Gophers guard Chansey Willis out for season with broken foot

The Gophers men's basketball team will be without starting guard Chansey Willis for the rest of the season after he suffered a broken foot against Stanford last week that will require surgery. Gophers coach Niko Medved spoke with reporters on Tuesday at Williams Arena, ahead of hosting No. 22-ranked Indiana to open Big Ten play.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team opens Big Ten play Wednesday night against Indiana at Williams Arena.

Niko Medved got some tough news ahead of the match-up. Starting guard Chansey Willis is out for the rest of the season.

Chansey Willis out with broken foot

What we know:

Willis will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a broken foot in the Gophers’ loss to Stanford last Thursday. He suffered the injury just four minutes into the game, also after being whistled for his second foul. He didn’t return, was on the bench with a walking boot and didn’t play last Friday against Santa Clara.

Medved said Tuesday he’ll need surgery. Willis had a similar injury two years ago and had a screw put in during surgery. He re-injured the same foot.

"Tough blow for the young man, he’s got an incredible story. Obviously a brutal blow for our team too, that is what it is," Medved said.

Willis led the Mid-American Conference in scoring last season at 16.8 points per game with Western Michigan. In seven games this year, he had been averaging 6.3 points and 3.3 assists in 27 minutes per game.

Gophers’ depth being tested

Why you should care:

Willis’ injury puts the Gophers at seven healthy scholarship players as Big Ten play starts. Rob Vaihola remains out after suffering a knee injury in non-conference play. B.J. Omot is still working his way back from offseason surgery.

Max Gizzi is dealing with an injury, and Chance Stephens isn’t close to a return after dealing with an illness.

The lack of depth means bigger opportunities for Kai Shinholster and Grayson Grove, while starters will have to log more minutes.

"Guys always want more minutes, so there are guys that are going to have to play close to 40 minutes," Medved said.

Gophers look to snap skid

Timeline:

The Gophers are looking to snap a three-game losing streak, with a loss to San Francisco at the Sanford Pentagon. Minnesota lost to Stanford and Santa Clara in a Palm Desert, California tournament.

It doesn’t get any easier, with No. 22-ranked Indiana in town Wednesday. The Gophers travel to No. 1-ranked Purdue on Dec. 10.

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