When Gophers men's basketball coach Richard Pitino came to practice on Selection Sunday, he had a message for his players:
They probably wouldn't be celebrating later when the NCAA announced its 68-team tournament field.
Following Friday's loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament, the Gophers remained on the wrong side of the cut line in most projected brackets, and Pitino wanted to manage expectations.
Afterward, players had a meeting of their own.
"We just said whatever we're in, we want to take advantage of it and try to win it," senior Austin Hollins said.
As most expected, that will be the NIT. The Gophers, who received a No. 1 seed in the NIT for the first time, opening the consolation tournament against No. 8 seed High Point at Williams Arena on Tuesday.
When the initial disappointment wore off, the team moved on.
"I don't think they're the type of guys that have this sense of entitlement like they're not going to be excited about playing," Pitino said. "Nobody moped around."