Gophers Survive March Madness Scare Against Green Bay, Will Face Ole Miss Sunday

It was far from the Gophers' cleanest performance of the season, but they're advancing to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. No. 13 seed Green Bay gave them all they could handle, and a huge fourth-quarter launched them to a 75-58 win.

The Gophers played in front of the biggest crowd at Williams Arena in years on Friday night. It looked like it took them a little bit to settle into the moment. Green Bay led 11-10 after the first quarter, after Minnesota had three turnovers, and shot 27.8% from the field in the first 10 minutes.

Pretty impressive atmosphere during player introductions before tonight’s Minnesota-Green Bay NCAA Tournament game. pic.twitter.com/B9pq12arjE
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 20, 2026

Mara Braun scored six straight points midway through the second quarter, and it looked like the momentum was about to flip. Green Bay continued to fight back, and the Phoenix entered halftime with a 29-26 lead. Minnesota attempted 10 more field goals, but 33.3% shooting as a team stuck out like a sore thumb.

The Gophers continued to scratch and claw their way back into the game, and they had to earn every single point. Program veterans Amaya Battle, Sophie Hart and Mara Braun took the game over in the fourth quarter. Minnesota out-scored Green Bay 30-9 in the final 10 minutes to win 75-58.

Battle finished with a game-high 21 points on 9 of 18 shooting from the field with eight rebounds and three assists. Hart had 19 points, Braun had 16 and McKinney finished with 10. The final score is not indicative of how hard they had to work to take down Green Bay.

The Phoenix truly gave Minnesota all it could handle. A huge fourth quarter was an avalanche that Green Bay could not overcome. The Gophers will now face No. 5 Ole Miss on Sunday night with a birth to the Sweet 16 on the line. They will have to play a lot better if they want to win that game.

Early Ole Miss preview

The Rebels were 14.5-point betting favorites against Gonzaga on Friday. That line seemed low for most of the game until an insane late comeback from the Bulldogs. Ole Miss jumped out to an early 20-9 lead after the first quarter, and never looked close. Gonzaga went on a 29-13 run in the fourth quarter, but the Rebels held on to an 81-66 win. Four players scored in double figures and they looked like they will be a tough test for Minnesota on Sunday. The start time for that game should be released sometime on Friday night.

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