With March Madness rapidly approaching faster than anybody realizes, it's time for us here at SB Nation Minnesota to start providing some coverage of Golden Gopher hoops. So, our cagers. . .both male and female. . .are going to get the schedule treatment that all of Minnesota's other sports teams get from us.
Let's start with the women's team. . .ladies first, and all that, after all. The ladies have had a bit of a rough go of it since the Big Ten season started, having dropped their first five in-conference games to push their overall record to 8-10 on the season. The Gopher women have two games scheduled for this week, and hopefully they can get off the proverbial schneid in Big Ten conference play. However, both games will present tough tests against two of the top teams in the conference.
Their first contest this week is a home game against the Wisconsin Badgers on Thursday night. While the Badgers don't have a terribly pretty overall record. . .only 9-9 on the year. . .they are 4-2 in conference play, only half a game behind the conference leaders. This will be the second time this year these two teams match up, as the Gophers dropped a 47-42 decision to the Badgers in Madison back on January 9. Tip-off for Monday night's game is set for 7:30 PM Central time. You can catch this game on the Big Ten Network if your cable company provides it.
The ladies then have to go on the road for a Sunday afternoon matinee in East Lansing against the Michigan State Spartans. Michigan State is having an outstanding season thus far, with a 16-2 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Big Ten Conference play. Little wonder, then, that they're currently the ninth-ranked team in America. These two teams have not met this year, and won't meet again after this one until the Big Ten season finale on February 27. This one is set to get underway at 1:00 PM Central time. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that this one is going to be televised anywhere.
The men have had a significantly better season to this point, having spent most of the year ranked in the Top 25 in both the AP poll and the coaches poll. They currently have a 3-3 record in the Big Ten, and an overall record of 14-4 on the season. When we get the updated rankings for the Gophers, we'll be sure to get them to you as soon as we can.
The Gopher men have only one game this week, as they'll head out on the road on Ann Arbor on Saturday to take on the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan has an overall record of 11-7 this season, and are only 1-4 in the Big Ten so far. These two teams have not played each other yet this season. Tip-off for this one is set for 6:00 PM Central time, and will also be available on the Big Ten Network.
And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. . .your upcoming week in Gopher men's and women's basketball.