Gophers men's NCAA tournament outlook

Higher NCAA, Big Ten seeds on line

Marcus Fuller's projection: No. 6 seed

The Gophers control their own destiny Sunday, with a victory getting them the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament. Lose, and they will be the No. 4 seed, still with a double-bye before opening play Friday in Washington, D.C. All they need to do is win at Wisconsin for the first time since 2009. No problem, right? The Badgers were a Final Four contender at the beginning of the season. But they have dropped five of six and now are projected as a No. 6 seed, just like the Gophers. A fifth seed or higher in the Big Dance is on the line in Sunday's matchup. The Gophers can also earn a top-25 ranking and take a potential nine-game winning streak into the conference tourney.

Key Numbers

Record: 23-7, 11-6 Big Ten

Ken Pomeroy (kenpom.com) rating: 32nd in nation

RPI: 18

Strength of schedule: 22

Quality wins: at Purdue, at Maryland, at Northwestern, Michigan, Arkansas

Bad losses: at Penn State

Top-50 RPI record: 7-5