Gophers are heavy favorites to advance past Gonzaga in WBIT quarterfinals

Minnesota will host the Bulldogs on Thursday night with a WBIT semifinal birth on the line.

Feb 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Amaya Battle (3) dribbles the ball up the court between UCLA Bruins guard Kiki Rice (1) and Lauren Betts (51) during the second quarter at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Gophers women's basketball will look to continue another deep postseason run as it hosts Gonzaga on Thursday night in the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT) quarterfinals. ESPN's matchup predictor gives Minnesota an 89.9% chance of advancing to the next round.

Due to Williams Arena being occupied for the Minnesota boys' state high school tournament last week, the Gophers had to travel on the road to face Toledo and Missouri State in their first two games. They will now return to the Barn to face the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals.

Gonzaga will enter Thursday's game with a 24-10 after taking down UTSA by 16 points and No. 1 seed Colorado by nine in their first two games. Talented senior forward Yvonne Ejim leads them in points, rebounds, steals and blocks per game. She is averaging an impressive 20.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game this season on 52.6% shooting from the field. She is the real deal and should be at the top of Minnesota's scouting report.

Led by longtime head coach Lisa Fortier, this year was the first time Gonzaga failed to be invited to the NCAA Tournament since the 2015-16 season. They won a share of the West Coast Conference (WCC) regular season title, but they were unseated by Oregon State in the semifinals.

After a slow start to the season, the Bulldogs have won 18 of their last 20 games. Minnesota might be playing this game at home, but they will face a tough challenge. Gophers head coach Dawn Plitzuweit has an impressive 11-3 record in tournament-setting games since becoming the program's head coach, and that will be put to the test.

Thursday night's game will tip-off at 7 p.m. CT, and it will be broadcast on ESPN+. The winner will advance to the WBIT semifinals and face the winner of Texas Tech and Florida on March 31 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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