ROSEMONT, Ill. -- They cut strands of netting in Madison Square Garden last April and celebrated a college basketball championship. There were hugs, smiles and a trophy -- all the elements players had dreamed about since before arriving at Minnesota.
But what is a college basketball championship when it's not that college basketball championship? You know, the one that ends with a One Shining Moment montage in front of nearly 80,000 fans at the Final Four site. What does it mean to win the NIT -- the other title in a tournament teams would rather not play?
Gophers coach Richard Pitino has considered the same questions, and the answers are complicated. He noted Thursday at the Big Ten's basketball media day that a conference sports information assistant hadn't even bothered to put the victory in the Gophers' preseason notes package.
Such is life when a group of players capture a title that technically makes them the 69th-best team in the country.
"Winning the NIT, it's just weird," Pitino said. "Nobody knows how to handle it. Do you brag about it? Do you talk about it?"
Minnesota center Maurice Walker said he even contemplated wearing his NIT championship ring during media day. Then, he thought better of it.
"I don't know, I feel like it's not really something," Walker said. "A lot of people in here have accomplished much more. We strive to accomplish more."
Despite the hesitancy of Minnesota players and coaches to celebrate six months later, there is something to be said for the way in which the Gophers performed in a single-elimination postseason tournament. And there is even more to be said for a group that returns several key players off that team, including five of the top eight scorers.
Minnesota gutted out five consecutive victories to capture the NIT title, beat Florida State in overtime in the semifinal and narrowly edged SMU by two points for the championship. The Gophers finished the season 25-13, which officially represented a school record for single-season victories.
"It's something that we can build on," Gophers guard Andre Hollins said. "Obviously every team's goal at the end of the year is to make the NCAA tournament, have a shot at the tournament. Unfortunately we didn't get that shot. But we got an opportunity to play in the NIT.
"We took full advantage of the opportunity. We were one of two teams in the nation to get to say they ended the season on a win. You can use that as a foundation for this year to know what it felt like not to be picked in the NCAA tournament and also what it takes to win a national championship, even though it is the NIT. It's nothing but good to come out of that."
Hollins led the team in scoring a year ago (13.6 points) and will be counted on to have an even bigger role with the departure of Austin Hollins. Minnesota's other returning contributors off last year's team include DeAndre Mathieu (12.0 points), Walker (7.8 points), Joey King (7.1 points) and Elliott Eliason (5.0 points).
Both Andre Hollins and Walker said players had a better idea of their roles in Year 2 of Pitino's system -- something that should prove beneficial with a more veteran team.
"When you take over a job, you've got to explain to 15 guys what you want offensively or defensively," Pitino said. "Well now I've only really got to explain it to three or four. When Andre Hollins makes a mistake, he knows it, I know it and we move on."
Pitino added that Eliason and Walker would be counted on to take another step in their maturation as post players so Minnesota could develop more components to its offense. Pitino noted last year's team often relied too much on perimeter shots. The Gophers finished 8-10 in conference play and earned the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten tournament.
"We probably got a little bit 3-point happy," Pitino said. "I think we made the most 3s in school history. We also took the most 3s in school history, and that's not always a good thing. I think everybody wants to establish that inside-out attack, and we've got to do that."
There is an inconsistent pattern in recent history when it comes to determining how an NIT title propels that team forward the following season. Three of the past six NIT winners have missed the NCAA tournament the next year. Penn State, which won the 2009 NIT, went 11-20 and finished dead last in the Big Ten a year later.
But Wichita State, which won the NIT title in 2011, has become a force in the NCAA tournament. The Shockers have reached three straight big dances, including a Final Four. Last season, they were college basketball's final unbeaten team and finished 35-1 with a round of 32 loss to eventual runner-up Kentucky.
A similar NIT-to-NCAA tournament turnaround would be welcomed at Minnesota.
"I don't shy away from being proud that we won the NIT," Pitino said. "But our goal is certainly to be in the NCAA tournament. I think it's been very beneficial for them. They're proud of it, too, but you're not going to brag about winning the NIT. You want to be in the big dance, and certainly our guys are eager to get to that."
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