Freshmen Have Grown More Quickly For Gophers
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Minnesota is entering the Big Ten tournament with little to lose.
Last year, the Gophers needed to win three games in the conference tournament to draw an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. This time, they probably need to take the whole thing to get in.
After practice on Wednesday, coach Tubby Smith said he's simply trying to take his team to Indianapolis in the right mood so the players can enjoy the experience, "let it all hang out and see what happens." The Gophers have lost nine of their last 10 games.
They open the tournament Thursday against Northwestern.
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