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Grayson Grove stepping up for injury-riddled Gophers
This week on the FOX 9 Gopher Coaches Show, we catch up with Niko Medved and the University of Minnesota men's basketball team. The Gophers are 14-15, and 7-11 in Big Ten play with three regular season games left before the Big Ten Tournament. FOX 9's Ahmad Hicks and KFAN's Justin Gaard talk with Medved about the Gophers winning three of their past four games. Grayson Grove joins the show to talk about stepping up on a roster severely short-handed by injuries.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team was picked to finish dead last in the Big Ten under first-year coach Niko Medved.
The Gophers likely won’t be headed to the NCAA Tournament, but they’ve outperformed those preseason predictions.
Gophers get No. 11 seed for Big Ten Tournament
What we know:
The Gophers, despite losing three starters to season-ending injuries, earned the No. 11 seed for this week’s Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. Minnesota concluded the regular season with a 67-66 win over Northwestern on Senior Day at Williams Arena.
The Gophers finished 15-16 overall, and 8-12 in the Big Ten. They won four of their past six games.
Minnesota will open the Big Ten Tournament Wednesday night against Rutgers. The Gophers beat the Scarlet Knights earlier this season 80-61.
Gophers embracing "next man up"
Why you should care:
Medved’s squad is basically playing all five starters 35-plus minutes a game. Barring foul trouble, only freshman guard Kai Shinholster contributes off the bench.
Medved and the Gophers are without Chansey Willis Jr., Robert Vaihola and likely Jaylen Crocker-Johnson for the rest of the season. B.J. Omot is out after offseason surgery, and center Nehemiah Turner is no longer with the team.
That leaves Isaac Asuma, Cade Tyson, Langston Reynolds, Grayson Grove and Bobby Durkin to carry the load. Medved said after Saturday’s win Durkin was dealing with a knee injury and basically playing on one leg.
What we don't know:
What it would take for the Gophers to earn a postseason is unclear.
If the Gophers beat Rutgers Wednesday night, they would face UCLA on Thursday. Minnesota needs to win five games over five days to earn an NCAA Tournament bid. They likely need two wins to get NIT consideration.