The Gopher basketball team didn’t have to wait long to learn its NCAA Tournament fate Sunday night. Less than five minutes, to be exact. Minnesota was named in the first bracket of the NCAA Selection Show and is the No. 10 seed in the East Region. The Gophers will face No. 7-seeded Louisville at 11:15 a.m. Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa. It’s a first round match-up that certainly won’t lack storylines. Gophers coach Richard Pitino should be ready to field dozens of questions about his Louisville connections. He was an assistant coach for the Cardinals from 2007-09 and again in the 2011-12 season before leaving for his first head coaching job at Florida International. Meanwhile his father, Rick Pitino, was the head coach at Louisville from 2001-2017 and won a national title in 2013. That since has been vacated. Rick Pitino was suspended for the first five games of the 2017-18 season for his lack of handling a sex scandal involving escorts and recruits. He was eventually fired for cause after being implicated in an FBI investigation involving bribes to recruits. He’s currently in the middle of a $44 million lawsuit with Louisville over his firing. Rick Pitino frequented Williams Arena to support son Richard during his first five seasons with the Gophers. Richard said Sunday it’s not about him, it’s about the Minnesota program and the players that got the Gophers to their second NCAA Tournament in three seasons. “Has he talked about Louisville the last two years? Yeah, he has. Not in the most positive way. It’s not going to be about me. I’m not going to be “Oh it’s revenge’ or anything like that,” Richard Pitino said. “It’s about our players, it’s about this program. We worked really, really hard to put ourselves in a position to be one of the 19 percent that gets to make the NCAA Tournament. That’s what it’s going to be about. I’m excited to make it about that, that’s what it should be about.” The Gophers (21-13) didn’t have to sit long during the NCAA Selection Show, and they won’t have to wait long to face the Cardinals. Tip-off is set for 11:15 a.m. Thursday, the first slate of games in what’s now the second round. Minnesota and Pitino had to battle through its share of adversity to get to a comfortable spot on Selection Sunday. It started before a ball ever hit the Williams Arena floor in November. Pitino was hoping to have Marcus Carr immediately eligible after transferring from Pittsburgh following Kevin Stallings’ dismissal. But the NCAA denied Carr’s waiver, and his appeal was denied. The Gophers were without a point guard, other than Isaiah Washington. Redshirt sophomore forward Eric Curry missed the first 13 games of the season after having knee surgery. It was on the same knee that he suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus that forced him to miss the entire 2017-18 season. He played 15 games for the Gophers this year and battled a calf injury before having foot surgery that will keep him out the rest of this season. Senior Dupree McBrayer lost his mother to cancer earlier this year, just days before the Gophers beat Nebraska on an emotioonal night for McBrayer. And now senior Matz Stockman’s status for the NCAA Tournament is in doubt. He took an elbow to the back of his head in the win over Purdue, didn’t play against Michigan due to concussion-like symptoms and was not at the team’s Selection Sunday watch party. Despite all that adversity, the Gophers are dancing after having won four of their final six games. “All of us were just excited to be in the tournament, to make it as far as we have this season knowing everything we’ve gone through, all the adversity we’ve faced,” senior forward Jordan Murphy said. “The big wins we have, just really, really happy to be in.” Louisville (20-13, 10-8) enters the Big Dance not playing its greatest basketball of late. Since beating Virginia Tech on Feb. 4, the Cardinals are 3-7 in their last 10 games. Their only common opponent with Minnesota is Boston College. Minnesota lost at Boston College in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and the Cardinals split with them in ACC play. Louisville was also 5-6 on the road and 1-3 on neutral courts this season. The Gophers, on the other hand, won four of their last six games to lock up an at-large bid. It started with a win at Northwestern, followed by a home win over Purdue. Minnesota then beat Penn State and Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament. It’ll be the first NCAA Tournament for freshmen Daniel Oturu, Gabe Kalscheur and Jarvis Omersa. It’s been a goal since they signed stay home and play for the Gophers. “I’ve always dreamed about playing in March Madness and the NCAA Tournament. Being a part of the team and seeing our name pop up is one of the best things,” said Oturu, who is averaging 10.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in 33 games this season. The reality is none of the numbers matter when first-round action tips just after 11 a.m. Thursday. When the season is on the line, it’s survive and advance. McBrayer said the seniors will likely get the team together at some point before Thursday’s game to make sure everyone on the team understands the magnitude of an elimination game. “This is it. It’s a one-game elimination, we could be done if we lose. So we’ll probably have a talk, gather all the seniors around and this is the last go round. You’ve got to make it count,” McBrayer said. If Minnesota does beat Louisville, it would face the winner of Michigan state/Bradley on Saturday for a trip to the Sweet 16. It will be the final run for Minnesota seniors Murphy, Dupree McBrayer, Brock Stull, Stockman and Jarvis Johnson. After running out of gas in Saturday’s loss to Michigan, the Gophers are going to embrace the opportunity they’ve earned. Advertisement “I think we’ve got to have fun with it, I mean I think this is a really fun time of the year. Anything can happen on any given day. I think you’ve just got to expect the unexpected and have fun,” Murphy said.