The Minnesota Golden Gophers fell short in their quest to earn the Big Ten’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, getting drubbed in the conference championship game by Ohio State. As a result, the Gophers were squarely on the bubble for an at-large bid.
The Selection Committee rewarded Minnesota’s entire body of work, though, awarding it an 11-seed and a matchup with the Xavier Musketeers out of the Atlantic 10.
Now that they’re in, though, the Gophers will have their hands full against Xavier. The Musketeers have a dynamic backcourt led by Indiana transfer Jordan Crawford, but also have horses inside who can score and defend at a high level. Minnesota is similarly talented, but Xavier has also enjoyed success in the tournament that Minnesota simply hasn’t recently. In fact, the Musketeers have gone dancing in eight of the past nine years, one of the most impressive runs in the nation.
Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 9:20 pm by Raj Sethi
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-6) have booked their third trip to the Insight Bowl in four years.
The Gophers will be taking on the Iowa State Cyclones (6-6) on New Year’s Eve in Tempe, Arizona, in a matchup of 6-6 teams looking to end the season on a winning note.
Minnesota lost to Kansas last season and to Georgia Tech in 2006 in their trips to the Insight Bowl, and you can believe that they’re looking to make the third time a charm and finally come away with a win.
“We are looking forward to returning to Tempe for the Insight Bowl and I am honored to accept this invitation to represent the Big Ten Conference on behalf of the University of Minnesota,” Minnesota director of athletics Joel Maturi said. “The Tempe area and Sun Devil Stadium have become a home away from home during the holidays for us in recent years and we have thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality our good friends at the Insight Bowl have provided. No one treats student-athletes and fans better.”
Minnesota third-year coach Tim Brewster becomes the third coach in school history to take the team to back-to-back bowl appearances. This marks the ninth bowl in the past 11 seasons for Minnesota, and the school’s fourteenth bowl appearance overall.
On the other side of the field will be the Cyclones – a team who Minnesota has played 25 times in school history. Iowa State will be making its first bowl appearance since 2005, largely because of the legs of Alexander Robinson, the No. 3 rusher in the Big 12.
If the Golden Gophers hope to win on NYE, their first mission must be shutting down the vaunted rushing attack of Iowa State.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 9:56 pm by bryan
Minnesota’s upset bid fell a quarter short. After playing to a stalemate through three quarters, the No. 8 California Golden Bears outlasted the Golden Gophers to earn a 35-21 victory.
Star wide receiver Eric Decker did all he could to carry the Golden Gophers, catching eight passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns and also throwing for another one, accounting for all three of his team’s scores. His totals came despite getting his chin gashed open on a jarring hit in the second quarter, but even that couldn’t slow him down. His effort wasn’t enough to overcome Cal’s Heisman Trophy candidate Jahvid Best, who found paydirt a school-record five times while rushing for 131 yards.
Minnesota was also done in by quarterback Adam Weber’s three interceptions, including one late when the game was still within reach. Weber finished 21 of 32 for 224 yards and two touchdowns in addition to the three interceptions.
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 5:43 pm by Raj Sethi
Minnesota wide receiver Eric Decker was named to the ESPN Preseason All-America team last week, an honor that should be the first of many for the Golden Gophers star.
When all is said and done, Decker will go down as the most productive receiver in the history of the program. He starts the 2009 season just two catches shy of the school’s all-time record of 199. Last season, the senior caught 84 passes for 1,074 yards and seven touchdowns despite barely playing the last four games due to a bum ankle.
It’s nice to see Decker finally get some recognition after spending two seasons toiling in anonymity as the nation’s best-kept secret. Minnesota has struggled to find success following the departures of star running backs Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber, and Decker has paid the price. But win or lose, if Decker stays healthy in 2009, he’s poised to make sure that everybody knows his name by season’s end.
Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 10:36 pm by reggy10
