If ever there was a chance for the Gophers to get their season back on track, a road slate with Illinois might be it.
Minnesota was offered a brutal scheduling start to their conference season, having already faced the Big Ten’s top five teams (including Michigan State twice). And though the Gophers thankfully stole two impressive road wins over Purdue and Northwestern, their recent five-game skid has put their surprising NCAA Tournament hopes in danger.
Minnesota still sits as a 9 seed in ESPN’s Bracketology, which means they’re still safely “in” if the season were to end today.