Gophers to play Butler after accepting NIT tournament invitation

After missing out on the NCAA Tournament, the Minnesota Golden Gopher’s men’s basketball team will play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).

The Gophers received an at-large bid to the 32-team tournament and will face Butler in the first round.

Butler are ranked No. 4 while the Gophers are unseeded. The winner of the game – the date and time of which has not yet been announced – will play the winner of No. 1 Indiana State vs. SMU, who are unseeded.

Minnesota finished the regular season ninth in the Big Ten, going 18-14 overall and 9-11 in conference play. They lost to Michigan State in the second round of this past week’s Big Ten Tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis. 

Butler also finished the season with an 18-14 overall record.

Minnesota has won the NIT three times: 2014, 1998 and 1993. 

Six teams from the Big Ten made the NCAA Tournament. Purdue is the third No. 1 seed and they are joined by Big Ten Champions Illinois (No. 3), Wisconsin (No. 5), Nebraska (No. 8), Northwestern (No. 9) and Michigan State (No. 9).