The Gophers women's basketball team's recent inconsistent play appears to have cost the school a chance to host NCAA tournament games. The NCAA women's tournament committee identified its top 20 teams Wednesday night, and those schools are leading candidates to host the first- and second-round games in the tournament. Only Iowa and Maryland from the Big Ten were chosen as "top-20 seeds."
Maryland is in first place in the Big Ten, and Iowa is now second, a spot the Gophers' held for weeks until a late-January slide that featured four losses in five games.
"It's important to keep in mind that [Wednesday's] announcement has no bearing on the final bracket, but we were able to identify those institutions that are a possible top-20 seed so that they can begin preparations to host first- and second-round play," said Dru Hancock, chair of the Division I Women's Basketball Committee.
The 2015 NCAA women's basketball tournament will utilize a hosting model that will allow the top 16 seeds who meet championship hosting requirements to host first- and second-round games on March 20-23.
The Gophers (19-6; 8-5 in Big Ten), winners Wednesday night at home against Wisconsin, 93-82, are on the NCAA tournament bubble, with ESPN projecting the team as a No. 9 seed. Minnesota is in fifth place in the Big Ten, a step below Rutgers and Ohio State.
The Gophers next face Penn State, 3-11 in Big Ten play, Sunday on the road.
The committee's top 20 teams: Arizona State, Baylor, California, Duke, Florida State, George Washington, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon State, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UConn, Washington
