 20 turnovers, an 11-point halftime deficit and the Minnesota.

"It's going to be a game where something has to give," Monson said. "They're going to have difficulty with our size or we're going to have difficulty with their quickness."

Against Georgia Tech, the Gophers face a team that's a lot like them -- a team that ended last season in the NIT, but wants more.

In addition to the challenge of having consecutive games against potential NCAA Tournament teams, the games with the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets will also be a gauge as to whether the Gophers ballhandling is improved. As effective as pressing was in last year's game, it's hard to believe Georgia won't use full-court defense. One of Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt's biggest goals this season is to increase the pace of games.

"Georgia Tech is a pressing-oriented team and that's good for our team to experience," Monson said.

Last season, guard play and the inability to handle pressure was a lot of the reason why the Gophers ended up in the NIT. Monson thinks his backcourt will be better. Senior point guard Kevin Burleson worked hard in the offseason to improve, but he'll also get more help this season.

A year ago, the Gophers often played four forwards as Travarus Bennett was essentially a small forward playing shooting guard. That left Burleson alone. This season, Johnson, who every game for two seasons at Northwestern, is starting at shooting guard and will play some point guard. In addition, there will be times when Burleson, Johnson and Hargrow will be on the floor at the same time.

So instead of having one ballhandler, the Gophers will have three.

Will it work? Are the Gophers any good? We'll find out soon enough.

"It's going to be our second and third games of the season and it's going to be a measuring stick to see where this team's going to go," Bauer said. "We're going to have a great opportunity to show the country and show ourselves what this team is all about."

Games of the Week

Kansas vs. North Carolina, Wednesday at New York How about the intrigue in this Preseason NIT semifinal and how about the emotions running through the brain of Kansas coach Roy Williams, a former North Carolina assistant? The game is the first between the two schools since the 1993 Final Four. That means it's the first time Williams will face the Tar Heels since he turned down the North Carolina job in the summer of 2000. It's also a game in which Williams will coach against Matt Doherty, his longtime assistant in Lawrence. Yes, the Jayhawks should roll in this game, but the subplots overshadow the game. Ohio State vs. Alabama, Friday at Springfield, Mass. Despite becoming almost a permanent resident in the Big Ten's top three since Jim O'Brien arrival, Ohio State has been sort of lost in the fray in the conference this season. The Buckeyes already had backcourt questions and that was before Brandon Fuss-Cheatham was lost for three to five weeks because of knee surgery. But if Ohio State can handle Tide guard Maurice Williams in the Tip-Off Classic, it won't be overlooked any longer. Georgia at Minnesota, Saturday A year ago the Gophers couldn't handle the Bulldogs' press and it couldn't matchup with Georgia's athleticism. This year, Minnesota bills itself as an improved team. This game will be a good test. Ball State at Butler, Saturday This has evolved into a good series as both programs are solid. While both reside in mid-major conferences, they're both good enough to compete with many major conference schools. Butler has to replace three starter from the team that won 26 games last season while Ball State is one of a handful of teams that can win the Mid-American title.

Impressive OVC
The Ohio Valley Conference sometimes gets lost in the mid-major landscape. While the Mid-American Conference and Missouri Valley attract a lot of attention, the OVC truthfully gets a bit ignored at times.

That might change now after two league schools recorded upsets last weekend.

First, Austin Peay went to Memphis and left with an 81-80 overtime victory. Tennessee-Martin followed it up by winning at Saint Louis on Saturday, giving the OVC a quick pair of victories over Conference USA teams.

And the most encouraging thing about the weekend for the OVC? Neither Austin Peay nor Tennessee-Martin are listed among the top teams in the conference. In fact, the Skyhawks were picked eighth out of nine teams in the preseason coaches rankings.

"We probably raised a few eyebrows," Tennessee-Martin coach Bret Campbell. "This gives us real credibility to our program. It gives us a lot of confidence, not only to the coaching staff, but to the players. We hope this will carry us a good ways. This was huge for us."

In addition to the league's two victories, both Tennessee Tech and Morehead State played high-major opponents close. Tennessee Tech lost at Cincinnati by six points and Arizona State escaped with a three-point victory over a Morehead State team that has a possible NBA player in Ricky Minard.

Campbell said those two schools, along with Murray State, are the top three schools in the OVC.

So who's next? Which OVC school will pull the next upset?

There are certainly a few possibilities beginning with Murray State's game against Southern Illinois on Dec. 3. The Racers also have non-conference games against Western Kentucky, Auburn and Memphis. Tennessee Tech has December games at Ohio State and Creighton. Morehead State will also play the Buckeyes in addition to playing at Alabama.

And what about a second upset for Austin Peay or Tennessee-Martin? The Governors play at Missouri on Saturday and at Ole Miss on Dec. 4 while the Skyhawks have upcoming games at Tennessee and at UNLV.

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