Gophers College Basketball Crown Schedule, Opponents and Path to Finals

Amid the March Madness chaos, it became pretty easy to forget that the Gophers men's basketball team is still scheduled to play in the College Basketball Crown tournament next month in Las Vegas. With less than a week before their first round game against Baylor, let's break down their path to the championship game on April 6.

Minnesota-Baylor preview

Day: Wednesday, April 1
Time: 9:30 p.m. CT
TV: Fox Sports 1 (FS1)

The Gophers have opened as 3.5-point betting underdogs for their first-round game against Baylor. The Bears had a disappointing season with a 16-16 record, but they're still incredibly talented. Led by Tennessee transfer guard Cameron Carr (19.2 PPG) and freshman Tounde Yessoufou (17.8 PPG), the Minnesota backcourt will have its hands full.

Path to the finals

College Basketball Crown bracket | Picture via: @tonyliebert (X)

If Minnesota advances past Baylor, it will face the winner of Oklahoma and Colorado on Saturday, April 4, at 12:30 p.m. CT. The Sooners were one of the first teams left out of the NCAA Tournament field, and they finished the season red-hot with a run to the SEC tournament quarterfinals. They're favored by 6.5 points in their first-round game against the Buffaloes.

The other side of the bracket includes Stanford vs. West Virginia and Rutgers vs. Creighton, which are two games that will be played on Thursday night. Rutgers is probably the weakest team in the field, but Minnesota did lose to the Scarlet Knights in the Big Ten tournament. All four teams would present their own challenges in a potential championship game.

Why it matters

For those who don't know, this year will be the second edition of the College Basketball Crown. Nebraska won last year's event and parlayed that success into its first-ever run to the Sweet 16 in this year's NCAA Tournament. There is a $500,000 NIL prize pool that will reportedly be split up amongst the teams as well.

By the time things tip off in Las Vegas, there will only be four teams left in the NCAA Tournament, and four left in the NIT. Players on Minnesota's roster, like Langston Reynolds and Cade Tyson, will have the opportunity for one more run before their college careers end. Many people might've forgotten about the tournament, but it should be an entertaining opportunity to watch the 2025-26 Gophers one last time.

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