The 2023-24 Big Ten regular season has come and gone. For the first time ever the conference’s annual postseason tournament will take place in Minneapolis at the Target Center. The seeding for the 14-team field has officially been set and will tip-off this Wednesday night. The Gophers’ at large hopes of earning an NCAA Tournament bid are non-existent. A surprising run to a Big Ten Championship is their only route to dancing.
While the Gophers’ 1-4 end to the season is disappointing, they’ve earned a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament for only the third time in the previous 10 seasons. The conference expanded to 14 teams in 2015 and this year will only be the third time they’ve avoided to opening “Weakling Wednesday” night.
Second Round vs. Michigan State
Minnesota will open the second round of the tournament on Thursday morning at 11:00 a.m. local time vs. Michigan State. The Spartans were a preseason top-five team and the consensus Big Ten runner-up in the preseason media poll. Fast forward to now, they’re 18-12 with a relatively flimsy NCAA Tournament resume. Given there program stature and preseason expectations, they’re likely a lock, but still amidst an incredibly disappointing campaign.
The Gophers played Michigan State twice in the regular season, splitting the season 1-1. On Jan. 18 at the Breslin Center, Minnesota had a chance to pull of the upset as a double-digit betting-underdog all night, until the Spartans pulled away at the end. This was one of the last games Joshua Ola-Joseph was still in the starting lineup, but Dawson Garcia and Mike Mitchell Jr. were the only two UMN players to score in double figures, ultimately losing 76-66.
In the rematch on Feb. 6 at the Barn, the Gophs earned their lone Quad 1 win of the season. Led by 19 points from true freshman Cam Christie on an incredibly efficient eight shots, Minnesota came out on top 59-56. Ultimately, both games were incredibly competitive and on a neutral floor, there is no reason to not expect the same.
Path to a deep-run
While Michigan State might be a favorable first round matchup, if the Gophers get past Sparty, they will face big, bad Purdue in the second round. I do think the Boilermakers are far from invincible and on Feb. 15, when Minnesota held its own in an 8-point loss at Mackey Arena they proved they can compete with anyone in the country. Purdue will likely be motivated to prove any wrongs this postseason, but when the Gophers are at their best I truly believe they can compete with any team in this conference on a neutral floor.
A first round win vs. MSU would give Minnesota its second Quad 1 win of the season, going a long way in solidifying their NIT resume, but a upset win vs. Purdue would easily lock it in. Getting, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Maryland or Rutgers in the semifinals would give Minnesota a great chance in making a magical run. So while it might seem impossible, the Maroon & Gold might just be one shocking upset away from making serious noise at the Target Center.
As for the bracket as a whole, I think the draw shakes out very well for a team like Illinois. We might be looking at a Fighting Illini vs. Boilermakers final, but I have a feeling Illinois could come out on top, if I was asked to make a prediction. Overall, it should be a great week of games at the Target Center and Minneapolis continues to be a midwestern hub of basketball.
