College Basketball Crown Could be 'Interesting Opportunity’ for Minnesota

Minnesota will not be under consideration for an at-large invitation to this year's NCAA Tournament. That doesn't mean it won't play in a postseason tournament. An invitation to the College Basketball Crown (CBC) remains a real possibility heading into this week's Big Ten tournament.

For those who don't know, the Crown is an eight-team event in Las Vegas from April 1 to April 6. The top two teams from the Big Ten in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, who do not make the NCAA Tournament automatically, qualify for the Crown, so that would be the Gophers' clearest path.

"I think it's kind of an interesting opportunity, obviously, you get to go to Vegas. It's a little bit later in the season, so you probably take some time off here, and then you go to Vegas. I know there's an NIL portion to that. I think it's really well done. FOX puts it on," head coach Niko Medved told the media on Tuesday.

Niko Medved on the Gophers postseason tournament outlook, with the College Basketball Crown and NIT.

Interesting listen. 👇👇 pic.twitter.com/wQeYrZKwlP
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 10, 2026

The Big Ten most firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble right now is Indiana. If the Hoosiers make the big dance, Minnesota (74) would be one spot out of the Crown automatic qualifiers behind Washington (61) and Northwestern (70) in the NET, despite beating the Wildcats twice in the regular season.

There are also two at-large invitations to the Crown, after two automatic qualifiers are handed out to the Big East and Big 12 alongside the Big Ten. The results at this week's Big Ten tournament will likely have an impact on the NET rankings before the final selection process.

Depending on the Wildcats' results on Tuesday night against Penn State, the Gophers could have a chance to jump them in the NET with a win over Rutgers. Catching Washington seems unlikely without an improbable run into the weekend.

The NET rankings are not an exact science, nor is the Crown selection process. This year will only be the second iteration of the event and the first with just eight teams after a 16-team event last year. Would the Gophers be considered for an at-large invitation? It's hard to know for sure, but it does seem like they would be strongly considered either way, depending on their results in Chicago this week.

Medved mentioned how the NIT selection process is significantly different from how it used to be, and FOX's contract with the Big Ten makes the Crown a far more likely destination. It should be another wild month of March in college basketball.