Missouri's 83-60 victory over Minnesota back in November is probably the furthest thing from the Tigers' minds at the moment, but its now becoming a very important win. After the Gophers defeated the No. 10 ranked Michigan Spartans on Wednesday night, Minnesota's NET ranking has leaped from 84 to 72. Not only that, but the Tigers' victory is now considered a Quad 2 win, up from a Quad 3 win initially.
The Tigers themselves are also up to No. 68 in the NET, and need every bit of help they can get, so the Gophers huge upset is a very good thing for Missouri's NCAA Tournament dreams. While incidental, Mizzou will take an sort of help they can get as they vie for a spot in the field of 68.
The Minnesota Gophers inadvertently helped Missouri's tournament chances
Mizzou has been riding the tournament bubble for much of the season, and barring an epic win streak, will likely come down to the wire for their tournament fate. Minnesota now becomes their first and only Quad 2 victory, as they were 0-3 previously. The Tigers are 3-4 in Quad 1 games and 11-0 in Quad 3 and 4 matchups.
Missouri will finish the season with exclusively Quad 1 and 2 games, so there's still plenty of opportunity to boost their resume, but it doesn't hurt to get a little help from their Big Ten opponent. Four of the remaining nine games are also against ranked opponents, giving the Tigers a prime opportunity to jump out of bubble territory.
The Tigers battled injuries and poor free throw shooting all season, but could still control their own fate with a good run over this last month. And while their weak non-conference schedule hadn't been doing them any favors, they'll now get a slight boost from an unlikely source.