It appears the Gopher men’s basketball team knows who its first-round opponent will be for the 2015 Puerto Rico Shootout.
According to CBS Sports, the Gophers will open the tournament on Nov. 19 against Temple. The other first-round matchups will feature Mississippi State against Miami, Texas Tech vs. Utah and Butler will take on Missouri State.
The semifinals are the next day and if the Gophers win, they would face either Butler or Missouri State in the semifinals.
The exact times for the first round games are still to be determined.
The Daily Gopher notes the bracket could disappoint some Gophers fans, who were hoping Richard Pitino’s squad would square off with former Gophers coach Tubby Smith and Texas Tech in the first round.
Since the teams are on opposite ends of the bracket, KFAN reports the only way a Gophers-Tubby matchup happens is if the teams do the exact same thing in the exact same order – meaning they would have to meet up in either the championship, third, fifth or seventh place games.
The tournament should be a good test for the Gophers, who are coming off an 18-15 season, but were just 6-12 in Big Ten play and failed to make either the NCAA or NIT.
CBS Sports notes Miami, Utah and Butler are all considered to be potential 2016 NCAA Tournament teams.
