Gophers women's hoops still looking to solidify tournament resume with marquee win

The Gophers women's basketball team is off to one of its best starts in program history, but the Gophers are nowhere near a lock yet for the NCAA Tournament. Wednesday night's 70-65 loss to Michigan was their third straight defeat against a ranked opponent, and they're still looking for a marquee victory to solidify their NCAA Tournament resume.

After a close loss at home Wednesday, Minnesota fell only one spot in the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings from 28 to 29. This is one of the primary metrics used by the selection committee to choose teams for at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament, so it's a good sign that the Gophers still rank highly.

But if you look into their resume beyond the 17-3 overall record, there isn't much substance. Thirteen of Minnesota's 17 wins have come against Quad 4 opponents, which means they rank anywhere from 163 to 353 in the NET rankings. They have three wins against Quad 3 opponents. Their best win of the season has come against Illinois at home, which ranks 38th in the NET rankings, making it a Quad 2 victory.

The Gophers have played only three games against Quad 1 opponents, all losses. Nebraska and Maryland were both tough tests on the road, but Michigan was their first Quad 1 opportunity at home this season.

Fortunately for Minnesota and head coach Dawn Plitzuweit, the Big Ten is the deepest conference in women's college basketball and they will have plenty of more opportunities to solidify their resume. After a must-win Quad 3 home game against Wisconsin on Sunday, they will have an L.A. road trip against two of the best teams in the country.

Gophers reamining schedule | Picture via: ESPN.com

Minnesota will likely be double-digit underdogs against both Southern Cal and UCLA on the road, so an upset is unlikely. Their home games against Iowa (33) and Indiana (39) would both be Quad 2 games based on the most recent rankings. That leaves a Feb. 13 road test at Ohio State (15) and a March 1 test at Michigan State (18) as their only other two Quad 1 games remaining on the regular-season schedule.

Oregon (37) at home is Quad 2, Purdue (148) on the road is Quad 3 and Washington (55) at home is Quad 2. The Gophers' 5-3 record in the Big Ten almost guarantees they will be one of 15 teams that qualify for the conference tournament, which could give them another Quad 1 opportunity if not more.

If the Gophers continue to beat the teams they're supposed to beat and lose to the teams they're supposed to lose to, they'd by 23-7 before the conference tournament. If they're able to pull off at least one upset a 24-6 record with a marquee or Quad 1 victory would be a tough resume to leave out of the tournament.

A lot of things can change between now and Selection Sunday, but the Gophers look like they might be firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble. A complete lack of any test in the nonconference has put them a step behind their competition. It's clear that this team and program continue to make improvements, but they still need to show that to the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

Related: Gophers women's basketball rises in top 25 ahead of clash with Michigan