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2025–26 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team

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The 2025–26 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gophers, led by first-year head coach Niko Medved, played their home games at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota as members of the Big Ten Conference.

ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record15–18 (8–12 Big Ten)
Headcoach
Assistant coaches
  • Armon Gates (1st season)
  • Brian Cooley (1st season)
  • Dave Thorson (5th season)
  • Chad Warner (1st season)
  • Aaron Katsuma (1st season)
Quick facts Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball, College Basketball Crown, Quarterfinal ...
2025–26 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record15–18 (8–12 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Armon Gates (1st season)
  • Brian Cooley (1st season)
  • Dave Thorson (5th season)
  • Chad Warner (1st season)
  • Aaron Katsuma (1st season)
Home arenaWilliams Arena
Seasons
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More information Conf., Overall ...
2025–26 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Michigan19–1 .95037–3  .925
No. 14 Nebraska15–5 .75028–7  .800
No. 5 Illinois15–5 .75028–9  .757
No. 11 Michigan State15–5 .75027–8  .771
No. 25 Wisconsin14–6 .70024–11  .686
No. 6 Purdue †13–7 .65030–9  .769
UCLA13–7 .65024–12  .667
Ohio State12–8 .60021–13  .618
No. 15 Iowa10–10 .50024–13  .649
Indiana9–11 .45018–14  .563
Minnesota8–12 .40015–18  .455
USC7–13 .35018–14  .563
Washington7–13 .35016–17  .485
Rutgers6–14 .30014–20  .412
Northwestern5–15 .25015–19  .441
Oregon5–15 .25012–20  .375
Maryland4–16 .20012–21  .364
Penn State3–17 .15012–20  .375
† 2026 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
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Previous season

The Gophers finished the 2024–25 season 15–17, 7–13 in Big Ten play to finish in a five-way tie for 12th place. As the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost to Northwestern in the first round.

On March 13, 2025, the school fired head coach Ben Johnson.[1] On March 24, the school named Colorado State head coach Niko Medved the team's new coach.[2]

Offseason

Departures

More information Name, Number ...
Minnesota departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Frank Mitchell00F6'8"260RS JuniorToronto, ONTransferred to St. Bonaventure
Mike Mitchell Jr.2G6'2"185SeniorSan Jose, CAGraduated; signed professional contract with Leicester Riders
Dawson Garcia3F6'11"234SeniorSavage, MNGraduated/undrafted in 2024 NBA draft; signed with the Detroit Pistons
Kadyn Betts4F6'8"225RS SophomorePueblo, COTransferred to Montana
Trey Edmonds5F/C6'10"250SeniorAurora, COGraduated; signed professional contract with KB Besëlidhja
Caleb Williams6G6'2"200SeniorWild Rose, WIGraduated
Max Sheridan7G6'0"175SophomoreLos Angeles, CAWalk-on; transferred to Menlo
Femi Odukale11G6'6"215GS SeniorBrooklyn, NYGraduated; signed professional contract with BC Prievidza
Parker Fox23F6'8"220GS SeniorMahtomedi, MNGraduated
Brennan Rigsby24G6'3"185SeniorDe Beque, COTransferred to Radford
Lu'Cye Patterson25G6'2"202RS SeniorMinneapolis, MNGraduated
Tyler Cochran28G6'3"225SeniorBolingbrook, ILTransferred to Rhode Island
Lincoln Meister54F6'9"240GS SeniorRochester, MNWalk-on; graduated
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Incoming transfers

More information Name, Number ...
Minnesota incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Chansey Willis Jr.0G6'2"190SeniorDetroit, MIWestern Michigan
Bobby Durkin3F6'7"220JuniorDarien, ILDavidson
Nehemiah Turner4F6'10"265SophomoreAuburndale, FLCentral Arkansas
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson5F6'8"230JuniorSan Antonio, TXColorado State
Langston Reynolds6G6'4"205SeniorDenver, CONorthern Colorado
Cade Tyson10G/F6'7"200SeniorMonroe, NCNorth Carolina
Maximus Gizzi11G6'1"GS SeniorNew Palestine, INWalk-on; Huntington
Chance Stephens13G6'3"185RS JuniorRiverside, CAMaryland
BJ Omot20F6'8"195RS JuniorMankato, MinnesotaCalifornia
Robert Vaihola22F6'8"260RS SeniorSan Mateo, CASan Jose State
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Recruiting class

More information Name, Hometown ...
College recruiting
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Kai Shinholster
SG		 Philadelphia, PA William Penn Charter School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sep 4, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 3/5 stars   ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
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Preseason

The Golden Gophers were picked to finish in 16th place in a preseason poll of media members.[3] No Gopher players were named to the preseason All-Big Ten team.[4]

