After a 1-0 loss to Wisconsin in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament last Wednesday, the Minnesota Gophers softball team ended their regular season squarely on the NCAA bubble. Minnesota had the #38 RPI in the nation but ended with just a 26-24-1 overall record and a sub-.500 record in the Big Ten. Would that last loss be enough to keep them out of the NCAA tournament for the first time in nine seasons?
The answer would be no. Minnesota earned the benefit of the doubt after playing eighth-most difficult schedule in the country, and the second toughest non-conference schedule in the nation.