Minnesota Begins "Make or Break" Stretch With Wisconsin

Rodney WilliamsBy Paul Seaver (TheArenaPulse)
Despite losing star forward Trevor Mbakwe, the Golden Gophers have set themselves up for a chance to make the NCAA Tournament.

Behind the improving play of Rodney Williams and the excellent coaching job of Tubby Smith, Minnesota has climbed into the hunt for an at-large bid while winning five of their past seven games overall.

However there is still work to do, and for Minnesota, the final weeks of the regular season will give the Gophers ample opportunities at making their case for a tournament bid, yet the brutal schedule offers a number of difficult challenges.

Thursday night marks the first of seven remaining games for Minnesota, a stretch that begins with Wisconsin at 7 p.m. (EST).

Five of the Gophers' next six games are against ranked opponents, but there is good news: four of those five games are at Williams Arena.

Let's take a look at the brutal, yet optimistic stretch coming up:

Feb. 9: vs. Wisconsin- The Badgers have won six of their past seven games overall and this meeting marks the first of two dates with Minnesota in the coming weeks.

Feb. 14 vs. Ohio State- Williams Arena welcomes in the Big Ten's top dog. This is the Gophers' best chance at making a statement.

Feb. 18 at Northwestern- As of now, Minnesota has an advantage over Northwestern in the race for a NCAA Tournament bid, but a lot can change in the next week or so.

Feb. 22 vs. Michigan State- Another home game against another top notch opponent. The Spartans already dispatched Minnesota in East Lansing.

Feb. 25 vs. Indiana- The Gophers already upset the Hoosiers in Bloomington, so you know Indiana will be looking to exact its revenge on the 25th.

Feb. 28 at Wisconsin- This game marks the only road game against a ranked opponent in the Gophers' brutal seven-game stretch.

Mar. 3 vs. Nebraska- A virtual must-win to end the season. The Gophers defeated the Cornhuskers earlier this week.


Minnesota begins their "make or break" stretch this evening at 7 p.m. (EST) from Williams Arena.


*Photo: Rodney Williams *Credit: nbadraft.net

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