I was pretty amused tonight by ESPN highlight the University of Minnesota men’s basketball team’s NCAA tournament resume during college basketball coverage.

It’s not going to happen.

And this was after Tuesday night’s pummeling at the hands of Michigan.

I personally don’t see it happening. Two games now separate the top five teams in the Big Ten Conference and the bottom six. And while the Big Ten was impressive in nonconference – including winning the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the first time in history – I think it’s too easy for the committee to simply let in the top five teams and skip the others.

The Gophers are now below .500 in conference at 8-9, with only Sunday’s game against Iowa remaining on the schedule. I will be at Sunday’s regular-season finale. When I first got the tickets, I’d hoped the game would mean something. Turns out it doesn’t.

Nothing short of an appearance in the Big Ten championship game will put this team in the NCAA tournament field. And I just don’t see that happening. The Gophers have been too inconsistent, especially on the road. Playing on a neutral court for a conference tournament just isn’t going to do the trick.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Sunday’s game will sway me. I’ll make sure to blog what I saw after the game.