Gophers Draw 4 Seed, Host Green Bay in March Madness Opener

The Gophers women's basketball team is officially back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2017-18 season, and they are hosting two rounds.

BREAKING: Gophers WBB is officially a 4 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, marking their first appearence in the Big Dance since 2017-18.

They will host 13-seed Green Bay at Williams Arena on Friday night. 🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/ErsUbRh1zU
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 16, 2026

The Gophers earned a four seed in Sunday's bracket reveal, which means they will host 13 seed Green Bay on Friday in Dinkytown. Ole Miss and Gonzaga will play in the 5/12 matchup at the Barn before Minnesota and Green Bay. The winner of both games will face off on Sunday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

Opponent preview

Friday will be the Gophers' 16th all-time matchup with Green Bay and first since the 2021-22 season, which was in the first round of the WNIT. The Phoenix went 25-8 this season en route to a Horizon League regular season and tournament championship.

Green Bay is led by second-year head coach Kayla Karius, who previously coached at the University of South Dakota after Dawn Plitzuweit got the Minnesota job. Senior Jenna Guyer from Circle Pines, Minnesota, leads the team with 15.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. They're a balanced roster, with three players averaging 11 points per game or more. Guyer is one of three Minnesota natives on Green Bay's roster. Rogers native Ellie Buzzelle is also part of the rotation.

Minnesota's four seed is its highest in program history since being a three seed in the 2004-05 season. That run ended with a regional semifinal loss against Baylor under head coach Pam Borton.

The Gophers went 22-7 in the regular season with a 13-5 conference record, which gave them a four seed in this year's Big Ten tournament. They had an early exit in that event against Ohio State. An impressive No. 9 ranking in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) with five Quad 1 wins was enough for Minnesota to hold onto a top 16 seed.

Plitzuweit has now officially turned the program around in just her third season. Former head coach Lindsay Whalen missed five consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2018 to 2023. Plitzuweit was hired after one season at West Virginia, which ended with her fourth consecutive trip to the big dance after appearing in three straight tournaments at South Dakota.

After last year's Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT) championship run, hiring Plitzuweit is looking like one of Mark Coyle's best hires as the Director of Athletics at the University of Minnesota.

The exact timing of Friday's game has yet to be revealed.