5 thoughts on Gophers basketball heading into final week of the regular season

The Gophers compiled an 8-3 record in the nonconference before starting 0-6 in Big Ten play. They now sit 15-14 overall with a 7-11 conference record with only two regular season games remaining. The next month could be one of the most important and busy stretches for the program in recent memory.

Big Ten Tournament outlook

Minnesota's chances of clinching a spot in this year's Big Ten Tournament increased dramatically after Saturday's win over Nebraska. Every team in the conference has two games remaining, but the Gophers have a full-game lead over Iowa and USC — two teams that they own the head-to-head tiebreaker over.

The 10 seed is the highest the Gophers can climb, so if disaster doesn't strike, they will be playing on Wednesday night in the opening round. They've fared relatively well against the bottom half of the conference, with wins over USC, Nebraska, Iowa and Penn State and a close loss to Ohio State. Based on their success away from the Barn, their chances of advancing to Thursday could be quite favorable.

Mike Mitchell Jr.'s struggles

After missing seven of Minnesota's first nine games due to an ankle injury, Mike Mitchell Jr. came back with a vengence. He averaged 16.8 points in his first four games back, but he hasn't been able to find that same form.

In the last 16 games, he has only four games with more than 10 points, and he has been held scoreless in each of the last two. He is averaging only 7.5 points per game in that stretch. Coming off a career-high 20 points from Brennan Rigsby, it's worth questioning if Minnesota should bring Mitchell off the bench.

Frank Mitchell vs. Parker Fox

Frank Mitchell scored a season-high 15 points and 12 rebounds against USC, and he's been averaging 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 64.3% from the field in only 19.4 minutes per game in the last five games.

In the same stretch, Parker Fox is averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds on 72.7% shooting from the field in 15.2 minutes per game. Mitchell has seemingly taken Fox's spot in the closing lineup, but is it time for him to take his spot in the starting lineup?

NIT/College Basketball Crown chances

In the inaugural season of the College Basketball Crown, this year's NCAA Tournament-rejects will have a different outlook. The new event will automatically invite the Big Ten's top two teams in the National Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings that aren't invited to the Big Dance. At this point, it's nearly impossible for Minnesota to earn that bid, but with five Quad 1 wins, they still have an interesting resume for one of the 10 at-large invitations.

What would a win against Wisconsin on Senior Night do?

Minnesota's final home game of the season will likely have a lot of emotions. Dawson Garcia, Parker Fox, Mike Mitchell Jr. and at least six other seniors will be playing their final game at the Barn, and it will come against their biggest rival, Wisconsin, which will carry a No. 12 ranking into the matchup.

Ben Johnson has never beaten the Badgers in his four years as head coach of the Gophers. A win would give him his third over a ranked team at home this season and at least his sixth Quad 1 victory of the year. It would be another statement win a season full of them for Johnson, but would it act as a final send-off or momentum heading into 2025-26?

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