Bracketology roundup: Gophers 'on the bubble' no more
Selection Sunday will be here before you know it. And for the first time in four years, the Minnesota Gophers will likely get their name called.
The Gophers (18-7, 6-6 Big Ten) are riding a three game winning streak, defeating Illinois, Iowa and Rutgers to throw themselves back into serious NCAA Tournament discussions.
Minnesota’s Rating Percentage Index (RPI), which ranks teams based on wins, losses and strength of schedule, currently sits at No. 24 with its strength of schedule rated at No. 22 in the nation.
The Gophers’ most impressive win of the season came in an overtime victory on the road against Purdue, ranked No. 15 at the time. It was the only win over a team with a Top 25 RPI ranking for Minnesota. The Gophers took Wisconsin to overtime and played Florida State and Maryland tough as well, but they lost all three games to post a 1-3 record against Top 25 RPI teams.
Regardless, the Gophers shouldn’t be a bubble team if they continue to play well through their final six games of the regular season.
Out of 87 different brackets polled across the internet, the Gophers are in all 87 and were ranked as high as a 6-seed and as low as an 11-seed, with an average seeding of 7.71. As the same program which finished the 2015-16 season with eight total wins, an 8-seed would not be a disappointment.
| Bracket Source | Seed | Opponent |
| CBS Sports | 7 | Kansas St. |
| FOX Sports | 8 | Miami |
| ESPN | 8 | Miami |
| USA Today | 8 | St. Mary's |
| Yahoo! | 8 | N/A |
| Bracketmaker.com | 9 | Iowa State |
| TeamRankings.com | 9 | N/A |
Stats courtesy of bracketmatrix.com and foxsports.com