<doc-sep>Minnesota's 75-73 upset win over No. 2 seed Purdue has the Gophers in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and possibly on the rise in the NCAA Tournament. Entering this week's conference tournament, Minnesota was projected as a 10 seed by ESPN's Joe Lunardi and CBS Sports' Jerry Palm. After beating Penn State on Thursday and knocking off Purdue Friday, the Gophers are moving up. Lunardi now has the Gophers seeded 9th and Palm has also boosted their projected seed to No. 8. If Minnesota loses to Michigan in their Big Ten semifinal game Saturday (2:30 p.m. on CBS), it's looking more and more likely that they'll enter the NCAA Tournament seeded somewhere between 8-10. If they beat Michigan it'll be hard for the bracketologists to keep them anywhere below an 8 seed. Lunardi's four 8 seeds currently are Iowa, Washington, Central Florida and Syracuse, and the Gophers beat Iowa and Washington during the regular season. They might be able to push even higher if they upset Michigan and go on to beat Michigan State or Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament championship game on Sunday. One thing is certain: getting a 8 or 9 seed means the Gophers would likely face one fo the four No. 1 seeds if they advance out of the first round. Selection Sunday will tell all, but the Gophers are a rock-solid lock for the tournament and their stock is on the rise.<doc-sep>Who: No. 3 seed Michigan Wolverines (27-5, 15-5) vs. No. 7 seed Minnesota Golden Gophers (21-12, 9-11) Where: United Center (Chicago, Illinois) When: Saturday, March 16, 3:25 p.m. ET (2:25 p.m. CT)* Point spread: Michigan -9 Watch: CBS Listen: Detroit: WWJ-950 AM; Ann Arbor: WTKA-1050 AM; anywhere: MGoBlue.com Tickets: TicketMaster ($75) Follow: Andrew Kahn Michigan set a Big Ten Tournament record on Friday night with its ninth straight win in the event. A 10th would put the Wolverines in the championship, keeping their dreams of a third straight title alive. To do so, Michigan will have to beat Minnesota for the third time this season. As it turns out, that’s not as hard as people seem to think. That’s not to say it will be as easy as Friday’s quarterfinal win over Iowa. Michigan trailed 6-4 in that game and never again. Five different Wolverines reached double figures scoring. Zavier Simpson had 11 assists against just one turnover. Michigan limited Iowa to one made 3-pointer in 16 attempts. Minnesota, meanwhile, came to Chicago likely needing a win or two to feel good about its NCAA Tournament chances. The Gophers have delivered, beating Penn State in overtime on Thursday and upsetting 2 seed Purdue, 75-73, on Friday. Bracket experts agree that Minnesota is safely in the field (ESPN has the Gophers as a 9 seed; CBS Sports has them as an 8 seed). For that, Minnesota fans can thank Amir Coffey, a 6-foot-8 junior who has caught fire down the stretch. And Michigan fans are grateful that Charles Matthews was able to return against Iowa. Matthews forced Coffey into a 2-for-15 shooting performance in the Feb. 21 meeting, a 69-60 Michigan win in Minneapolis. In the Jan. 22 matchup, it was Matthews' baseline jumper just before the buzzer that stopped Minnesota's late-game surge and gave the Wolverines a 59-57 victory. Jon Teske was critical in both games at both ends of the floor. He was given the game MVP by KenPom.com in each contest for his offensive efficiency, but his ability to affect shots at the rim was even more important against Minnesota's talented frontcourt. Minnesota is going to feed Jordan Murphy, an All-Big Ten First Team selection, early and often. If Murphy is looking for contact and worried about having his shot blocked -- as appeared to be the case in the last matchup -- Michigan will be in good position to reach Sunday afternoon's championship. On the other side of the bracket, top seed Michigan State will face 4 seed Wisconsin at 1:00 ET (noon CT). Michigan and Minnesota will tip 25 minutes after the conclusion of that game. Sunday’s championship is set for 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 CT), with the NCAA Tournament selection show shorty after. Pre-game reading: + Is it actually hard to beat a team three times in one season? + Matthews returns and gives Michigan defensive edge + Michigan routs Iowa to set Big Ten Tournament record + 'We love' the Big Ten Tourney, Michigan says + Big Ten awards<doc-sep>
As the college basketball season heats up, FOX Sports North will round up what experts are saying about the chances for Minnesota to make the NCAA tournament in March. This is the eighth (and final) edition of the 2019 bracket roundup. It’s unofficially official: the Minnesota Gophers will have a spot in the NCAA tournament. It was a roller coaster of a season, to say the least, that featured a 12-2 start, a win over Wisconsin at the Kohl Center, a 27-point loss to Illinois, a 1-6 slump in conference play and a victory over No. 11 Purdue at home. Add that to Minnesota’s 77-72 overtime win over Penn State on Thursday night to advance in the Big Ten tournament, and it should be just enough to be awarded an at-large bid in the 68-team tournament field this weekend on Selection Sunday. That’s what the experts are saying, anyway. In his latest bracket released Friday morning, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Gophers as a No. 10 seed against seventh-seeded Wofford, winners of the Southern Conference. CBS analyst Jerry Palm and Inside the Hall, a website dedicated to Indiana basketball, agree with the matchup, but Palm handed the Gophers a nine seed and Wofford an eight. Both USA Today and The Athletic’s Brian Bennett like the Gophers as a 10 seed against No. 7 Louisville, which would be an intriguing clash, pitting Richard Pitino against his father’s former program. And last but not least, FOX Sports projects the Gophers to be a 10 seed, facing seventh-seeded Cincinnati. Minnesota isn’t finished just yet, as it will challenge Purdue for the second time in 10 days in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals Friday night at 6 p.m. But if the Gophers lose to the Boilermakers, they should be safe with a secure at-large bid, which would be the second appearance in Pitino’s six years at the helm. Book it.