Gophers' first Quad 1 win over Michigan State brings jump in NET rankings

But Minnesota is more worried about taking 'care of the now.'

The Gophers men’s basketball team picked up its first Quad 1 win with a 59-56 victory over Michigan State on Tuesday night at Williams Arena, and with that victory came a jump in the NET rankings.

The Gophers moved from No. 91 to No. 83 in the rankings on Wednesday, inching slightly closer to the NCAA Tournament bubble. Michigan State was No. 22 in the rankings entering Tuesday’s game and dropped to No. 24 with the loss. 

Minnesota still has work to do if it hopes to reach the tournament, but more opportunities to pick up Quad 1 wins are right around the corner.

That starts Sunday at Iowa. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 59 in the NET; Quad 1 wins come by beating teams ranked from Nos. 1-30 at home, Nos. 1-50 at a neutral site and Nos. 1-75 on the road. As of Wednesday, remaining Quad 1 opportunities for the Gophers include the Iowa game, a Feb. 15 game at Purdue, a Feb. 25 game at Nebraska, a Feb. 28 game at Illinois and a March 9 game at Northwestern.

Meanwhile, the KenPom rankings have Minnesota even closer to the NCAA Tournament bubble at No. 73.

While making the NCAA Tournament is a goal for every team, the Gophers included, they don’t do much talking about it internally, coach Ben Johnson has said. Right now, they’re just focused on the task at hand: winning the games in front of them.

“I just don’t think it does a lot to talk about it, I think it’s more important to talk about things that you have to do to put yourself in position for that type of because that never changes, right? … If you’re not worried about and focused on and trying to completely dominate today and this walkthrough or this practice or this game, then anything in the future is kind of irrelevant if you don’t take care of the now,” he said. 

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Minnesota players celebrate with the student section after the win against the Michigan State at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Feb. 6, 2024 :: Matt Krohn / USA TODAY Sports