Indiana’s runaway 77-47 win over the Gophers in the penultimate Big Ten regular-season game on Wednesday actually helps both teams’ postseason positioning.
The Hoosiers needed the home win to help them get off the NCAA Tournament bubble and into the field, while Minnesota could benefit from Indiana going to March Madness because it could open up one of the few conference spots for the U to make the College Basketball Crown tournament.
The Big Ten is projected to get roughly 10 teams into the NCAA Tournament, with the next two teams in the NET ranking pegged for the Crown. The Net has Minnesota at 13th Big Ten team (69), behind Washington (61) and Southern Cal (63).
Gophers coach Niko Medved is intrigued in the potential opportunity in the Crown, a second-year tournament to be held in Las Vegas in early April. But he seemed reticent about a spot in the next option, the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
“It just depends on how it’s set up: Who you would play? And when you would play? What that looks like?” Medved told the Pioneer Press on Monday. “I just think we have to decide. I’m not saying I would or I wouldn’t. We would be interested in any postseason, but I have a pretty good feel about how the Crown would be set up. I think that one would make sense.”
The Gophers’ final regular-season game is Saturday against Northwestern (11-16, 5-13) at Williams Arena, followed by the Big Ten tournament in Chicago next week. Minnesota (14-16, 7-12) has secured a first-round bye in the conference tourney.
At Assembly Hall on Wednesday, the Hoosiers (18-12, 9-10 Big Ten) played with urgency over their postseason fate. They had an early a 14-2 run to take 20-6 lead.
Cade Tyson — the Gophers’ best bet for all-Big Ten honors next week — got hot with a pair of 3-pointers and two 3-point plays to help keep Minnesota in the game at 26-22. But Indiana closed the half with an 8-0 lead to make it 43-28 at the break.
The Gophers’ 2-3 zone defense was a key piece in winning three of the previous four games, but the Hoosiers unlocked it. Sam Alexis was on the receiving end with 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting.
Back on Dec. 3, Minnesota beat the then-22nd-ranked Hoosiers in the Big Ten opener at The Barn, but on the road Wednesday, the U lost its ninth straight game at Indiana since 2012.
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