Big Ten finales will have a lot to say about NCAA invites

A victory over the Wolverines today should put the Gophers into the NCAAs. With a loss, their road gets rougher.

By CHIP SCOGGINS, Star Tribune

Last update: March 1, 2008 - 4:30 PM

Gophers women's basketball coach Pam Borton has said for weeks that she believes the Big Ten race will come down to the final game, and that proved to be the case.

The regular season ends today and Ohio State and Iowa are tied for first in the conference at 12-5. The Gophers currently have sole possession of fourth place and are playing for seeding -- and to improve their tournament résumé -- when they close their regular season at Michigan.

Minnesota (19-10, 10-7 Big Ten) took a big step toward securing an NCAA tournament bid Thursday with a 69-54 victory over Indiana. The Gophers can put themselves in even better position by winning today. They also can finish in a tie for third in the conference with some help.

Purdue, which is in third at 11-6, plays at Illinois. A Purdue loss -- coupled with a Gophers victory -- would move Minnesota into a third-place tie. However, the Boilermakers own the tiebreaker so they would get the third seed at the Big Ten tournament next week.

The Gophers also could possibly finish in a five-way tie for fourth if they lose, which would bring into play all sorts of tiebreakers. Michigan State is already finished at 10-8. The Gophers, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana also could finish with that record.

That scenario likely would require the Gophers to win a game or two in the Big Ten tournament to lock up an NCAA bid. However it shakes out, they are still in good position to get a bye in the conference tournament by finishing in the top five with tiebreakers.

Everything will be more clear this evening, but Borton has reminded her team in recent days what's at stake.

"We only have two kids on the team right now who have been to an NCAA tournament so [the others] have no idea what's going on," Borton said. "We told them this is where we are. This is what's on the table. We have to go get it."

Michigan won't be an easy matchup, judging from the postgame meltdown by coach Kevin Borseth after his team blew a 20-point second half lead in a 69-67 loss to Wisconsin on Thursday. Borseth provided a YouTube-worthy tirade after his team gave up 23 offensive rebounds.

"It will fuel their fire if nothing else [because] it certainly fueled mine," he fumed.