Mbakwe will pay back scholarship if Gophers don’t make tournament

Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

Gopher forward Trevor Mbakwe tweeted Saturday night and made a bet: if Minnesota doesn’t qualify for the NCAA Tournament in March, he will pay back this year’s scholarship.

Mbakwe, who has more than 10,000 followers on Twitter, was met with instant approval from friends and fans, some telling the sixth year player that he might be going a little too hard on himself.

Even Mbakwe’s yogo instrutor, who has been working with Mbakwe during the offseason, responded to his tweet by saying: “I believe in u but let’s talk.”

Mbakwe’s tweet was sent after 11 p.m. Saturday night, and it can be assumed that no one from the Minnesota Athletics Department Public Relations staff cleared Mbakwe to make such a statement.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how this plays out as the Gopher basketball season tips off November 9 against American University at home.

Until then, the true extent of Mbakwe’s bet will be unknown.

Obviously it was used as a self-motivator for a star player who has failed to stay healthy and elevate his team to the top tier of the conference, but basketball is a team sport, and there’s no guarantee that Mbakwe’s statement will have a good impact on the rest of the team, especially on the younger players.