The Gophers' inside lineups — and outside expectations — quickly have changed.
Senior center Reggie Lynch is no longer allowed to play for the Gophers basketball team, and no one is sure if or when he'll be able to do so again. Last season's Big Ten defensive player of the year was "suspended from athletic competition" by Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle in the aftermath of an investigation that found Lynch was "responsible" for sexual misconduct an April 2016 incident.
The U's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action recommended he be banned from campus until at least August 2020. Lynch will appeal the ruling, sources told the Star Tribune.
The Gophers, who are 13-3 and 2-1 at the start of the Big Ten portion of the season, must now prepare as if they will have to play without one of their best players, a defensive force who arguably has been the best shot blocker in the nation. Lynch's absence will have a major impact not just on the team's ability to meet high expectations, but it also changes the landscape of the Big Ten.
Coyle said Lynch, 23, could still practice with the team but will not play, or even be on the team bench, starting with Saturday's game vs. Indiana at Williams Arena. Whether Lynch ever plays for the Gophers again, coach Richard Pitino said, "I have no idea."
"Certainly not to make light of this and make it about basketball, but if you're asking me specifically about basketball, you've just got to have the mentality as a team, it's kind of the 'next man up' mentality," Pitino said. "Our guys, they're a prideful group and they're playing well, so they've got to be ready for it."
Minnesota was considered to be third in the Big Ten's pecking order, behind Michigan State and Purdue, but now Pitino's team might be a middle-of-pack program at best, according to Big Ten analyst Jon Crispin.
"I think they went from third in the Big Ten in my opinion to about seventh," Crispin said. "Of course, they're not going to compete for a Big Ten title. They might not have anyway. Sorry, but Purdue and Michigan State are so far ahead of the game.