Going Into Next Year:
What they lose: Minnesota will lose Nate Mason, Bakary Konate, Gaston Diedhiou and Reggie Lynch from this year's team. Davonte Fitzgerald has a sixth year of eligibility if he wants to use it and if the team will have him back.
What they gain:
-Going into next year, Minnesota will add top 40 freshman center Daniel Oturu, three-star forward Jarvis Omersa and three-star shooting guard Gabe Kalscheur.
-Minnesota will get Eric Curry back from injury by the start of next season in addition to star small forward Amir Coffey and (hopefully) a healthy Dupree McBrayer.
-Minnesota has one remaining scholarship to use and it could go to a 2018 guard or potentially a graduate transfer. They are after big-name guards Courtney Ramey (four-star) and five-star guard Anfornee Simons. Simons was a former Louisville signee and he will likely draw out his recruitment to late April or early May.
Impact of Missing Pieces:
-Reggie Lynch averaged 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots through 16 games before being suspended for the rest of the season.
-Amir Coffey averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 48% shooting from the field. He upped his numbers from 12.1 points and 3 rebounds a game from his freshman year. He played just 18 games.
-Eric Curry averaged 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last year in 20 minutes per game. He also hit 43% of his shots. He was primed to take a big jump forward after a big summer in which he consistently impressed in the Howard Pulley Pro-Am league and gained 10+ pounds of muscle.
-Hobbled by a stress injury on his leg since the Miami game in late November, Dupree was never himself after that. After scoring 11 points per game on 45% shooting and 42% from three as a junior. Dupree scored 9.5 points per game this year on 35% shooting from the field and from three. He was not nearly the same player he was at the beginning of this season and last year.
Overall: With the absence of Coffey (23 games), Lynch (15 games) and Curry (whole season) Minnesota had to find a way to replace: 30.6 ppg, 17.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 5.1 blocked shots and 77 minutes per game.
Analysis: Minnesota was essentially missing 3.5 of their top six returning players from last season after starting the season 13-3 at mostly full strength (besides Curry). They also replaced Curry and Lynch with Davonte Fitzgerald (3.6 points, 2.5 rebounds) and Bakary Konate (1.7 points, 2.5 rebounds). Although many teams would have had a really hard time overcoming these injuries and suspensions, recruiting mishaps such as Konate and Diedhiou (1.8 points, 1.3 rebounds) provided the Gophers with zero quality depth inside.
Projected Depth Chart:
PG: Isaiah Washington
SG: Dupree McBrayer
SF: Amir Coffey
PF: Jordan Murphy
C: Eric Curry
Bench:
*Incoming Recruit
G Gabe Kalscheur
G Jamir Harris
F Michael Hurt
F Davonte Fitzgerald
FJarvis Omersa
C Daniel Oturu
C Matz Stockman
Pros:
-Isaiah Washington will have the chance to have the keys to the offense in year two. While he has had games where he is shot happy and turnover prone, he really imprived his play over the final 10 games and finished his season off with an 18 point performance tonight. He's tough, talented, and a guy Minnesota fans should be thrilled about going forward.
-Dupree and Amir should both be back as upperclassmen. If they are healthy and playing off one another, they should both definitely average in double figures.
-Jordan Murphy will have help in the frontcourt. There was so much pressure on him at all times after the Lynch suspension, especially as Konate was of zero threat to the defense. He should continue to thrive as a senior.
-Eric Curry is back! This guy just made winning plays. He hustles, rebounds, defends and blocks shots. His energy and size was poorly missed.
-Depth and no more liabilities at the center spot. Oturu is a plug and play type of freshman who will certainly contribute 15-20 minutes right away. Matz is there for depth behind Curry as well.
-Harris as a sophomore and Gabe Kalscheur provide legit shooting threats. Both of these guys should shoot close to 40% from three.
Question Marks:
-How will Coach Pitino deal with the pressure of coming off of a 4-14 Big Ten season?
-Will the defense and rebounding improve? The Gophers were the worst defensive rebounding team in the Big Ten statistically and have had all sorts of trouble defending the pick and roll. This needs to take a big step forward.
-Will there be enough shooting? Too many times this season the Gophers had long stretches with nobody able to score for minutes on end. They will need higher efficiency from Washington (36%), Dupree (36%) and Harris (35%).
-Who backs up Washington? Right now, he is the only true point guard on the roster.
-Who takes the last scholarship? Do they go the Akeem Springs route and or try to bring in another freshman? A grad transfer could further balance the classes.
-What are reasonable expectations for this team next year? Should a top five Big Ten finish be expected with the returning talent?
