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Above, on, or below the bubble? Gauging the Gophers’ tourney hopes

The Minnesota women wrap up the regular season this week.

Joe Nelson

Feb 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Amaya Battle (3) drives to the basket during the first quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Feb 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Amaya Battle (3) drives to the basket during the first quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
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The gritty Golden Gophers of Minnesota continue to float just above the bubble in the latest NCAA tournament bracketology.

Charlie Creme's updated bracket projection slots the Gophers as a No. 10 seed in the Birmingham Regional, where they would face No. 7 Florida State. A win would likely set up a second-round showdown with No. 2 UConn, which Creme projects to face No. 15 Albany in the opening round.

While specific seeds and matchups in bracket projections are mostly speculative at this stage, they do offer insight into how the NCAA selection committee might view Minnesota.

The Gophers sit at 20-8 overall. Their seed would likely be higher if they had a Quad 1 win on their résumé, but they’re 0-5 in Quad 1 games this season. That said, three of those five Quad 1 losses came against powerhouses Maryland, USC, and UCLA.

Minnesota wraps up the regular season this week, hosting Washington on Wednesday night before traveling to East Lansing for a big opportunity against No. 23 Michigan State. Things could get dicey if the Gophers don’t take care of business against Washington, as Minnesota is currently among the “last four byes” in Creme’s projection, while Washington sits among the “last four in.”

A couple of wins would ease the nerves for Minnesotans on Selection Sunday, March 16, but this could very well be a year where the Gophers are sweating bullets if they don’t close out the regular season strong ahead of next week’s Big Ten tournament.

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.

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