Gophers Women's Basketball Could Host First NCAA Tournament Games

After taking down No. 10 Ohio State on Wednesday night, Gophers women's basketball continues to prove themselves as one of the best teams in the country. If they close the regular season strong, there's a chance Williams Arena could host multiple NCAA Tournament games.

The first and second rounds of the women's NCAA Tournament are hosted by the top 16 teams in the field. If you earn a four seed or higher, you have the opportunity to play your first two games at home. ESPN's latest Bracketology projects Minnesota as a five-seed, so that goal is not unrealistic.

Wednesday's win over the Buckeyes was the Gophers' fourth Quad 1 win of the season, which improved their NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking from 9th to 8th in the entire country. The NET is the No. 1 metric used by the NCAA Tournament in the seeding process, so it's encouraging for their chances.

After last night's win over No. 10 Ohio State, Gophers WBB has jumped to No. 8 in the NET, and they would now have a top 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.

This team is building one heck of a resume. pic.twitter.com/IsznEMr3bR
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) February 19, 2026

The Gophers currently have a 21-6 overall record, and they are 12-4 in the Big Ten. If the regular-season ended today, they would be the four seed in the Big Ten tournament, which means they would have a double bye to the quarterfinals on Friday.

Before postseason play begins, Minnesota has two more huge resume-building opportunities. They will host No. 18 Michigan State at Williams Arena on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT, which will be a Quad 1 opportunity. They will close the regular season at Illinois on Sunday, March 1, which will be another Quad 1 game.

The Gophers are only 0.5 games behind third-place Iowa and 1.5 behind second-place Michigan in the Big Ten standings. Michigan still has to play three ranked opponents, and Iowa has a more favorable schedule. The Gophers still have a great chance to improve their Big Ten standing.

There has been only one team that has beaten UCLA this season, and zero in the Big Ten. Minnesota making a run all the way to the Big Ten championship seems like a tall task, but a 25-7 finish and a loss in the Big Ten title game is entirely possible. They would be undeniable for a top 16 seed at that point, and maybe even a three seed.

In a more realistic outlook, a 24-7 finish with a loss in the Big Ten semifinals would likely be enough for a top 16 seed as well. But what's the minimum they need to get in that discussion? Every game left for Minnesota will loom large for its NCAA Tournament outlook.