Baylor and Minnesota will play for pride, experience and exposure when they meet in a College Basketball Crown quarterfinal on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Oh, and for their share of the $500,000 NIL prize pool available to the eight teams in this postseason tournament.
Each quarterfinal winner collects $50,000. The teams that win Saturday’s semifinals are guaranteed $100,000, but Sunday’s champion collects an additional $200,000.
“Every postseason experience is a blessing — and what I mean by that is not many people get a chance to play this time of year,” said Baylor coach Scott Drew. “There will be a lot of eyes, a lot of attention, a lot of scouts, a lot of opportunities for our guys.
“We’ve been blessed with a great group of guys, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to spend a few more weeks with them and hopefully finish this year with a win. It’s a great way to build momentum and to use this experience as a springboard.”
Baylor (16-16) hasn’t played since its 83-79 loss to Arizona State on March 10 in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament. The Bears continued their pattern of alternating wins and losses over their final seven games.
Guards Cameron Carr (19.2 points per game) and Tounde Yessoufou (17.8 ppg) pace the Bears’ seven-man rotation.
Minnesota (15-17) heads to Vegas after falling to Rutgers 72-67 in the second round of the Big Ten tournament March 11. Similar to Baylor, the Golden Gophers alternated wins and losses over their final six games.
Injuries limited Minnesota to a six-man rotation for the final month of the season.
Senior guard Cade Tyson (19.6 ppg) leads five Golden Gophers in double figures while Langston Reynolds has dished out a team-best 4.6 assists per outing.
“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Minnesota coach Niko Medved said Monday. “I asked the guys what they wanted to do, and they wanted to play. Vegas, baby. Let’s go.
“it’s a great thing, considering, you know, whatever your circumstances are. For us we’re here in year one, and It’s been documented, right, all the injuries (we’ve endured). The hardest part is waiting this long to play, right? Your season’s over and you haven’t played for so long. I think that’s a real challenge.”
Wednesday’s clash will be the first meeting between Baylor and Minnesota.
