Minnesota looks to keep its strong start going with its first ranking in 6 years

Minnesota coach Dawn Plitzuweit turned to her choice of college music for inspiration last season as the Golden Gophers made it to the finals of the postseason WNIT.

She played “Gain Momentum” by rapper MC Hammer as a way to motivate her young team. Playing extra games in the WNIT last year helped her team gain more experience in a competitive environment.

“I got them listening to MC Hammer and ’90s music,” Plitzuweit said in a phone interview. “It was an extra opportunity to compete and with a lot of games on the road because we couldn’t host due to scheduling conflicts. It helped us get ready for this year.”

The move paid off, with the team riding momentum from the title game to the best start in school history, earning 16 wins in the first 17 games.

Minnesota secured its first ranking since 2019, entering the AP Top 25 at No. 24. Next up for the Golden Gophers is a trip to face Maryland no. 8.

“The first step is learning to compete,” she said. “We have to get that point. To compete at a high level, every possession what does that look like? To do the little things well over and over and over again. That’s really challenging to do.”

Despite the win, Minnesota has had to face adversity with injuries. Taylor Woodson is out after suffering a season-ending knee injury. Top scorer Mara Braun broke a bone in her right foot, the same one she injured last January. She is out indefinitely.

Then there were three

Three undefeated teams remain in Division I women’s basketball after Georgia Tech and Maryland suffered their first losses of the season. no. 1 UCLA, no. 5 LSU and no. 9 Ohio State is the final three remaining. The Bruins are 16-0, matching the best start in school history. LSU is 19-0, the second-best start ever for the Tigers, four wins short of matching the 2022-23 squad. At 17-0, the Buckeyes are off to their best start ever.

Record comeback

Pitt pulled off a historic victory by rallying from 32 down to beat SMU to tie for the greatest comeback in Division I history. Now on back-to-back games against ranked opponents, the Panthers visit No. 21 at NC State and hosts 14th ranked North Carolina.

NET ratings

The NCAA’s weekly NET rankings — one of the tools the selection committee uses to determine the NCAA tournament bracket — have South Carolina no. 1 and Texas number two.