First things first: Wisconsin is going to make the 2020 NCAA Tournament, barring a collapse over the next few weeks. The Badgers have a lot of losses, yes, but they have a lot of high-end wins and are five games over .500. They have won on the road, something the Minnesota Golden Gophers have very rarely done this season. There is a considerable gap between Wisconsin’s resume and Minnesota’s resume. We can get that out of the way early in this article. Wisconsin is in good shape to Dance in March.
Yet, let’s imagine a world in which the Badgers weren’t likely to make the NCAA Tournament. Even in a Wisconsin sports fan’s darkest hour — even when the home teams in the home state aren’t doing so hot — there is always solace and comfort found in Minnesota-based teams suffering.
That always makes a day brighter for a Wisconsinite, and the especially great thing about Minnesota sports teams suffering is that it is such a reliable part of the landscape. From the Vikings going (now) 43 years without a Super Bowl appearance, to the Twins continuing to lose baseball playoff series, to the Golden Gophers failing to win the Big Ten West in football, to the basketball team missing the NCAA Tournament more often than making it, Minnesota teams struggle much more than they succeed. Minnesotans’ tears are the perfect beverage to go with a bratwurst, and once again, it seems Wisconsinites are in position to revel in the Gophers’ misfortune on the basketball court.
It’s not a done deal. Minnesota still has a chance to make the 2020 NCAA Tournament. However, time and opportunity now grow short for Richard Pitino and his team. After a loss at home on Sunday to Iowa, Minnesota is 12-12. If a team is 12-12, it better have eight or nine really good wins.
Minnesota has five: a sweep of Ohio State, a win over Penn State, a win over Michigan, and a win over Wisconsin. Other than that, the Gophers did poorly in non-conference play, losing to Utah and Oklahoma and DePaul, among others. Their win over Oklahoma State in December looked decent at the time but has since decreased in value. Minnesota has won only one true road game this season, at Ohio State, a big reason why the Gophers are currently an NIT team. The Gophers have to win a few games away from The Barn to have any chance to make the NCAA Tournament.
The bottom line after the Iowa loss is that Minnesota needs multiple wins away from home; wins against Nebraska and Northwestern if only to avoid a resume-killing loss; and a win in a home game versus Maryland, which is probably now a No. 2 seed in bracketology. If the Gophers don’t get all three of those items and put them in their grocery cart, they are probably staring at the NIT.
It’s not over. It’s not a done deal… but Minnesota is in big trouble. Wisconsin sports fans can smile, all while the Badgers make their way to the NCAA Tournament.