Tuesday means everything for this struggling program.
The Gophers are going the wrong way in their pursuit on an NCAA tourney bid. A loss to Michigan State could ultimately seal a trip to the NIT, especially if they don't get Al Nolen back before the Big Ten tournament.
The love they received on the national scene just weeks ago is gone. Here's what some of the top bracketologists said recently about their NCAA tourney hopes.
"Nolen would have to come back and show that he's healthy and the same player for the Gophers to be evaluated fully with him. Recall the Patty Mills thing with Saint Mary's a couple years ago, where they didn't get an at-large because the committee didn't think they were the same team with him not 100%. If he doesn't come back, the Gophers will be heavily evaluated on how they have done without him, which is poor. They're in some trouble now. Huge game vs. MSU on tap." -Andy Glockner, SI.com "Nothing is guaranteed short of winning the [conference] tournament. Less than that may do, but they are dependent on what other teams do." -Jerry Palm, collegerpi.com "Minnesota is trending badly down. A loss to Michigan State would knock them out." -Joe Lunardi, ESPN.com "If Minnesota wins three of its last four and finishes 9-9 in conference, they'll get a bid regardless of Al Nolen's injury status. They obviously haven't been the same without Nolen over the last couple of weeks, but they do have two big out-of-conference wins and a home win over Purdue to fall back on." -Chris Kulenych & Craig Gately, Bracketology 101
