Gophers don’t hesitate to grab NIT spot, look forward to facing Butler

Gophers coach Ben Johnson had a conversation with his players before Sunday's NIT selection show to see if they wanted to play if invited.

Several major conference programs opted out of the NIT after not making the NCAA tournament this year. Johnson's team never entertained that thought.

Frustrated at how the Big Ten season ended, the Gophers are excited to keep playing. Their version of March Madness starts in the NIT's first round on Tuesday night at Butler. They will play at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the same location as the NIT semifinals and championship. That provides some motivation.

"They really expressed they were excited to keep playing," Johnson said. "They know this could be a good building block and momentum swing for us leading into the spring, the summer and next year. They know we can play better basketball than how we ended."

The NCAA tournament seemed to be a realistic goal for the Gophers (18-14) after beating Ohio State at Williams Arena on Feb. 22, but they ended up losing five of their last six games. A sixth straight loss away from the Barn came against Michigan State in the Big Ten tourney at Target Center.

The Gophers arguably have one of the more talented rosters in the NIT's 32-team field, especially with Big Ten assist leader Elijah Hawkins, All-Big Ten forward Dawson Garcia and all-league freshman Cam Christie.

Johnson sensed the Gophers were worn down at the end of Big Ten play as they struggled defensively and to finish games. He talked about going deeper into his bench vs. Butler to keep his starters fresh.

"You have to be able to handle the grind of a Big Ten season and not let it take its toll," Johnson said. "That's half the battle earlier in these types of tournaments. The fresher team mentally and physically normally has a little bit of advantage."

Butler finished eighth in the Big East with the same overall and conference records as the Gophers at 18-14 and 9-11. Butler's Thad Matta, formerly the coach at Ohio State, won 14 games last season in his first year, and his team has beaten Marquette, Boise State, Texas Tech, and Creighton this season.

The Bulldogs lost 76-72 against Xavier in the first round of the Big East tournament last week. Guards Pierre Brooks and Posh Alexander combined for 35 points, but they also committed 12 of the team's 18 turnovers.

The Gophers haven't played in the NIT since winning the title when Johnson was an assistant in Richard Pitino's first season in 2013-14. He knows what type of mentality is needed to make a deep run.

"The disappointment of not making the NCAA tournament is real," Johnson said. "You want guys to wrap their head around, if we're going to do this, let's have two feet in and do it to win it."