Minnesota Turnaround Leads To NCAA Tournament – And Back To Being An Underdog


Minnesota has come a long way from the eight-win team of last season, but many are picking No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee and not the No. 5 Golden Gophers to win their first-round matchup. 


MILWAUKEE — Richard Pitino admits last season’s 8-23 disappointment wasn’t easy to handle. Minnesota lost 11 games by eight points or fewer and went through a span of seven weeks without a victory.

So when the Golden Gophers lost five consecutive games from Jan. 11-28 this year to put their NCAA Tournament chances in jeopardy, he wasn’t even close to here-we-go-again mode.

“Losing five games in a row after last year, that was nothing,” Pitino said Wednesday. “I could handle that one.”

Indeed, so could the Gophers, who ran off eight straight wins following that losing streak and won nine of their final 11 to surge into the NCAA Tournament with a 24-9 record and No. 5 seed in the South Region.

“During that five-game skid, between then and now, I think the locker room is a lot more optimistic,” said sophomore forward Jordan Murphy, who started 20 games for last year’s team. “Guys have a lot of energy. (We’re) really happy, too. We have a good confidence level right now and trying to keep that going.”

Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Jordan Murphy. Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

There’s no reason, then, to listen to outside noise now.

Las Vegas odds have the Golden Gophers as a one-point underdog to No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee when the teams meet Thursday at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Because while Minnesota was sitting at home last March, the Blue Raiders were upsetting No. 2 seed Michigan State in the first round and building a name for themselves.

“We definitely don’t talk about point spreads with them,” Pitino said, laughing. “Our guys know how good they are. They’ve got some players that were on last year’s team who not only beat Michigan State, but won a lot of (other) games.”

Pitino coached for one season at FIU, which like Middle Tennessee is in Conference USA. He’s familiar with Blue Raiders coach Kermit Davis, who is 23 years Pitino’s senior and once attended a Kentucky Derby with Louisville coach and Richard’s father, Rick.

Davis has led Middle Tennessee to a 30-4 overall record, proving last year’s upset of Michigan State was no fluke. In fact, Davis believes the Blue Raiders are even better this season. But it’s mainly that one victory that has amateur bracket analysts giving Middle Tennessee the edge of a Minnesota team with a full body of work and vast improvement from last season.

“From everything that we’ve heard and read, I mean, I think everybody is expecting Middle to win,” Pitino said. “And I think Middle is really good. I’ve known Kermit for a long time. He’s one of the best coaches in the country.

“We know it’s going to be a hard-fought game. And if we do win, we beat a really, really good team.”

That would be true for the Blue Raiders if they were to end up victorious, but not many seem to feel the same way. All-Big Ten point guard Nate Mason doesn’t really care. And he doesn’t think his teammates do either.

“We’re not really paying no attention to it,” Mason said. “We know Middle Tennessee is a great team. We got to be prepared to play.”

MORE: Loose, Confident Middle Tennessee Embracing The Spotlight