The #2 seeded Gophers will need to be road warriors for the second year in a row
The Minnesota Golden Gophers will look to start another long run through a postseason basketball tournament when they head to Toledo to open up play in the WBIT against the Toledo Rockets. The #2 seeded Gophers are forced to play on the rod at the #7 seeded Rockets due to the Minnesota State Boy’s Basketball Tournament taking place at Williams Arena this weekend. Just like a season ago, the Gophers will need to be road warriors if they want to advance deep into the postseason.
Last season the Gophers made it all the way to the WNIT Championship game winning their final three games on their opponents home court before falling to St. Louis on a “neutral” court in the Championship game. Minnesota hosted the first two games at home before needing to vacate The Barn due to a robotics competetion. This year Minnesota should be able to host the first two rouns of the WBIT but due to very specific requirements that games MUST be played on their main home court, and teams must have access t the court the day before the game, Minnesota will need to head on the road and likely stay there. If the Gophers can get past Toledo, they would still be forced to play on the road in the second round on Sunday against either #3 seed Missouri State or #6 seed Oral Roberts due to the high school tournament going through Saturday and the college teams not having the ability to be in the gym. A potential quarterfinal at #1 seed Colorado looms if both teams would advance that far—which is no guarantee.
Before the Gophers can worry about that, they need to get past Toledo Thursday night. The Rockets finished second in the MAC and lost in the MAC Championship Game to Ball State. Toledo has a 24-9 overall record and went 13-5 in the MAC. They enter the WBIT on a roll having won 12 of its last 15 games, including seven consecutive wins from the end of January through late February. Toledo has played in a post-season tournament and won at least one game the past four seasons. The Rockets reached the quarterfinals in the 2022 WNIT and 2024 WBIT, and won its first-round game against Iowa State in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Toledo faced a pair of Big Ten opponents this season losing to both Iowa and Maryland on the road. The Rockets are 13-1 at home this season and ranked #30 in the country in home attendance.
The key for the Gophers will be to play tight defense—something they struggled at down the stretch. Toledo is 46th in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 45.0% from the field this season, and can shoot the three when given opportunities. The Rockets also shot a blistering 56.5% (13-of-23) from three-point range in the MAC quarterfinal matchup against Central Michigan. Toledo is very good on the boards. They finished the season with a +6.6 rebound margin and have out-rebounded 22 of their last 26 opponents.
Grad student forward Nan Garcia has eight double-digit scoring outings in her last 12 games. She is averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in that span. Guard Sammi Miknonowicz is fourth in the MAC with a 52.1% field goal percentage. She has made five or more field goals in each of her last seven games, shooting 59.7% (40-of-67) in that span. Guard Khera Goss shot 8-for-14 (57.1%) in the MAC Tournament and is fifth in the league at 40.9% this season. The Rockets have a 6’5 center but she has not played much since early in the season—the Gophers will need to take advantage and get Sophie Hart into the game early and often and take advantage of her skills.
Tip is set for 6 PM and the game will stream on ESPN+