The Indiana men's basketball team entered Wednesday's senior night matchup against the Minnesota Golden Gophers needing a win in the worst possible way. The Hoosiers had dropped four games in a row, and had seen their NCAA Tournament hopes take a dive in the process.
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The Hoosiers flexed their muscles at the biggest time to claim a 77-47 win over the Gophers. The 30-point win not only snapped the four-game skid, but put Indiana back in the good graces of ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi.
Indiana gets bracketology boost following convinving win over Minnesota
On Tuesday, Lunardi had IU slated as the first team in the "First Four Out" category of his March Madness bracket projection. However, Indiana's tournament fate has shifted drastically following Wednesday's win over Minnesota.
In his latest bracket projection that was released on Wednesday night, Lunardi now has Indiana qualifying for the NCAA Tournament - but barely. Now, the Hoosiers are listed as the final team in the "Last Four In" category.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 5, 2026
As impressive as IU's dominating win over Minnesota was, Darian DeVries' squad still has plenty of work to do. Firmly on the bubble, the Hoosiers need to find the win column on Saturday on the road at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes are also firmly on the bubble, as Lunardi has OSU as the last team in the "Last Four Byes" category of his latest projection. The Hoosiers have a great opportunity to move to 10-10 in Big Ten play with a win, and an extra Q1 win on the road could do wonders for their NCAA Tournament hopes.
The Buckeyes are 19-11 overall and 11-8 in Big Ten play this season. They enter Saturday's crucial matchup coming off back-to-back wins over No. 8 Purdue and Penn State. It will be senior night at the Schottenstein Center, so the Buckeye faithful will be sure to create a raucous environment. Looking to boost their tournament resume even more, this is essentially a must-win game for the Hoosiers.