Dawn Plitzuweit’s basketball team had so much on the line Sunday in Champaign, Ill., she didn’t want her Gophers thinking about it. Her team had done a lot of good work to put itself in position to finish fourth in the Big Ten, secure a double-bye in the Big Ten Conference tournament and perhaps even host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament at Williams Arena. Discussing it before Sunday’s regular-season finale against Illinois wasn’t even necessary. Minnesota point guard Amaya Battle (3) brings sets up a halfcourt set in the first half of the Gophers' 78-73 victory at Illinois in the regular-season finale at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. (Keelen Barlow / Gophers Athletics) “They already know,” Plitzuweit said, and emphasizing it, she added, “Just gets in your way. We just need to continue to put our nose to the grindstone.” Ultimately, that’s what the 22nd-ranked Gophers did, gutting out a 78-73 victory at State Farm Center to finish the season 22-7 overall, 13-5 in the Big Ten, the Gophers’ best conference finish since the 2004-05 team went 12-4 before advancing to the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16. “It’s crazy how good (the Big Ten) is. It has to be celebrated,” Plitzuweit said on the Learfield broadcast after Sunday’s game. “This group has done a very good job.” The Gophers finished tied with No. 17 Ohio State for fourth place in the 18-team Big Ten Conference with a 13-5 record, and earned the conference tournament’s No. 4 seed — and the first- and second-round byes for this week’s conference tournament in Indianapolis — that go with it. The Gophers won’t play until Friday, against the team that emerges from a second-round game between the Buckeyes and the winner or a first-round matchup between Illinois and Indiana. Further, the Gophers are in the running to open the NCAA tournament at Williams Arena as the Nos. 1-4 seeds will be awarded two rounds at home. Minnesota already has put in a bid, and before the Gophers tipped off on Sunday, the NCAA tournament projected Minnesota as a Top 4 seed. “It’s rewarding,” Gophers post Sophie Hart told Learfield after scoring a team-high 17 points and pulling down six rebounds against the Illini. “We tried not to focus too much on it because we didn’t want to play the game today with too much weight on our shoulders. But we worked hard and stayed together. It feels fun. It just feels good.” Illinois erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to make it a tie game with 1 minute remaining, but the Gophers allowed only one more field goal — an Aaliyah Guyton 3-pointer as time expired — while going 8 for 8 from the line. After committing a turnover, Mara Braun answered by hitting a 3-pointer to give Minnesota a 70-65 lead and stanch some bleeding with 2 minutes, 6 seconds remaining. “That was a huge shot, a big-time shot that she made,” Plitzuweit said. From there, the Gophers clamped down defensively, made their free throws and, as important, successfully inbounded the ball after a pair of timeouts. That forced the Illini to foul, and Hart (two), Braun (two) and Tori McKinney made all eight of their free throws to seal the win. Amaya Battle finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, and post Finau Tonga chipped with 11 points from the bench. Braun (11) and McKinney (10) also scored in double figures for the Gophers, who finished the conference season with 10 wins in their last 11 games. Last season, the Gophers just missed out on an NCAA tournament bid before moving on to win the Women’s Basketball Tournament. Now they’re set to earn their first invitation to the Big Dance — by winning the conference tournament or with an at-large bid — and perhaps even host a pair of games. “It’ll be fun,” said Hart, who played in the NCAA tournament at N.C. State before transferring to Minnesota. “Right now, our eyes are on the Big Ten tourney. The Big Ten is still March (basketball). “It’s just fun. There’s a different vibe going on. Teams are hitting their stride, and we feel like we’re hitting our stride at the right time.” Related Articles Women’s basketball: Win streak dead, Gophers vow to focus on what’s next Women’s basketball: Gophers jump to No. 22 in AP Top 25 poll Gophers women’s basketball: Second-half surge leads Spartans past Minnesota Gophers women’s basketball: Relaxed, having fun, and winning Women’s basketball: Gophers find aim, run away from No. 10 Ohio State ...read more read less