As March approaches it only seems right to see if the Minnesota Golden Gophers will be playing in this year’s NCAA basketball tournament. The last time the Gopher went was in 2019 under former head coach Richard Pitino. However, this year it will be up to Ben Johnson to lead Minnesota to the tournament.
Coach Johnson has used his strengths right this year as the team brought in junior guard Elijah Hawkins, the leading assist man in the NCAA. With the offense running through Hawkins chances have opened up for others including their most talented player, Dawson Garcia. Garcia leads the team in scoring and rebounds and has been a key piece in tight games. Garcia has not been alone this year as others are drawing attention giving the forward time to shine.
However, this has not been the only bright spot in the Gophers offense. Former Big Ten freshman player of the week Cameron Christie has been a force from three-point range. The guard offers a variety of ways to score but has been great in transition leading to five threes against the Spartans.
But the Gophers have not been all three-pointers. Big man Pharrel Payne has offered a defensive spark on the other end that has woken others like Parker Fox. However, the free throw shooting of the two has been rough averaging 38% and 50% from the line. This could be a major factor as winning tight Big Ten games often comes down to points at the charity stripe.
As of the 14th of April, the Gophers are 15-8 with a 6-6 record in the Big Ten. They are tied for 6th in the conference but will need some work to receive a tournament bid. They have been close to unstoppable as of late in The Barn but will need to continue that trend onto the road.
When it comes to the NCAA tournament the biggest thing the selection committee will look into is quad one wins. These are wins against the top 30 teams at home and the top 75 teams on the road. This is where the Gophers are lacking with a 1-4 record in quad-one games. This includes losses to Ohio St., Michigan St., Wisconsin, and Iowa. However, it also includes the Gophers most recent win at home against a well-coached Spartans team.
When looking into the upcoming schedule it seems as if the Gophers are going to need to get some important road wins, but this will not be easy. Of the Gopher’s final four road games, two are against ranked teams in Illinois and Purdue. It seems as if the Gophers will need one of these games to go their way to have that signature quad one victory on their resume come March.
But even with that signature win, Minnesota must get the job done against more beatable Big Ten teams unlike they did at Iowa. Lucky for Gopher fans these games will keep popping up within the next month with home games against Rutgers, Ohio St., Penn St., and Indiana. These games almost seem like must-win to get a bid into March Madness. Therefore, getting fans and students to Williams Arena will be extremely important.
That is not to say a loss ends the season. The Gophers will still have a chance in the Big Ten tournament with a free tournament bid on the line. The tournament will also be important as it can prove to the committee what type of team the Gophers are come tournament time. Therefore, as fans, we must hold our heads high and hope for the best as time is dwindling for the Gophers.
