Gophers favored in WBIT championship against Belmont

Minnesota is looking to become the second ever WBIT champions.

Feb 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Grace Grocholski (25) shoots during the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Gophers women's basketball team will cap of its 2024-25 season on Wednesday in the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT) championship game against Belmont at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The game tips off at 5 p.m. CT, and it will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Belmont has compiled a 26-12 record this season as one of the best mid-major teams in the country. The team took down Middle Tennessee State, Northern Arizona, James Madison and Villanova en route to the WBIT title game.

The Bruins are a balanced team with four players averaging more than 10 points per game. Sophomore guard Jailyn Banks leads the team with 12.8 points and 3.3 assists per game. She is coming off an impressive 25-point performance in their 66-57 semifinal win over Villanova.

Senior Kendal Cheesman leads the team at 8.7 rebounds per game, and she's second in scoring, averaging 12.0 points. She had a double-double against the Wildcats with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Head coach Bart Brooks led Belmont to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances before playing in the WNIT a year ago. This will be Gophers' second-ever game against the Bruins and the first since Minnesota beat them in a nonconference game at The Barn in December 2017.

ESPN's matchup predictor gives Minnesota a 77.3% chance of beating Belmont. This is only the second iteration of the WBIT, so the winner will join Illinois as the second program to ever be crowned champions.

Prediction

Minnesota has gotten impressive performances from Amaya Battle, Grace Grocholski and Mallory Heyer in this year's tournament, but none were more impressive than Battle's career-high 35 points in the quarterfinals against Gonzaga.

The Gophers and Belmont have averaged the exact same 38.3 rebounds per game this season. Whoever wins the rebounding battle will come out on top of Wednesday's championship game. Heyer is coming off an imressive 15-rebound performance in the semifinals against Florida, and she just might be due for another big game against the Bruins.

• Score: Minnesota 68, Belmont 60

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