What they lose: Minnesota will lose Nate Mason, Bakary Konate, Gaston Diedhiou and Reggie Lynch from this year's team. Davonte Fitzgerald has a sixth year of eligibility if he wants to use it and if the team will have him back.
What they gain:
-Going into next year, Minnesota will add top 40 freshman center Daniel Oturu, three-star forward Jarvis Omersa and three-star shooting guard Gabe Kalscheur.
-Minnesota will get Eric Curry back from injury by the start of next season in addition to star small forward Amir Coffey and (hopefully) a healthy Dupree McBrayer.
-Minnesota has one remaining scholarship to use and it could go to a 2018 guard or potentially a graduate transfer. They are after big-name guards Courtney Ramey (four-star) and five-star guard Anfornee Simons. Simons was a former Louisville signee and he will likely draw out his recruitment to late April or early May.
Impact of Missing Pieces:
-Reggie Lynch averaged 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots through 16 games before being suspended for the rest of the season.
-Amir Coffey averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 48% shooting from the field. He upped his numbers from 12.1 points and 3 rebounds a game from his freshman year. He played just 18 games.
-Eric Curry averaged 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last year in 20 minutes per game. He also hit 43% of his shots. He was primed to take a big jump forward after a big summer in which he consistently impressed in the Howard Pulley Pro-Am league and gained 10+ pounds of muscle.
-Hobbled by a stress injury on his leg since the Miami game in late November, Dupree was never himself after that. After scoring 11 points per game on 45% shooting and 42% from three as a junior. Dupree scored 9.5 points per game this year on 35% shooting from the field and from three. He was not nearly the same player he was at the beginning of this season and last year.
Overall: With the absence of Coffey (23 games), Lynch (15 games) and Curry (whole season) Minnesota had to find a way to replace: 30.6 ppg, 17.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 5.1 blocked shots and 77 minutes per game.
Analysis: Minnesota was essentially missing 3.5 of their top six returning players from last season after starting the season 13-3 at mostly full strength (besides Curry). They also replaced Curry and Lynch with Davonte Fitzgerald (3.6 points, 2.5 rebounds) and Bakary Konate (1.7 points, 2.5 rebounds). Although many teams would have had a really hard time overcoming these injuries and suspensions, recruiting mishaps such as Konate and Diedhiou (1.8 points, 1.3 rebounds) provided the Gophers with zero quality depth inside.
Projected Depth Chart:
PG: Isaiah Washington
SG: Dupree McBrayer
SF: Amir Coffey
PF: Jordan Murphy
C: Eric Curry
Bench:
*Incoming Recruit
G Gabe Kalscheur
G Jamir Harris
F Michael Hurt
F Davonte Fitzgerald
FJarvis Omersa
C Daniel Oturu
C Matz Stockman
Pros:
-Isaiah Washington will have the chance to have the keys to the offense in year two. While he has had games where he is shot happy and turnover prone, he really imprived his play over the final 10 games and finished his season off with an 18 point performance tonight. He's tough, talented, and a guy Minnesota fans should be thrilled about going forward.
-Dupree and Amir should both be back as upperclassmen. If they are healthy and playing off one another, they should both definitely average in double figures.
-Jordan Murphy will have help in the frontcourt. There was so much pressure on him at all times after the Lynch suspension, especially as Konate was of zero threat to the defense. He should continue to thrive as a senior.
-Eric Curry is back! This guy just made winning plays. He hustles, rebounds, defends and blocks shots. His energy and size was poorly missed.
-Depth and no more liabilities at the center spot. Oturu is a plug and play type of freshman who will certainly contribute 15-20 minutes right away. Matz is there for depth behind Curry as well.
-Harris as a sophomore and Gabe Kalscheur provide legit shooting threats. Both of these guys should shoot close to 40% from three.
Question Marks:
-How will Coach Pitino deal with the pressure of coming off of a 4-14 Big Ten season?
-Will the defense and rebounding improve? The Gophers were the worst defensive rebounding team in the Big Ten statistically and have had all sorts of trouble defending the pick and roll. This needs to take a big step forward.
-Will there be enough shooting? Too many times this season the Gophers had long stretches with nobody able to score for minutes on end. They will need higher efficiency from Washington (36%), Dupree (36%) and Harris (35%).
-Who backs up Washington? Right now, he is the only true point guard on the roster.
-Who takes the last scholarship? Do they go the Akeem Springs route and or try to bring in another freshman? A grad transfer could further balance the classes.
-What are reasonable expectations for this team next year? Should a top five Big Ten finish be expected with the returning talent?
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