Gophers coach still fuming over Cade Tyson's eligibility ahead of opener

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team opens its regular season next Monday night, and Niko Medved still doesn’t know if his top scorer from last year will be able to play.

Cade Tyson update

What we know:

The Gophers host the Fighting Hawks to open the 2026-27 regular season and Medved is planning on as if Cade Tyson will not be available. Tyson, who led Minnesota in scoring last year, is seeking a fifth year of eligibility via the NCAA’s 5-for-5 rule that passed in June.

What we don't know:

About 100 student-athletes from the 2022 class have been granted the extra year. Tyson is among hundreds more who haven’t gotten a ruling. Tyson was in a group that had its case heard earlier this month in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, but a final decision has not yet been made.

Medved sounded off about the situation after the Gophers’ exhibition game against Omaha. He doubled down on his stance Thursday at the team’s practice. The Gophers have upcoming games against St. Thomas and Cincinnati, both of which have players who have been deemed eligible via the 5-for-5 rule. Meanwhile, Tyson has to sit and watch.

What they're saying:

"It should be top of mind, just wait until we start playing games and now it’s going to become a bigger story. Imagine you get into conference play, you’ve got guys who have major players on both sides, one team has guys playing and the others don’t. It’s embarrassing," Medved said. "Two of our first three opponents have major players who are going to be playing under the exact same purview as him, he’s got to sit and watch those guys play against us. It should be hard for everybody in college basketball honestly. We don’t really know. I don’t know what’s going to happen."

Scheduling St. Thomas

Why you should care:

A hot topic since Medved came to Minnesota has been getting their Division I rivals across the Mississippi River, St. Thomas, on the non-conference schedule.

The Tommies are in the Summit League, and nearly won the conference tournament when they were not yet eligible for the NCAA tournament. The Gophers and Tommies will square off Friday, Nov. 6 at The Barn. Medved was candid in explaining why he put St. Thomas on the schedule.

"If you take the name off the jersey or that they were local, there’s no upside to us playing them. If you lose the game, oh my gosh. If you win the game, it really doesn’t do much for you," Medved said. "I’m doing it because I think it’s great for basketball in the Twin Cities. They’ve been winning, we’re building ours so it’s going to generate a lot of enthusiasm. That’s a benefit. I’m glad we’re doing it."

Creighton exhibition

The backstory:

The Gophers faced Creighton to close out exhibition play, a game that was only on YouTube. After getting down 13 at the half, Gophers rallied to force overtime, then lost to the Bluejays in double overtime.

While the result didn’t matter, the two teams played it with the intensity of an NCAA Tournament game.

What's next:

Medved said the Gophers came out of the scrimmage healthy, and made the crack that everybody who is eligible is available for Monday night’s opener against North Dakota.