Nate Mason could not sleep the night before the Gophers' first NCAA tournament game in four years, so he did some extra scouting.
He watched video of Middle Tennessee's point guard, of himself and even some top NBA guards to study their moves.
Outside of Mason's hotel window, Gophers basketball fans walked the chilly streets of downtown Milwaukee decked in maroon and gold hoping for a big win the next day.
Mason, the confident All-Big Ten point guard that he is, imagined those fans cheering his team on at the Milwaukee Bucks' Bradley Center as he led the Gophers to victory — the beginning of one of those magical March Madness runs he watched other teams have on TV growing up.
"I didn't sleep," Mason said. "I was just excited, anticipating everything. But I approached it like you're the big dog, you're the alpha and nobody can mess with you. There's no reason to be scared."
To understand Mason's mentality is to understand how important he is to the Gophers' success. Not only has he been their top scorer the last two seasons, but he's been their swagger.
Mason felt invincible the night before his first NCAA tourney game. But a hip injury against Middle Tennessee derailed his game, humbled him and led to a sour ending to the season in an upset 81-72 loss to a No. 12 seed.
Eight months later, Mason has gone from leaning on crutches to the best shape of his life. He is vowing to get the No. 15 Gophers back to the Big Dance, and more, in his senior year.