Roster

More information Players, Coaches ...
2025–26 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Chansey Willis Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrWestern Michigan Detroit, MI
G 1 Isaac Asuma 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoCherry HS Cherry, MN
F 2 Grayson Grove 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS FrAlexandria Area HS Alexandria, MN
F 3 Bobby Durkin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) JrDavidson Darien, IL
F 4 Nehemiah Turner 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)270 lb (122 kg) SoCentral Arkansas Auburndale, FL
F 5 Jaylen Crocker-Johnson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)240 lb (109 kg) JrColorado State San Antonio, TX
G 6 Langston Reynolds 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)215 lb (98 kg) SrNorthern Colorado Denver, CO
G 8 Max Lorenson (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrEden Prairie HS Eden Prairie, MN
G 9 Kai Shinholster 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrWilliam Penn Charter School Woolwich Township, NJ
G/F 10 Cade Tyson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)195 lb (88 kg) SrNorth Carolina Monroe, NC
G 11 Maximus Gizzi 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) GSHuntington New Palestine, IN
G 12 RJ Spencer (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrTotino-Grace HS Blaine, MN
G 13 Chance Stephens 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS JrMaryland Riverside, CA
F 20 BJ Omot 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS JrCalifornia Mankato, MN
F 22 Robert Vaihola 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)265 lb (120 kg) RS SrSan Jose State San Mateo, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

