The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team is headed back to theNCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, as they will travel to Milwaukee, Wis.
Minnesota earned the No. 5 seed in the South region and will face 12-seed Middle Tennessee State on Thursday. This marks the team’s first appearance in the Big Dance since 2013.
The Gophers (24-9) earned the highest seed in program history after the largest single-season turnaround in school history and the best in the country this season. Minnesota finished the Big Ten conference season at 11-7, its highest conference win total in 12 years. The Gophers earned several honors, including Big Ten Coach of the Year Richard Pitino, All-Big Ten first team selection Nate Mason, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Reggie Lynch. Jordan Murphy was named to the All-Big Ten second team while Amir Coffey was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.