Gophers open Big Ten men's hoops tournament against Penn State

Richard Pitino watches his team
Photo credit USA Today Sports Images

Gopher men's basketball coach Richard Pitino is in agreement with many bracketologists that his team is all but a lock for the NCAA tournament.

Folks who aren't as sure are looking at this week's Big Ten tournament in Chicago, with hopes that a win or two there would solidify the Gophers' chances.

The 2019 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket. #B1GTourney pic.twitter.com/jIWfLEoU9k

— Big Ten Men's Hoops (@B1GMBBall) March 10, 2019

The Gophers start off the tournament on Thursday at 6 p.m. as the number 7 seed, facing tenth-seeded Penn State.

They come into the game after finding out that Jordan Murphy was named first-team All-Big Ten, with Amir Coffey making third team.

Read up on @jordanmurphy24 and @coffeyshop_'s All-B1G awards.https://t.co/5jDng6IGEi pic.twitter.com/MtIMZBWP1P

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) March 11, 2019

In their only meeting of the regular season, the Gophers edged the Nittany Lions 65-64 on Jan. 19.

The winner of that Thursday matchup takes on second-seeded Purdue, a team the Gophers beat in their last home game less than a week ago.

The Gophers finished the regular season 19-10, which isn't bad.  They were 9-12 in the Big Ten, which doesn't look good when presented to the NCAA tournament selection committee.

What could hurt the Gophers are upsets in mid-major and smaller conference tournaments, all of which award automatic bids to the NCAA.

In women's basketball, the Gophers are waiting to find out if 20 wins were enough to secure an NCAA tournament invite.

Coach Lindsay Whalen's first team was beaten by Indiana in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.