Winning last four not a guarantee for Gophers, Joe Lunardi says

The Gophers nearly played their way out of NCAA tournament consideration when they lost seven out of 10 games.

Back-to-back wins over No. 17 Wisconsin and Indiana, however, might help the Gophers claim a spot on the bubble with wins over No. 3 Purdue (No. 7 RPI) Wednesday and at Illinois (No. 71 RPI) Saturday.

After the Northwestern loss, it was clear that the Gophers had to move quickly and turn things around. Going forward, they'll certainly need more quality wins, but they also can't afford losses at Michigan or against Iowa next week.

So that means the Gophers might have to win their last four games to get a shot at an at-large bid. But ESPN's resident bracketologist Joe Lunardi said that might not even be enough, via email Tuesday.

If Minnesota beats Purdue, loses to Illinois and wins one in the Big Ten tourney, will they get in?

Lunardi: Probably not enough, but close.

If the Gophers win their final four regular season games, would they earn an at-large berth or would they still need a win in the conference tourney?

If the Gophers lose to Purdue Wednesday, beat Illinois and their final two regular season opponents, do you think they'd get into the NCAA tournament?

Lunardi: Beating Purdue matters more because of the difference in RPI compared to Illinois.

Minnesota's zone disrupts Badgers, Hoosiers

When the Gophers lost Al Nolen, they tried to play the pressing, man-to-man, suffocating defensive style they've been accustomed to under Tubby Smith. But losing Nolen stripped that approach of its best weapon.

So now, Smith's using a zone and backing off the press. The result? In back-to-back wins over No. 17 Wisconsin and Indiana, the Gophers locked down the post and dared their opponents to beat them from the three-point line, where teams have more success against them than any other squad in the league.

During a 3-7 stretch, the Gophers struggled to find balance on defense. When teams had success going to the basket, they'd adjust to stop penetration. Then, opponents hit shots from outside because the Gophers focused on what was happening in the paint. They couldn't break that cycle. Think back to the Michigan loss.

The zone, however, frustrated opposing post players (22 total points in the paint allowed) in the two wins and made the three-pointer, the most difficult shot in the game, a must-have instead of the byproduct of a shaky Gophers interior defense.

It forces teams to make quicker decisions because of the traps and pressure. And sometimes, the wrong guy ends up with the ball on the outside (Jordan Taylor went 1-for-5 from beyond the arc Thursday).

Both Purdue and Illinois can score in a variety of ways. But the Gophers have new ways to defend, too. This should be an interesting week, regardless of the outcomes.

-During Monday's Big Ten media teleconference, Smith said he expects Ralph Sampson III, who missed the team's first game at Purdue last month with an ankle injury, to make a difference Wednesday.

-Damian Johnson said Tuesday that some of the Gophers think the Boilermakers are overhyped, although he gave them credit for being a "good team."

"They get pubbed up a lot and I just don't feel ... I feel like we're just as talented as them," he said. "In my opinion, they're a good team, but to me, they're not as talented as people believe."

I might have agreed with the team's senior co-captain a month ago when Purdue lost three straight and looked flat against a couple of average squads. But I think all of the current Purdue hype is justified by the way the team is playing.

E'Twaun Moore is an excellent guard who can control the tempo for Purdue's efficient motion offense. Robbie Hummel does it all for the Boilermakers. He's an inside-outside threat, the second-most versatile player in the Big Ten after Ohio State's Evan Turner. And Johnson, in spite of his thin frame, has his way around the rim.

We're talking about a No. 1 seed that's playing its best basketball at the end of the year. If anything, Purdue might be underrated. They're going to be tough for any team in the Big Dance.

G E'Twaun Moore (Purdue)

G Evan Turner (Ohio State), Big Ten Player of the Year

G Talor Battle (Penn State)

F Robbie Hummel (Purdue)

F DeShawn Sims (Michigan)

What do you all think?

-The Gophers caught a lot of good teams at the right time. Butler was in the middle of a six-game stretch on the road. Turner was playing his second game for the Buckeyes after an injury. The Badgers' chemistry was off when Jon Leuer returned for his first game since breaking his wrist last month.

And not that it would've mattered, but Indiana's Verdell Jones and Christian Watford are still trying to get back to 100 percent after suffering from a flu bug, a Hoosiers assistant said during the league's media teleconference Monday.

I'm not taking anything away from the Gophers. They earned all of those wins. But they also caught some good teams at the right time.

Some people I've talked to think they're catching the Boilermakers at the right time, too. But I disagree. The Boilermakers want to lock up a No. 1 seed and take as much momentum as possible into the NCAA tournament. They should be motivated.

Smith said recently that he intends to use White's scholarship for his 2010 recruiting class.

When asked about the kind of players he wants to add next season, Smith answered, "The ones we thought we had this year. We still need physicality."

The team's staff has scoured the country for another physical, athletic forward. Michael Haynes, a 6-6 forward from Chicago, is a possibility.

Ditto for 6-8 forward Majok Majok of Northfield, Mass., and 6-10 forward Maurice Walker of Wolfeboro, N.H., both of whom Gophers reps watched last week when Walker's Brewster Academy topped Majok's Northfield Mount Hermon 86-80, according to rivals.com. Majok had 24 points and 11 boards. Walker scored 16 points.