Minnesota accepts invitation to play in 48-team women's NIT

Minnesota is one of three teams from the Big Ten in the 48-team field.

The Minnesota women's basketball team's season is not over. On Sunday, the Gophers were one of 48 teams to formally accept an invitation to play in the NIT tournament, which begins with first-round games March 20-22. 

The bracket hasn't been released yet – that'll happen at some point today –but the Gophers join Purdue and Wisconsin at at-large qualifiers from the Big Ten. 

Minnesota is 16-15 this season, having started the season 14-4 including a 4-3 mark in Big Ten play. They lost leading scorer Mara Braun to a season-ending football injury on Jan. 28 and they won just two of 11 games without her. 

Automatic bids: 

• Colgate (18-13)
• Grambling (22-9)
• Le Moyne (18-13)
• Monmouth (21-9)
• Niagara (20-13)
• Northern Arizona (25-9)
• South Carolina Upstate (16-15)
• Southern Indiana (24-6)
• Stetson (17-14)
• Albany (25-6)
• UNC Greensboro (21-11)

At Large qualifiers:

• Boise State (21-13) 
• Bowling Green (16-14)
• Buffalo (19-13)
• Butler (14-16)
• Cal Poly (17-13)
• Central Arkansas (21-11)
• Charleston (21-9)
• Cincinnati (14-17)
• Duquesne (20-12)
• Eastern Kentucky (22-11)
• Florida International (20-11)
• Illinois State (21-11)
• Louisiana-Monroe (19-13)
• Minnesota (16-15)
• Montana (22-9)
• Murray State (20-11)
• North Carolina A&T (20-11)
• North Dakota State (21-11)
• Northern Colorado (15-15)
• Northern Iowa (16-15)
• Old Dominion (22-9)
• Oral Roberts (21-10)
• Pacific (18-14)
• Providence (13-20)
• Purdue (13-18)
• Purdue Fort Wayne (21-12)
• Saint Louis (16-18)
• South Dakota (21-12)
• Southern Miss (18-13)
• Troy (19-11)
• UAB (18-13)
• UC Riverside (18-13)
• UIC (18-15)
• UT San Antonio (17-14)
• Vermont (22-11)
• Wisconsin (13-16)
• Wyoming (16-14)

Feb 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Ayianna Johnson (1) works around Wisconsin Badgers guard Sania Copeland (15) during the first half at Williams Arena / Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports