Indiana’s runaway 77-47 win over the Gophers in the penultimate regular-season game on Wednesday could actually assist both teams’ postseason positioning.

The Hoosiers needed the home win to help them get off the NCAA Tournament bubble and into the field, while Minnesota could benefit from Indiana going to March Madness because, in turn, it could open up one of the few conference spots for the U to make the College Basketball Crown tournament.

The Big Ten is projected to get roughly 10 teams into the NCAA Tournament, with the next two teams in the NET ranking pegged for the Crown. Going into Wednesday, the NET has Minnesota as the 13th Big Ten team — 69th in the nation — behind Indiana (40), Washington (61) and Southern Cal (63).

Gophers coach Niko Medved said Monday he was intrigued in the potential opportunity in the Crown, a second-year tourney to be held in Las Vegas in early April. But he seemed reticent about a spot in the next option, the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).

“It just depends on how it’s set up: Who you would play? And when you would play? What that looks like?” Medved told the Pioneer Press. “I just think we have to decide. I’m not saying I would or I wouldn’t. We would be interested in any postseason, but I have a pretty good feel about how the Crown would be set up. I think that one would make sense.”

The Gophers’ final regular-season game is Saturday night against Northwestern (11-16, 5-13) at Williams Arena, followed by the Big Ten tournament in Chicago next week. Minnesota (14-16, 7-12) has secured a first-round bye in the conference tourney.

One question to keep in mind is how much does the Gophers roster have left for the postseason? Three starters are already out for the season and some players within their current six-man rotation are playing banged up. For one, Grayson Grove has a shoulder ailment.

At Assembly Hall on Wednesday, the Hoosiers (18-12, 9-10 Big Ten) played with urgency over their uncertain postseason fate. They had an early a 14-2 run to take 20-6 lead only six minutes into the game.

Cade Tyson — the Gophers’ best bet for all-Big Ten honors next week — got hot with a pair of 3-pointers and two 3-point plays to help keep Minnesota in the game at 26-22. But Indiana closed the half with an 8-0 lead to make it 43-28 at the break.

Indiana had a 14-0 run midway through the second half, while Minnesota managed only 19 points in the entire second half.

“It was obviously a good, old-fashioned, you-know-what kicking, in every way,” Medved said in the KTLK-AM postgame show. “We knew and explained to our team, (Indiana) was going to come out desperate here (Wednesday). The fact that we beat them (in Minneapolis) is one thing, but they are playing for their NCAA tournament lives. It’s senior night. They are going to be really emotional and they were going to take the fight to us.”

The Gophers’ 2-3 zone defense was a key piece in winning three of the previous four games, but the Hoosiers unlocked it. Sam Alexis was on the receiving end with 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting.

Back on Dec. 3, Minnesota beat then-22nd-ranked Indiana in the Big Ten opener at The Barn, but on the road Wednesday, the U lost its tenth straight game in Bloomington, Ind., since 2012.

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