At 15-1, the Gophers are getting some attention in the AP poll

Minnesota has three games against ranked opponents coming up this month.

Gophers head coach Dawn Plitzuweit during a timeout. / Photo by Matt Krohn, University of Minnesota

The Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team is off to a 15-1 start and the country is starting to notice them.

In this week's AP Top 25 women's basketball poll, Minnesota is not ranked but the Gophers did receive seven votes. Only four teams had more votes in the "receiving votes" section at the bottom of the rankings, which indicates that Minnesota is ranked No. 30 in the nation.

After losing by 19 points to Nebraska in the Big Ten opener on Dec. 8, the Gophers have rattled off three straight conference wins against Penn State, Wisconsin and Illinois. They've done it despite losing Mara Bruan and Taylor Woodson to injuries, which is a sign of the depth and overall roster talent that has been developed under second-year head coach Dawn Plitzuweit.

If Minnesota can sustain the success without Braun and Woodson, the Gophers will be a serious candidate for the NCAA Tournament. But Penn State, Wisconsin and Illinois all rank near the bottom of the Big Ten at this point in the season, so statement wins against better competition are likely a necessiity to boost Minnesota's tournament resume.

They should beat Rutgers (8-7, 0-4) Wednesday at Williams Arena. Then they travel to Maryland for a huge game against the No. 8 Terrapins, who are 14-0 to start the season, including conference wins over Purdue, Rutgers, Michigan State and Iowa.

The Terrapins already have three wins over ranked teams: Duke (11), Michigan State (19) and Iowa (23).

If the Gophers beat Rutgers and lose to Maryland, they'll be 16-2 with winnable games against Northwestern, No. 25 Michigan and Wisconsin before a mega showdown Jan. 30 against No. 4 USC in Los Angeles.

Big opportunities loom, but the Gophers are doing exactly what they're supposed to do so far.