An undefeated month of February (7-0) wasn't enough to get the Gophers men's basketball team into either the AP or coaches' top 25 in the most recent polls.
But it was enough to dramatically shift where the Gophers stand when it comes to betting on their chances of winning the NCAA tournament.
There are still 24 teams with better odds of winning the title, but at least Minnesota is now in the picture at 100 to 1 to win the whole thing, according to the latest odds via Bovada.
That stands in stark contrast to where things were a month ago, per Zags blog. Heading into February, the Gophers were on a five-game losing streak. You couldn't even bet on them to win the NCAA tourney — they were "off the board" as such inconsequential long shots that bets were not being accepted. The longest odds listed by Bovada are 500 to 1.
No other school that even has 300 to 1 odds now was "off the board" on Feb. 1. That's just one more way of looking at how far the Gophers have climbed in just a month.
It would still be stunning if the Gophers won it all, of course, but given their style and roll they're on right now I don't think a Sweet 16 berth is out of the question.
I'm telling you there's a chance.
