5 questions Gophers men's basketball must answer before season opener

We're one month away from Minnesota's first exhibition against North Dakota State on October 16, and less than 50 days away from its regular season opener against Gardner Webb on November 3. There are five questions the Gophers must answer before year one of the Niko Medved era tips off.

1. Who is the starting backcourt?

The top three guards on Minnesota's roster are likely Isaac Asuma, Western Michigan transfer Chansey Willis Jr. and Northern Colorado transfer Langston Reynolds. Asuma and Willis look best with the ball in their hands, while Reynolds is more of a natural two guard. There's good reason to start any of the three players, but the Gophers will want to find their preferred combination as soon as possible.

2. Who starts at the five?

North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson and Davidson's Bobby Durkin seem like two starting lineup locks for the Gophers, but the final frontcourt position could be a toss-up. Colorado State's Jaylen Crocker-Johnson has familiarity with Medved, but San Jose State transfer Robert Vaihola brings serious rebounding production. Central Arkansas transfer Nehemiah Turner is a wildcard, and the tallest player on the Gophers, but he's only a true sophomore. Minnesota will need to have an answer before the physicality of Big Ten play begins.

3. How deep is the rotation?

With B.J. Omot, one guard and two bigs, a nine-man rotation looks like an expectation to start the season for Minnesota. Do they go any deeper and give Chance Stephens or Grayson Grove some playing time? The Gophers might not have as much star power as teams in the past, but Medved and his staff will have a lot of options to move around in their rotation early in the season.

4. Who is the go-to scorer?

Durkin, Tyson, Willis Jr. or Asuma? Durkin and Tyson seem best utilized as off-ball scorers, while Willis Jr. and Asuma operate well with the ball in their hands. 'Who takes the last shot?' is an overused question in basketball, and it might be different every night with this Gophers team. We saw Minnesota play through Dawson Garcia for each of the last three seasons. We could see a different leading scorer many times throughout the 2025-26 season.

5. What is a successful season?

With nine scholarship transfers and a new head coach, there aren't many expectations for year one of the Medved era. With such a poor nonconference schedule, it seems like anything over .500 for the season should be viewed as a solid campaign. This will not be an overnight rebuild for Medved, but there needs to be some tangible improvement compared to the past regime.