--After Blake Hoffarber hit his already infamous buzzer beater to give the Gophers the win over Indiana in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, his teammates tackled him, hugged him and high-fived him. But wrapped up in that special moment was a sour one. The Gophers have a tendency to wait until it's too late to get back into games.

--As Spencer Tollackson hobbled around on a bad ankle throughout the Big Ten tourney, you wanted to feel sorry for him. But in the first part of a semifinal loss against Illinois, Tollackson was one of the few Gophers playing with a sense of urgency. Too often, the Gophers need adversity to get riled up in a game. That's why the NIT is a bad tournament for them. There's not a whole lot on the line. They don't always perform in those situations.

COACH
Tubby Smith, first year at Minnesota, 14 consecutive seasons in the NCAA Tournament until this season.

LAST POSTSEASON APPEARANCE
Second round, 2006 NIT, lost to Cincinnati 76-62.

THEY'LL ADVANCE IF: Blake Hoffarber and Lawrence McKenzie have success from the 3-point line. When they hit outside shots, Minnesota's bigs play bigger in the paint.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"I think we'll be ready to play." -- Tubby Smith, Gophers head coach.

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