Although the Gophers are prompting speculation they can be a 2012 NCAA tournament team, Minnesota has plenty to prove starting tonight against Illinois in the Big Ten Conference opening game for both teams.
The Gophers, 12-1 during non-conference play, will need at least a few upset wins over nationally ranked Big Ten teams to persuade the NCAA invite committee they deserve to be in the field of 68. Minnesota defeated major conference schools DePaul, Virginia Tech and USC during a whoopie pie non-league schedule but has no wins over top 25 clubs.
Illinois, after recent losses to UNLV and Missouri, has dropped out of the top 25 since last week but a Minnesota victory in Champaign tonight against the 11-2 Illini will perk up the Gophers resume. A win would also be a surprise.
Not only is Illinois favored, but the Gophers are 10-25 in conference road games during the Tubby Smith era. Road woes in four seasons under Smith is why the coach has a losing record in Big Ten games. He’s 32-40 overall in league play and none of his teams have played .500 basketball in conference away games.
The 2010-11 team for awhile was his best at Minnesota and even climbed to a No. 13 national ranking, but the transfer of guard Devoe Joseph and a season-ending injury to guard Al Nolen ruined the season. Minnesota went 2-7 in Big Ten road games, finished 6-12 overall in the conference and didn’t even earn an NIT invite.
The Gophers completed nonconference play last week with a 63-59 win over North Dakota State, a solid team that lost at Arizona State by three points and will be a contender in the Summit League. Bison coach Saul Phillips saw his team lead 16-5 with nine minutes to play in the first half before the Gophers defensive pressure and offensive togetherness pushed Minnesota ahead by halftime.
“I think they will win their fair share,” Phillips said about the Gophers. “They play solid. They have their roles (and) they play them well. They’ve got a chance to be an NCAA tournament team.