Minnesota’s head coach, Dawn Plitzuweit, drew from her collegiate musical influences for motivation during last season’s postseason WNIT run, where the Golden Gophers reached the championship game.
She played “Gaining Momentum” by MC Hammer to inspire her young team. The additional games in the WNIT provided valuable experience in a competitive environment, which ultimately proved beneficial.
“I had them listen to MC Hammer and ’90s tunes,” Plitzuweit shared during a phone interview on Monday. “It was a unique chance to compete, especially since we had numerous road games due to scheduling issues that prevented us from hosting. That experience prepared us well for this season.”
This approach certainly paid off, as the team capitalized on the momentum from their title game appearance to achieve the best start in the program’s history, winning 16 of their first 17 matches.
In the latest AP Top 25 rankings, Minnesota received its first ranking since 2019, debuting at No. 24. The Golden Gophers now look ahead to a challenging game against No. 8 Maryland on Tuesday night.
“We’re focused on learning how to compete at a high standard,” Plitzuweit emphasized. “Understanding what every possession has to look like and consistently executing the basics is quite demanding.” Despite their success, the team has encountered injury challenges, with Taylor Woodson sidelined due to a season-ending knee injury, and leading scorer Mara Braun facing an indefinite absence due to a fracture in her right foot, which she previously injured last January.
In the wider landscape of Division I women’s basketball, only three undefeated teams remain after Georgia Tech and Maryland experienced their first losses of the season last week. Currently, No. 1 UCLA (16-0) has tied its best start in school history, No. 5 LSU (19-0) is enjoying the second-best start in their history, and No. 9 Ohio State (17-0) is off to its strongest season start ever.
Meanwhile, Pitt made headlines with an incredible comeback victory, overcoming a 32-point deficit to defeat SMU, marking one of the largest comebacks in Division I history. The Panthers are set to face two ranked teams in consecutive games, visiting No. 21 N.C. State before hosting 14th-ranked North Carolina.
In terms of NCAA standings, the weekly NET rankings, a critical component in determining the NCAA Tournament’s bracket, currently position South Carolina at the top, followed closely by Texas.
