The Minnesota Gophers did not get a bid to for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The field of 68 teams was announced late Sunday afternoon, and as expected, the Gophers did not make the field.
But they will play in the National Invitation Tournament. The Gophers earned a No. 1 seed in the 32-team tournament and will have home court advantage for their first game Tuesday night against High Point University at Williams Arena.
Most observers said the Gophers’ loss to Wisconsin in the second round of the Big Ten tournament last week was what knocked them out of NCAA contention, the Star Tribune reports.
The Gophers finished the season with a 20-13 record overall, and were 8-10 in the Big Ten conference.
“While we are obviously disappointed that we were not selected for the NCAA Tournament field, we are extremely excited about the opportunity to continue our season in the NIT,” said head coach Richard Pitino in a statement released by the U’s athletics department. “There is nothing better than the opportunity to play for a championship, and our players and staff are looking forward to the challenge, beginning Tuesday night against High Point.”
The Gophers’ last appearance in the NIT was in 2012, when they made it to the championship game but lost to Stanford at Madison Square Garden.
Six Big Ten teams made the NCAA tournament: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa.
North Dakota State, which won the Summit League tournament, also made the NCAA tournament.
Here’s the complete NIT bracket.
Here’s the complete NCAA tournament bracket.
