The Miami Hurricanes appeared to be on their way to challenge for a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament. Those top four seeds in each region are protected. They are assigned a game close to home and avoid playing a conference team before the Elite Eight.
Miami does not have a great resume. The Hurricanes early season win over Minnesota seemed impressive at the time. The Golden Gophers were ranked 15th in the country when Miami won at Williams Arena in November. They are 14-14 on the season, 3-12 in the Big Ten and 130th in the RPI.