It's unlikely that Rachel Banham will get her wish Monday when the women's NCAA tournament field is announced. The fifth-year senior hoped to end her Gophers career with her first appearance in the tournament, but a late-season slump probably will send her team to the Women's National Invitation Tournament instead.

The 64-team NCAA field will be revealed at 6 p.m. on ESPN. The 64-team WNIT bracket will be announced later Monday evening, and it could provide Banham with a consolation prize: the opportunity to play another game at Williams Arena. All WNIT games are played at campus sites, and the Gophers (19-11) would likely be considered to host a game in the first round, which will be played Wednesday through Friday.

Three losses in their final four regular-season games — and another defeat to Northwestern in their Big Ten tournament opener — left the Gophers' RPI at 80. ESPNW analyst Charlie Creme predicts they will be among the second group of four teams left out of the NCAA field.

Women's NIT web site

Creme is projecting six Big Ten teams will make the NCAA tournament. He predicts high seeds for Maryland (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 3) and Michigan State (No. 5), and has Indiana, Iowa and Purdue as three of the last four teams to be picked.

The Gophers played in the WNIT in 2007, 2013 and 2014, going 3-3 and hosting four of the six games. Last year, they made their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2009 and lost to DePaul in the first round.

RACHEL BLOUNT