Gophers Headed to College Basketball Crown, What to Know

The Gophers will not be playing in this year's NCAA Tournament, but their season is not over. The bracket for the 2026 College Basketball Crown was officially revealed on Monday, and the Gophers are one of eight teams included. Here's what you need to know.

BREAKING: The Gophers have officially accepted an invitation to the College Basketball Crown. The tournament will take place in Las Vegas from April 1 to April 6.

Minnesota is slated to face Baylor in the first round on Wednesday, April 1, at 9:30 p.m. CT.… pic.twitter.com/xdopkAStbY
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 16, 2026

What is the Crown?

Minnesota fans and most college basketball fans are familiar with the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) as the premier option for teams that miss out on the NCAA Tournament. That has changed with the introduction of the College Basketball Crown (CBC) last season. FOX created a tournament for teams from the conferences it has a TV contract with. Top teams from the Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 earn two automatic bids with two at-large invitations as the final two spots in the field.

Last year's tournament was 16 teams, and Nebraska won the event. The Cornhuskers have turned that momentum into one of their best seasons in program history this year as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The field has since been cut in half for year two of the event. This year's event also features one team from the SEC and one from the ACC, which was not the case last year. There are also three Big 12 teams and just one from the Big East.

Schedule and bracket

Unlike the NIT, which begins this week, the Crown is not until the first week of April. It will be played during the week of the Final Four in Las Vegas. The first round games will be played on Wednesday, April 1 and Thursday, April 2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The semifinals will be on Saturday, April 5, at T-Mobile Arena, and the championship game will be on Sunday, April 6, at the same arena.

This year's transfer portal doesn't officially open until the day after the National Championship on Tuesday, April 7. There will be plenty of players announcing their intentions to enter before then, but the tournament shouldn't horribly interfere with Minnesota's offseason strategy.

Minnesota will face Baylor in the first round on Wednesday, April 1, on FS1. The winner of that game will face the winner of Oklahoma and Colorado in the semifinals on Saturday, April 4. The Bears have had a down season with a 16-16 record under longtime head coach Scott Drew, but they're still one of the most talented teams in the country.