Three takeaways from Minnesota's exhibition win over North Dakota State
On Thursday night, the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ men’s basketball program held an exhibition game against the North Dakota State Bison at Williams Arena, giving Minnesota fans a sneak preview at the start of the Niko Medved era.
The Gophers would defeat North Dakota State 80-54 in the exhibition, in an impressive showing on both sides of the ball. Below, Gophers Nation provides three takeaways from the Gophers’ win.
1. Cade Tyson, take a bow
Wow, what a performance on Thursday night from North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson. Yes, it was just an exhibition game, but Tyson showed off every reason that Niko Medved wanted him to be a part of this team.
Tyson, across 24 minutes, was spectacular, making 9-of-13 attempts, including 6-of-9 three-point attempts, and was perfect at the free-throw line, making all four attempts. He finished the game with 28 points and two rebounds while also recording one block. The former Belmont and North Carolina forward also had an 11-0 run in the game.
2. The rotation
If Thursday’s exhibition was any indication, we have a strong idea of what the Gophers’ main rotation is going to look like this season.
In September, Niko Medved told the media that the Gophers would like to play with nine guys, with perhaps 10 ‘in a pinch’. On Thursday, the Gophers had eight players play 10 or more minutes, with a ninth finishing just a handful of 10.
First, their starting five consisted of guard Chansey Willis Jr and Isaac Asuma, as well as forwards Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Cade Tyson, and Robert Vaihola. All five starters played 21 minutes in the game.
Beyond them, we saw Langston Reynolds (28), Bobby Durkin (26), and BJ Omot (13) all record double digits in the minutes played department, while Grayson Grove also saw seven minutes played. Those four will likely be the four to round out Minnesota’s rotation any given night.
Kai Shinholster, Nehemiah Turner, Max Lorenson, and RJ Spencer all played as well, but had two minutes or less on the court.
3. Gophers keep the ball moving
The Gophers’ starting guard had solid performances in the exhibition, with Chansey Willis Jr finishing with seven points and Isaac Asuma finishing with 10. But both players did a great job of keeping the ball moving in the game. As did the Gophers as a whole.
Willis and Asuma combined for nine assists in the game. Langston Reynolds, coming off the bench, added another six assists of his own. In total, of the Gophers’ 28 total field goal attempts in the game, they recorded 21 assists.
Throughout the exhibition, the Gophers’ offense was continuously looking for high-percentage shots and not settling for contested looks. Strong ball movement has always been a hallmark of Niko Medved’s teams, and it looks like that trend will continue with the Gophers.
Stay Tuned
Stay tuned to Gophers Nation as we bring the latest updates on the Golden Gophers’ men’s basketball program as they continue to build towards their first season under head coach Niko Medved.
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