Gophers women's hoops firmly on NCAA Tournament bubble as Big Ten play looms

Minnesota has officially rolled through the entirety its nonconference schedule.

Feb 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Dawn Plitzuweit reacts during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Gophers women's basketball officially completed their non-conference slate on Friday with a 39-point win over Prairie View A&M. They've compiled a 12-1 overall record before full-time Big Ten play begins next Saturday against Penn State.

Friday's win over the Panthers was Minnesota's seventh win by more than 30 points this season and 12th win at home. According to the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, the Gophers are the 34th-best team in the country.

The Gophers have dominated inferior opponents, as five of their seven 30-point wins have come against teams ranked outside of the top 250. They've played only one team ranked in the top 75, which resulted in a 19-point loss on the road to Nebraska.

ESPN's Charlie Creme released his latest Bracketology on Tuesday, Dec. 17 projecting the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament field and Minnesota was among the "last four in." More specifically, the Gophers are the third-to-last team in the field entirely.

ESPN's Charlie Creme's (Dec. 17) Bracketology / Via: https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/30423107/ncaa-women-bracketology-2025-women-college-basketball-projections

With a 12-1 record, you would think that the Gophers would be well on their way to playing in the NCAA Tournament, but they simply were not tested in the non-conference. Their best win of the season was a nine-point neutral floor victory against SMU, who ranks 95th in the latest NET. They've beaten no other team that even ranks inside the top 150.

Minnesota has seen two of its top eight rotational players Mara Braun (13.6 PPG) and Taylor Woodson (8.1 PPG) go down with likely season-ending injuries, so it has been far from smooth sailing before conference play.

In the second year under Dawn Plitzuweit, the Gophers have proven to be a deep team with nine players averaging at least 14 minutes per game, but that has been cut down to seven. Their depth will be tested in a deep Big Ten conference this winter. 12 of the league's 18 teams rank in the top 50 of the latest NET, so Minnesota will have plenty of opportunities to beef up its tournament resume.