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Schedule and results

More information Date time, TV, Rank# ...
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 16, 2025*
7:00 p.m., B1G+		 North Dakota State W 80–54 
 28 – Tyson  14 – Vaihola  6 – Reynolds  Williams Arena (7,332)
Minneapolis, MN
October 25, 2025*
2:00 p.m., B1G+		 North Dakota W 82–62 
 26 – Tyson  7 – Vaihola  8 – Willis Jr.  Williams Arena (7,512)
Minneapolis, MN
Regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., B1G+		 Gardner–Webb W 87–60  1–0
  30 – Tyson  14 – Crocker-Johnson  7 – Asuma  Williams Arena (7,669)
Minneapolis, MN
November 8, 2025*
11:00 a.m., Peacock		 Alcorn State W 95–50  2–0
  21 – Tyson  16 – Crocker-Johnson  5 – Asuma  Williams Arena (7,166)
Minneapolis, MN
November 12, 2025*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+		 at Missouri L 60–83  2–1
  17 – Tyson  12 – Crocker–Johnson  3 – Willis Jr.  Mizzou Arena (8,969)
Columbia, MO
November 15, 2025*
8:00 p.m., BTN		 Green Bay W 72–65 OT 3–1
  27 – Tyson  11 – Crocker–Johnson  7 – Asuma  Williams Arena (7,431)
Minneapolis, MN
November 18, 2025*
7:00 p.m., B1G+		 Chicago State
Acrisure Series campus-site game		 W 66–54  4–1
  22 – Tyson  8 – Vaihola  6 – Reynolds  Williams Arena (6,774)
Minneapolis, MN
November 22, 2025*
4:30 p.m., Peacock		 vs. San Francisco L 65–77  4–2
  16 – Reynolds  5 – Tied  3 – Tied  Sanford Pentagon (2,467)
Sioux Falls, SD
November 27, 2025*
8:30 p.m., CBSSN		 vs. Stanford
Acrisure Invitational semifinal		 L 68–72  4–3
  23 – Crocker-Johnson  6 – Reynolds  4 – Tied  Acrisure Arena 
Thousand Palms, CA
November 28, 2025*
8:30 p.m., TruTV		 vs. Santa Clara
Acrisure Invitational third-place game		 L 75–86  4–4
  29 – Tyson  7 – Shinholster  5 – Asuma  Acrisure Arena 
Thousand Palms, CA
December 3, 2025
6:00 p.m., BTN		 No. 22 Indiana W 73–64  5–4
(1–0)		  17 – Tied  8 – Tyson  4 – Tied  Williams Arena (8,582)
Minneapolis, MN
December 10, 2025
6:00 p.m., BTN		 at No. 6 Purdue L 57–85  5–5
(1–1)		  17 – Crocker-Johnson  5 – Tied  5 – Asuma  Mackey Arena (14,876)
West Lafayette, IN
December 14, 2025*
12:00 p.m., BTN		 Texas Southern W 89–53  6–5
  38 – Tyson  11 – Tyson  10 – Reynolds  Williams Arena (8,254)
Minneapolis, MN
December 21, 2025
5:00 p.m., BTN		 Campbell W 78–50  7–5
  24 – Tyson  7 – Tyson  6 – Asuma  Williams Arena (7,988)
Minneapolis, MN
December 29, 2025*
8:00 p.m., BTN		 Fairleigh Dickinson W 60–43  8–5
  19 – Durkin  7 – Crocker-Johnson  5 – Shinholster  Williams Arena (7,638)
Minneapolis, MN
January 3, 2026
4:00 p.m., BTN		 at Northwestern W 84–78  9–5
(2–1)		  24 – Tyson  9 – Asuma  13 – Reynolds  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,088)
Evanston, IL
January 6, 2026
7:00 p.m., BTN		 No. 19 Iowa W 70–67  10–5
(3–1)		  22 – Reynolds  6 – Crocker-Johnson  4 – Tied  Williams Arena (8,976)
Minneapolis, MN
January 9, 2026
7:30 p.m., BTN		 USC L 69–70 OT 10–6
(3–2)		  20 – Tyson  8 – Tyson  6 – Asuma  Williams Arena (9,404)
Minneapolis, MN
January 13, 2026
6:00 p.m., BTN		 Wisconsin L 75–78  10–7
(3–3)		  20 – Crocker-Johnson  9 – Asuma  10 – Reynolds  Williams Arena (10,914)
Minneapolis, MN
January 17, 2026
11:00 a.m., BTN		 at No. 13 Illinois L 67–77  10–8
(3–4)		  22 – Crocker-Johnson  8 – Tied  5 – Reynolds  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
January 20, 2026
5:30 p.m., BTN		 at Ohio State L 74–82 OT 10–9
(3–5)		  26 – Crocker-Johnson  8 – Tied  5 – Tied  Value City Arena (8,750)
Columbus, OH
January 24, 2026
11:00 a.m., FS1		 No. 7 Nebraska L 57–76  10–10
(3–6)		  16 – Durkin  8 – Crocker-Johnson  4 – Tied  Williams Arena (11,339)
Minneapolis, MN
January 28, 2026
8:00 p.m., BTN		 at Wisconsin L 63–67  10–11
(3–7)		  20 – Durkin  8 – Reynolds  5 – Reynolds  Kohl Center (14,653)
Madison, WI
February 1, 2026
1:00 p.m., Peacock		 at Penn State L 75–77  10–12
(3–8)		  18 – Reynolds  7 – Crocker-Johnson  7 – Reynolds  Bryce Jordan Center (6,820)
University Park, PA
February 4, 2026
6:00 p.m., BTN		 No. 10 Michigan State W 76–73  11–12
(4–8)		  22 – Crocker-Johnson  8 – Durkin  8 – Reynolds  Williams Arena (8,994)
Minneapolis, MN
February 8, 2026
1:00 p.m., BTN		 Maryland L 62–67  11–13
(4–9)		  18 – Asuma  6 – Tied  5 – Reynolds  Williams Arena (8,559)
Minneapolis, MN
February 14, 2026
8:00 p.m., Peacock		 at Washington L 57–69  11–14
(4–10)		  22 – Tyson  9 – Tyson  2 – Tied  Hec Edmundson Pavilion (6,651)
Seattle, WA
February 17, 2026
9:30 p.m., FS1		 at Oregon W 61–44  12–14
(5–10)		  15 – Asuma  8 – Tied  4 – Tied  Matthew Knight Arena (5,204)
Eugene, OR
February 21, 2026
11:00 a.m., BTN		 Rutgers W 80–61  13–14
(6–10)		  27 – Tyson  10 – Tyson  9 – Reynolds  Williams Arena (9,017)
Minneapolis, MN
February 24, 2026
7:30 p.m., BTN		 at No. 3 Michigan L 67–77  13–15
(6–11)		  20 – Tyson  6 – Tyson  5 – Grove  Crisler Center (12,707)
Ann Arbor, MI
February 28, 2026
1:00 p.m., FS1		 UCLA W 78–73  14–15
(7–11)		  23 – Durkin  6 – Tied  7 – Grove  Williams Arena (9,811)
Minneapolis, MN
March 4, 2026
5:30 p.m., BTN		 at Indiana L 47–77  14–16
(7–12)		  21 – Tyson  8 – Durkin  3 – Reynolds  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
March 7, 2026
8:00 p.m., BTN		 Northwestern W 67–66  15–16
(8–12)		  21 – Reynolds  8 – Asuma  6 – Grove  Williams Arena (8,760)
Minneapolis, MN
Big Ten tournament
March 11, 2026
8:00 p.m., BTN		 (11) vs. (14) Rutgers
Second round		 L 67–72  15–17
  24 – Tyson  7 – Reynolds  8 – Reynolds  United Center (16,122)
Chicago, IL
College Basketball Crown
April 1, 2026*
9:30 p.m., FS1		 vs. Baylor
Quarterfinal		 L 48–67  15–18
  19 – Tyson  7 – Tied  4 – Reynolds  MGM Grand Garden Arena 
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.
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