Gophers move NET rankings needle closer to bubble territory

More work to do with just six games remaining on the regular-season schedule.

Minnesota's win over Rutgers Sunday moved the NET rankings needle in the right direction, though more work will be required if the Gophers hope to get on the NCAA Tournament bubble. 

Before the victory, Minnesota's NET ranking was No. 82, and after the win it went vertical ever so slightly to No. 77 in the nation. Considering there are 68 teams that make the NCAA Tournament, it's a step in the right direction. 

Beating Rutgers at home in Minneapolis only warranted a Quad 3 victory, but it was only the second Quad 3 game of the season for Minnesota. Its first was the game when it blew a 20-point lead and lost to Missouri back in November. 

The Gophers are 1-5 in Quad 1 games, 5-3 in Quad 2 contests, 1-1 in Quad 3 and 9-0 against Quad 4 competition. Quad 1 games are the most valuable when it comes to explaining how "good" a team's season has been, and the Gophers owning only one such win is the biggest reason they're not currently considered an NCAA Tournament team. 

But some college hoops experts have noticed Minnesota's rise. Last week, after the Gophers gave No. 2 Purdue a run for its money, CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm praised the Gophers for "getting better every week."

Minnesota is getting better every week. Ben Johnson has done a great job with this team.

— Jerry Palm (@jppalmCBS) February 16, 2024

In his latest bracket projection, Palm does not include the Gophers but he does have six teams from the Big Ten dancing in March. 

• Purdue: 1 seed
• Illinois: 4 seed
• Wisconsin: 5 seed
• Michigan State: 8 seed
• Nebraska: 11 seed
• Northwestern: 11 seed

The last four into his bracket are Utah, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Colorado, who all had NET rankings between 42-50 through Sunday's games. 

The last four out are Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Oregon and Seton Hall. Oregon and Seton Hall have NET rankings of 61 and 63, respectively, but Cincinnati (37) and Gonzaga (23) have much more impressive NET rankings, which goes to show that the NET rankings aren't the only thing that'll matter on Selection Sunday (March 17). 

In the KenPom ratings, the Gophers are 67th in the nation. Those ratings serve as a quality predictor for how good a team is, not how good their season has been. 

Minnesota still has a chance to make enough waves to get on the bubble and land a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but it's going to take more quality wins and maybe a run in the Big Ten Tournament. 

Upcoming games: 

• Feb. 22: vs. Ohio State (Quad 2)
• Feb. 25: at Nebraska (Quad 1)
• Feb. 28: at Illinois (Quad 1)
• March 2: vs. Penn State (Quad 3)
• March 6: vs. Indiana (Quad 3)
• March 9: at Northwestern (Quad 1)

Thursday's game against Ohio State is one the Gophers probably can't afford to lose, and their three remaining Quad 1 contests are of the utmost importance — and all three will be extremely difficult as they face three of the most dominant home teams in the country: Nebraska is 16-1 at home; Illinois is 13-2 at home; and Northwestern is 13-1 on home court. 

Minnesota poses for a team photo in the locker room after beating Rutgers on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024 / Photo by Matt Krohn, University of Minnesota