Minnesota women’s basketball faces Green Bay Friday in NCAA tournament
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The University of Minnesota women’s basketball team is back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018 — and for the first time under head coach Dawn Plitzuweit.
Minnesota, a No. 4 seed, will face No. 13 Green Bay in the first round at Williams Arena on Friday. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. and will air on ESPNU, with streaming available through the ESPN app and ESPN+ for subscribers.
The two teams have met once before in the NCAA Tournament, on March 16, 2018, when the 10th-seeded Golden Gophers upset No. 7 seed Green Bay 89-77 in Eugene, Ore.
Green Bay earned its NCAA tournament berth by winning the Horizon League Tournament, defeating Youngstown State 57‑49 to claim the title. Green Bay’s leading scorer this season is center/forward Jenna Guyer, a redshirt senior from Circle Pines.
The Gophers earned an at‑large bid after a 22‑8 season and a competitive showing in the Big Ten, continuing a rebuild under Plitzuweit, who was hired in March 2023.
Minnesota’s roster features a balanced starting lineup, with Amaya Battle, Mara Braun, Tori McKinney, Grace Grocholski, and Sophie Hart each averaging between 10.9 and 13.1 points per game. The team has been built around strong defense, allowing an average of just 57.9 points per game and holding opponents under 50 points 11 times this season.
A win Friday would send Minnesota to Sunday’s second round against the winner of No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Gonzaga.
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