The Gophers open the Ben Johnson era on Tuesday against Missouri-Kansas City with 10 newcomers and an entirely different starting lineup. Here are five things to watch:
Five things to watch entering the 2021-22 Gophers men's basketball season
First-year coach Ben Johnson has several issues to overcome in taking over the Gophers program.
November 6, 2021 at 11:50PM
High major education
Seniors Eric Curry and Payton Willis are the only players on the roster with major conference experience. Transfers Jamison Battle (George Washington), E.J. Stephens (Lafayette), Luke Loewe (William & Mary), Sean Sutherlin (New Hampshire) and Charlie Daniels (Stephen F. Austin) are all making a huge jump up from midmajor competition.
Frontcourt frustration
Last season's Big Ten blocks leader, Liam Robbins, transferred to Vanderbilt, and there is no clear replacement for the 7-footer after knee injuries to Isaiah Ihnen and Parker Fox. The Gophers' development of 6-11 freshman Treyton Thompson and Curry's health (past knee injuries) are even more critical with no frontcourt depth.
Three-point improvement?
The Gophers shot a program-low 28.4% from three-point range last season but were 46th nationally and second in the Big Ten with 25.2 attempts per game. Battle and Willis combined for seven of Minnesota's 11 threes in an exhibition victory over Concordia (St. Paul).
Star power outage
All-Big Ten point guard Marcus Carr transferred to Texas. Willis is now the floor general. But Johnson says there really is no go-to guy.
Coaching adjustments
Johnson wasn't responsible for making calls as an assistant at Minnesota and Xavier. But his assistants, Dave Thorson (former DeLaSalle coach) and Marcus Jenkins (associate head coach at Richmond), could help.
Minnesota’s bench scored 50 points, including a team-leading 18 points from graduate transfer Annika Stewart, showcasing the depth that coach Dawn Plitzuweit promised.
