5 thoughts after the Gophers' Big Ten Tournament first-round loss to Washington

One week after Minnesota lost to Washington in its final home game of the regular season at the Barn, it was a very similar performance in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Gophers will now have to wait 11 days before knowing their postseason tournament fate.

NCAA Tournament chances

There is no reason Gophers should be confident about their chances of receiving an at-large invitation to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. They were among the 'Last Four In' according to ESPN's latest Bracketology, but after losing 9 of their final 12 games and failing to pick up a Quad 1 win, their resume is incredibly flimsy. It will be a long 11 days in Dinkytown.

Who's to blame for 3-9 record in final 12 games?

What caused Minnesota to lose 9 of its final 12 games? I don't have the answer, but it was clear that this team was missing Mara Braun. Grace Grocholski, Amaya Battle and Mallory Heyer all had their moments, but the Gophers were desperately missing Braun's shot creating.

Games like at Maryland, Southern Cal, UCLA and Ohio State seem like longshots without Braun, but it was favorable home games against teams like Iowa, Oregon and Washington that derailed their season.

How impactful for injuries to Braun and Woodson?

To begin the season, the Gophers were incredibly deep with nine legitimate Big Ten contributors. The simple answer for their end-of-season slide would be the loss of Braun (13.6 PPG) and Taylor Woodson (8.1 PPG) caught up to them. Players like McKenna Johnson (four minutes), Kennedy Klick (five minutes) and Niamaya Holloway (five minutes) all played meaningful time in Wednesday's loss to Washington.

Nonconference scheduling

It's time for the women's and men's basketball programs at the University of Minnesota to put together better nonconference schedules. The Gophers played only one Quad 1 game before January, and it ultimately might be what costs them a birth in the NCAA Tournament. They're routinely among the worst in nonconference metrics every single year, and there's zero excuse for it.

Future remains bright for 2025-26

This was a season Dawn Plitzuweit was expected to lead Minnesota to an NCAA Tournament. Whether they end up getting invited to the event or not, there is still a lot to build on heading into next season. Any team losing its best player for two straight seasons is going to struggle.

Annika Stewart and Alexsia Rose are the only two rotational player who are out of eligibility and they've both came off the bench this season. Although it could be a sour end to the season, the future of the program still looks bright.

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