Gophers’ five Big Ten road wins and Quad 1 success scotched by their other struggles

You won’t see Ben Johnson’s Gophers on any NCAA tournament bracket projections entering Sunday’s regular season finale at Rutgers, but they do have an impressive résumé when it comes to road wins and Quad 1 victories.

One wouldn’t be possible without the other.

Big Ten bubble teams like Ohio State, Nebraska and Indiana probably wish they had the Gophers’ seven Quad 1 wins, including five Big Ten road wins. That would put most teams solidly in the field.

The Gophers have reached the NCAA tournament six times in the last 20 years, but only one previous time have they won as many Big Ten road games as this season. That was in 2017.

Last season, the Gophers made the NIT after going 7-3 in Big Ten play at home and 2-8 on the road. Can they possibly make the NIT again if not the NCAAs this year?

“Are we in a good spot? I think so,” Johnson said. “I believe Rutgers is still a Quad 1, so it’s another opportunity to go on the road and add to those. And then there’s the Big Ten tournament. The more you win, the more you put yourself in position. I do think we’ve put forth a pretty good résumé.”

After Wednesday’s 74-67 loss vs. Wisconsin, the realistic NCAA tourney chances for these Gophers (15-15, 7-12 Big Ten) are gone because of a 2-8 league home record.

They could get as high as an 11th seed in the Big Ten tourney with a win Sunday. But the Gophers likely need a deep run in Indianapolis to make March Madness.

“We play better on the road anyway,” senior guard Lu’Cye Patterson said. “It’s probably going to be a hostile environment. We just have to stay together like we’ve been doing all season. And try to go get that one.”

Possibly easing uncertainty about his future, Johnson could accomplish something Sunday his program hasn’t done in nearly 30 years. A sixth Big Ten road victory would be the U’s most since the vacated 1997 Final Four and Big Ten title team had seven.

Entering Saturday, the Gophers had the fourth-best Big Ten road record, tied with Oregon (5-4) and behind only Big Ten champion Michigan State (8-2), Michigan (7-2) and Wisconsin (6-4).

“I want our guys to take a ton of pride in that,” Johnson said. “To start off 0-6 with it stacked against you, and to have people in the preseason have you picked last and to be that resilient. To keep fighting. That’s a character trait.”

What’s the character trait to pull off so many road victories? They’ve won four straight games playing at Penn State, USC, UCLA and Nebraska. Last weekend’s victory for the Gophers against the Cornhuskers was the first ever at Pinnacle Bank Arena, which opened in 2013.

“The mental fortitude to never break,” Johnson said after the Nebraska win. “Bend but never break. We won with our defense is what we’ve been talking about.”

In the last four road games, the Gophers have held their opponents to 41.4% shooting (89-for-215) combined, with a plus-four edge in rebounding margin.

The Gophers defended and shot well enough to build their largest lead in Big Ten play last Saturday in Lincoln. They were up 19 points in the second half but then got outscored 27-7.

Most teams would’ve folded in a hostile environment, especially with their leading scorer Dawson Garcia hobbled with an ankle injury down the stretch. Garcia was also held out of practice before playing in Wednesday’s loss against Wisconsin.

The depth of Johnson’s team can be a strength when he uses it.

The last eight points of the Nebraska game were scored by reserves Frank Mitchell and Brennan Rigsby, who combined for 28 points that day. They also had 29 points combined Wednesday against Wisconsin, including Mitchell’s season-high 11 rebounds.

Against the Huskers, Rigsby nailed the game-winning three-pointer to lift the Gophers. He has 38 points combined in the last two games, on 13-for-18 shooting, including 7-for-9 on three-pointers.

A major factor in the Gophers finishing the regular season with a fifth straight road victory Sunday might just be what Johnson said he did at Nebraska.

“You got to let Brennan be Brennan,” he said. “When he got it going, I wasn’t going to get in his way.”

12 p.m., Sunday at Jersey Mike’s Arena

TV; radio: BTN; 1130-AM

The Scarlet Knights (14-16, 7-12 Big Ten) have experienced a disappointing year after being predicted to finish seventh in the Big Ten in the preseason. They were supposed to be a sure-fire NCAA tourney team led by projected NBA lottery-pick freshmen Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Bailey (18.0 points per game) and Harper (19.1 points) have been productive but not winners. Rutgers has lost six of the last nine games, including 100-71 Tuesday at Purdue. But the Gophers haven’t won at Rutgers since 2017.