Gopher men's and women's teams headed to NIT
MINNEAPOLIS — Both of the University of Minnesota basketball teams are headed to the National Invitation Tournament after missing out on the big dance.
The Minnesota men will play Butler at 8 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Tuesday. The matchups for the women's tournament have not yet been announced.
The NIT is essentially the runner-up to the NCAA Tournament.
"We're really excited to be invited into the prestigious NIT," men's head coach Ben Johnson said. "It's a great opportunity for our team to continue to build, grow, get better and compete."
The last time the Gophers played in the men's NIT was 2014, when they won the whole thing.
The men's team finished 18-14 overall in Johnson's third year as head coach. That's the best mark of his short tenure. The team entered the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 9 seed and got bounced by No. 8 Michigan State 77-67 in the second round.
The women's team, under second-year head coach Dawn Plitzuweit, earned a 16-15 record and lost to Michigan in the Big Ten tourney.
Minnesota vs. Butler
The Butler Bulldogs' record in Big East play is 9-12, and their record is 9-2 against non-conference opponents. Butler is 2-0 in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Golden Gophers' record in Big Ten action is 9-12. Minnesota is 9-2 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 11.3 turnovers per game.
Butler is shooting 45.2% from the field this season, 0.5 percentage points higher than the 44.7% Minnesota allows to opponents. Minnesota averages 8.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 more makes per game than Butler gives up.
Pierre Brooks averages 2.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Bulldogs, scoring 15.0 points while shooting 41.1% from beyond the arc. Jahmyl Telfort is averaging 13.6 points and 3.1 assists over the past 10 games.
Dawson Garcia is shooting 48.1% and averaging 17.7 points for the Golden Gophers. Cam Christie is averaging 11.8 points over the last 10 games.
