When a team gives up hope, senior guard Andre Hollins said, there isn't anything else left to play for.
And so the Gophers, after one of their roughest starts to conference play in the past decade, is holding out hope that they can go on a tear and wind up, somehow, in the NCAA tournament.
But although the Gophers making the Big Dance is nearly a pipe dream — Minnesota probably would have to either win at least three of their next four games, or get the automatic berth by winning the Big Ten Conference tournament — it's hardly the team's only worry at this stage of the season.
After a 72-66 loss to bottom-feeder Northwestern at Williams Arena on Wednesday night, the Gophers left the door open to not only miss the NCAA tournament but the NIT as well, a slide that would stamp disappointment on coach Richard Pitino's second year in the Twin Cities.
"Never give up hope," Hollins said. "It's been done before, and we have great opportunity."
That's one way to look at it. The Gophers face fifth-ranked Wisconsin twice in the coming weeks: in Madison on Saturday and again at home on March 5. In between, the Gophers travel to Michigan State to face a Spartans team that has looked much better in recent weeks. The Gophers close out the regular-season schedule with a home game against Penn State.
For an NCAA tournament berth, the Gophers likely need at least two or three more victories over top-tier opponents, so in that sense, the upcoming schedule is a good thing.
On the other hand, it makes going 1-3 or worse down the finishing stretch more likely. Should the Gophers do that, they will most likely not only miss the Big Dance but also the NIT, which they won a year ago after receiving a No. 1 seed.