ARE THE MINNESOTA GOPHERS IN OR OUT OF THE BIG DANCE

I GOT THIS FROM THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

If the Gophers needed a victory Friday to secure an NCAA tournament bid, they didn't succeed.

If the selection committee just wanted proof that they could hang with one of the best teams in the country in a tournament setting, then maybe the Gophers passed the test.

Minnesota suffered a 64-56 loss against Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, but Gophers coach Tubby Smith said he thought his team might have shown enough.

"They're definitely one of the better teams," Smith said. "And we went toe to toe with them at least for a good half, a good 30 minutes there. And I think that is noteworthy for anybody that saw the game ... [the Gophers] could represent well in postseason play."

Whether Minnesota's third loss against Michigan State this season hurt its chances of earning an at-large bid won't be known until Sunday, when the NCAA tournament field is announced.

The Gophers have enough positives on their résumé to warrant serious consideration. They defeated Northwestern 66-53 in the opening round of the tournament, had a respectable Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of 38 after Friday's game and have five victories over teams in the RPI's top 50.

A victory against Big Ten champ and potential No. 1 seed Michigan State would have virtually guaranteed Minnesota a bid.

"I thought we had to win," said guard Lawrence Westbrook, who had 10 points. "Hopefully, we're in, but I figured this is the No. 1 team in the conference, they're fighting for a No. 1 seed, so if we would have beat them, that's huge for our résumé. But it didn't go our way."

Michigan State, one of the quickest teams in the country, scored only two points the entire game on fast breaks, while Minnesota got 17 on the run. The Gophers forced 16 turnovers and were down only 33-30 at halftime.

But after playing Michigan State even for most of Friday's game, an offensive drought caused by an uptick in Michigan State's defensive intensity, turnovers and missed chances at the free-throw line proved costly for the Gophers.

Minnesota failed to score for 4 minutes, 47 seconds after Devron Bostick, who had his second double-digit effort in the conference tournament with 12 points, made a layup with 15:43 to play that cut Michigan State's edge to 38-36. From there Minnesota searched in vain for scorers while the Spartans found an offensive rhythm.

A game-changing 8-0 run, punctuated by a pair of flashy alley oops, enlivened the Michigan State fans scattered throughout Conseco Fieldhouse.

Minnesota's last push -- a 7-0 run in the closing minutes -- ended with Damian Johnson scoring two of his game-high 19 points with 1:23 to play. With a 58-53 lead, Michigan State finished the game going 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Chris Allen's 17 points led the Spartans.

Misfires from the free-throw stripe -- the Gophers were 13-for-27 -- doomed their chance at a late comeback.

But in spite of the loss, Gophers players said they believe they deserve the program's first bid to the NCAA tourney since 2005. Only now, they'll have to wait like everyone else until Sunday to find out whether the selection committee agrees.

"I'm kind of nervous for Sunday, but at the same time I can't wait," freshman guard Devoe Joseph said. "I think it's going to be a fun experience. Hopefully, everything turns out our way on Sunday and we can find out we're going to dance."