MINNEAPOLIS -- The NCAA basketball tournament had its humble beginnings way back in 1939. There wasn't nearly as much hype surrounding the even back then as there is now, but nonetheless, March Madness was born.
Since the inception of the tournament, the University of Minnesota men's basketball team has gotten off to 0-4 starts in the Big Ten a total of 10 times, including this season. During the Gophers' first nine 0-4 starts, making the NCAA tournament never came to fruition.
Before this year, Minnesota's most recent 0-4 mark to start Big Ten play came during the 2011-12 season when the Gophers lost to Illinois in double overtime before losing to Michigan, Iowa and Purdue. From that point, Minnesota went on to win five of its next seven and was right around the .500 mark in the conference. Thanks to a soft nonconference schedule that saw the Gophers at 12-1 before hitting the Big Ten, Minnesota's overall record was still in decent shape. But after a six-game losing streak late in the season, any NCAA tournament hopes were dashed.
The Gophers had an even worse start to the Big Ten season back in 2005-06 under Dan Monson. Minnesota lost six in a row to open the conference season and went on to finish 5-11 in the Big Ten. Yet somehow, Monson's team earned a trip to the National Invitational Tournament.
Past 0-4 starts have yielded even less in terms of postseason play. Monson's team in 2003-04 started 0-8 in the Big Ten and finished 3-13 in conference play, with no postseason tournament to speak of. Clem Haskins' second season at the helm in 1987-88 saw an 0-5 mark to begin the Big Ten. Once again, no tournaments for the Gophers that year. In fact, just twice in the previous nine years (not counted a vacated season) in which Minnesota started 0-4 did the Gophers even make the NIT.
So what does that say about Minnesota's current 0-4 record in the Big Ten? Well, history certainly isn't on the Gophers' side at this juncture. Minnesota still has 14 conference games remaining, plus the Big Ten tournament. Richard Pitino's team hopes to be the first in school history to start 0-4 in the conference and still make the big dance.
"We don't talk like that," Pitino said Monday when asked if his team could still make the tournament. "We don't talk about those things. We talk about just getting better every day. I can't predict the future."
Minnesota has had years in which it made the NCAA tournament despite enduring four-game losing streaks in the Big Ten -- it just happened that those skids weren't at the start of the conference season. You only have to look back two years, though, to find the last instance. During the 2012-13 season, Minnesota started 3-0 in the Big Ten before losing four straight to Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern and Wisconsin.
The Gophers' 1997-98 season technically doesn't count in the record books, as it was one of several years vacated due to NCAA sanctions. But during that season, Minnesota started 0-6 in the Big Ten and finished with a 6-10 conference record yet still earned a spot in the NIT -- of course, none of those games technically count now.
History may not favor Minnesota after its latest 0-4 start, and there's certainly disappointment in Dinkytown after the Gophers' latest loss.
"It's definitely frustrating," said junior forward Joey King. "We really wanted that one on the road at Michigan. It is what it is. We have to just move forward and look forward to our next game."
That next game is Tuesday night against an Iowa team that already has two big road wins against ranked teams this season. Minnesota needs to take care of its home court in order to have any sort of chance at a tournament bid.
As the record books have shown, an 0-4 start in the conference has made it tough for the Gophers to make the NCAA tournament. An 0-5 deficit would be even tougher.
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