The Gophers women’s basketball ended January 18-4, when it had looked like they could be returning to March Madness for the first time since 2018.
In February, they went 2-5, before losing the regular season finale to finish 20-10. A series of losses against Big Ten opponents left them barely missing the NCAA tournament, and their 8-10 Big Ten record placed them as the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten tournament.
Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit maintained a positive attitude when discussing the disappointing end of the regular season.
“We were watching with bated breath, yes, we were hoping, and unfortunately we did not get into the NCAA tournament,” Plitzuweit said. “The good news is we get an opportunity to continue playing in the WBIT.”
The Gophers’ performance in the Big Ten tournament was likely a deciding factor. They made a quick exit, losing 79-65 to No. 12 University of Washington.
The Gophers had also lost to Washington in their last home game of the season, losing 72-62.
Senior Sophie Hart spoke about the shift in competition this year.
“The Big Ten got so much better this year,” Hart said. “It was super challenging, but I mean, that’s fun to play night in, night out. And so I just think we’ve had a lot of fun.”
There was little room for mistakes with the addition of four more teams this year. Former PAC-12 teams UCLA, the University of Southern California (USC), the University of Oregon and Washington played their first season in the Big Ten.
UCLA and USC fought for the one seed in the Big Ten all year, and it appeared that their only competition in the Big Ten was each other. They were both rewarded with the No. 1 seed in March Madness.
Oregon and Washington made March Madness as well, ranking No. 10 and 11.
Despite missing out on March Madness, the Gophers earned the No. 2 seed in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT).
Last year, they made it all the way to the championship game in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) before losing to Saint Louis University.
The WBIT was inaugurated in 2024 and is essentially the same tournament format as the WNIT, but is funded and run by the NCAA. For teams that did not make March Madness, the WBIT is now the primary alternate postseason option.
Since it had been over two weeks since the last Gophers game, Hart and sophomore Grace Grocholski noted the importance of strong preparation.
“We’re just ready to get back out there and play,” Hart said. “I know we focused a lot the last couple of days on really bringing energy, really trying to hype each other up and kind of creating that flow state within the team.”
The Gophers’ defense stood out against Toledo on Thursday, forcing 19 turnovers and never giving up their lead.
“I think the week we were off we had to hit it a little harder, just without games you have to stay in shape and get ready again to play,” Grocholski said.
Though the Gophers should have home-court advantage against Missouri State, they are not able to host, due to UMN allowing the Minnesota State High School League championship to use Williams Arena.
Plitzuweit said how difficult it was last year when they played multiple games on the road during the WNIT.
“Three, four, games in a row, that was really, really hard, but I thought it really helped us this year,” Plitzuweit said. “The positive to it, is I guess we’ve done it in the past.”
They defeated the Missouri State Bears in Springfield, Missouri on Sunday 78-71.
