Gators Look to Keep WBIT Run Alive in Semifinal Matchup vs. Gophers

Last Updated: March 30, 2025By


INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — The Gators have arrived in Indianapolis for the 2025 WBIT semifinals, where they will face Minnesota on Monday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The game is set to tip off at 5 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPNU.
 
Florida entered the postseason tournament as a No. 3 seed and the Gophers were seeded at No. 2. Both UF and Minnesota will look to extend their three-game win streak and punch a ticket into the 2025 WBIT Championship game.  

No. 2 Seed Minnesota (23-11, 8-10 BIG 10):

A FLORIDA WIN WOULD:

  • Tally Florida’s first 20-win season since 2021-22
  • Punch UF’s ticket into a postseason final for the first time since 2000
  • Make the Gators 6-1 in post-season play for 2025
  • Mark UF’s fourth consecutive win in the WBIT
  • Be the Gators first championship appearance under Kelly Rae Finley
  • Put Florida’s all-time record in the WBIT to 4-1

 
TALE OF THE TAPE:
















Florida THE NUMBERS Minnesota
75.3 PPG 73.6
71.4 OPP PPG 61.7
+3.8 SCORING MARGIN +11.9
45.4 FG % 43.6
40.9 OPP FG% 41.1
32.6 3 FG% 32.1
72.9 FT % 74.7
39.8 REBOUNDS PG 38.4
14.5 ASSISTS PG 15.6
17.1 TURNOVERS PG 11.1
7.3 STEALS PG 7.6
3.9 BLOCKS PG 2.0

PREGAME PRESSER:

 
THE SERIES:
The series stands at 0-0 between the Gators and the Golden Gophers.
 
GATORS X GOPHERS HISTORY:
Florida and Minnesota have never met in recorded school history. Monday’s contest will mark the first meeting between the Gators and Gophers.
 
PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS:

 
FLORIDA’S LAST TIME OUT:
Florida held off the Lady Raiders in a second half surge, defending their home court on Thursday night. UF’s last time out ended in a 67-64 victory to extend their win streak to three. As a whole, Florida went 23-56 from the field (41.1%) with two players in double figures for scoring.
 
Liv McGill led all with a 22-point performance, followed by Ra Shaya Kyle posting 21. Kyle also led the Gators on the defensive end with 12 rebounds. Kyle’s 21-points and 12 rebounds marked her sixteenth double-double of the year.

PROJECTED MINNESOTA STARTERS:









Minnesota No. Height  Position Class Hometown/Previous School
Tori McKinney 14 6-1 G Fr. Minnetonka, Minn./ Minnetonka HS
Amaya Battle 3 5-11 G Jr. Hopkins, Minn./ Hopkins HS
Grace Grocholski 25 5-10 G/F So. North Prairie, Wis./ Kettle Moraine High School
Sophie Hart 52 6-5 C Sr. Farmington, Minn./ NC State
Mallory Heyer 24 6-1 F Jr. Chaska, Minn./ Chaska HS

 
ABOUT MINNESOTA:
The Golden Gophers enter the semifinals with a 23-11 overall record from the 2024-25 season. During conference play, Minnesota posted 8 wins and logged 10 losses.
 
Minnesota’s most recent contest was an overtime win over Gonzaga. The Golden Gophers defeated the Bulldogs 82-77 on their home court to solidify their spot in semifinals of the WBIT.
 
Individually, Minnesota is led in scoring by Battle with an average of 14.3 points per game. The Golden Gophers have three others posting double figures in scoring, Grocholski (13.8), McKinney (10.7), and Hart (10.2). Heyer leads Minnesota on the defensive with an average of 8.7 rebounds per game, followed by Hart at 4.9. 

ABOUT THE WBIT:

Event Information

Selection Criteria

Updated Bracket

 

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