The first Big Ten basketball team that we will preview is Minnesota, who finished at the bottom of the conference last season. This year does not appear to be much better for the Gophers. The transfer portal was not kind to Minnesota as they lost three starters. They also did not have a very good high school recruiting class. The one bright spot in the offseason is the return of Dawson Garcia, the team’s best player last season.
The Team
Minnesota utilized the transfer portal to try and replace talent on their roster. Pepperdine transfer Mike Mitchell was brought in to be a scoring guard and Howard transfer Elijah Hawkins was brought in to run point.
Other than Garcia, who they will rely on heavily this season, Minnesota returns backup center Pharrel Payne. He will move into a starting role this season. They also bring in four-star freshman Cameron Christie, who will look to make an impact from the bench. The rest of the roster is filled out by many players who did not make major contributions last year. Depth will be an issue this season for the Gophers as most of their backups do not have much experience.
Team Strengths
The biggest strength of Minnesota will be their three-point shooting. Both transfer guards, Mitchell and Hawkins, have shot over forty percent from three in their college career. Although they will both be facing more difficult competition, they should still find success from deep.
Another team strength could be their defense. Last season, Minnesota ranked 188th in adjusted defense on KenPom. There are 363 Division 1 basketball teams, so this would place the Gopher’s defense right around average. While this is not amazing, it is a sign of hope for a struggling team. if they can make a few improvements over the offseason then their defense could be pesky for some Big Ten teams.
Team Weaknesses
Depth will be a huge weakness for the Gophers. After losing most of their starting rotation, many of their backups will now have to fill in. This made their bench weaker as their second team is now filled with players with little experience.
Size will be another weakness for Minnesota. Most teams in the conference play through their center and Minnesota does not have a player over seven feet tall. This will make it difficult to defend players like Zach Edey and Cliff Omoruyi. The Big Ten is a physical conference, Minnesota’s lack of size will put them at a disadvantage for most games.
Schedule
The non-conference portion of the schedule is favorable. The Gophers play Missouri, which will be a tough game and a likely loss. Other than that, they should win every game. They do play San Francisco and New Orleans, who could be tricky, but those should still both be wins.
The Big Ten will once again be brutal. Luckily, their conference schedule is pretty favorable. They only have to play Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, and Maryland once this season, which will help to ease the schedule. Penn State and Nebraska are both on their schedule twice, which could be winnable games for the Gophers. Overall, the schedule is tough and it will be hard to manage for Minnesota.
The Verdict: The Gophers are in for a rough season
The first Big Ten basketball preview of the season is a gloomy one. While they do have a few players who will perform well, their lack of proven talent will bring down the team. Head coach Ben Johnson’s job could be in jeopardy this offseason if he can’t get the Gophers turned around. With a depleted roster and a tough schedule, I predict that Minnesota will once again finish last in the conference.
