The Gophers locked up an NCAA Tournament berth with a strong finish against Penn State in their opening Big Ten Tournament game on Thursday, moving into the quarterfinals and putting themselves in position to play for a better postseason seed.
Despite a poor overall record, the Nittany Lions were one of the hottest teams in the conference, and provided an additional Q1 victory for Minnesota’s tournament resume. Amir Coffey exploded at the end of the game with 12 points in overtime and an emphatic dunk that reminded fans of his potential, despite an underwhelming performance for much of regulation.