Why the Gophers' Win at Oregon is Significant for Their NCAA Tournament Resume

Minnesota is leaving the Pacific Northwest with a split against Washington and Oregon.

Minnesota’s Brylee Glenn, left, battles Oregon’s Avary Cain, center, and Mia Jacobs for a loose ball in the closing second of the game at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene Jan. 21, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gophers women's basketball earned a hard-fought 65-60 win against Oregon on the road on Wednesday night. Taking down the Ducks could be one of their most important results in the first half of Big Ten play. Here's why.

The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings are the No. 1 tool used to select at-large teams for the NCAA Tournament at the end of the regular season. Every result is put into Quad 1, 2, 3 or 4 based on the opposing team's ranking. A big reason why the Gophers missed last year's tournament was a lack of a Quad 1 win. Wednesday's win in Eugene was their first of the 2025-26 season.

B1G ROAD WIN!! ✅ pic.twitter.com/MMeRFL9hPh

— Minnesota Women's Basketball (@GopherWBB) January 22, 2026

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The women's system is different than the men's. A Quad 1 win on the women's side is a home win over a team ranked 1-30 in the NET, a neutral win over a team ranked 1-35 or a road win over a team ranked 1-45. Oregon entered Wednesday's game ranked 24th in the NET, so the win sits firmly in Quad 1 for the Gophers.

The rankings are subject to change throughout the year, and Minnesota's Jan. 11 win over then No. 21 USC at the Barn has since climbed into Quad 1, as the Trojans are ranked 25th in the NET. Selection Sunday is still more than 50 days away, but the Gophers now have two resume-building wins, which was not the case at this point last year.

The latest Bracketology projections from ESPN's Charlie Creme had Minnesota as a 10 seed, and among the "Last Four Byes" on Jan. 20 after losing by 13 at Washington on Sunday. Wednesday's win over the Ducks now gives them two significant data points to hang their hats on.

The Gophers' schedule lightens up considerably with three straight games against teams outside the top 60 of the NET. They're firmly in the middle of the Big Ten standings with a 4-4 conference record, but they now have a chance to make up some ground. Next up is a rivalry game on Sunday against Wisconsin at the Barn, then at Penn State and Purdue back home before taking on a top-10 Iowa team on the road.

Minnesota has not been invited to the NCAA Tournament since the NCAA Tournament since the 2017-18 season. It feels like getting back to the Big Dance would be a significant accomplishment for head coach Dawn Plitzuweit in year three.