The Minnesota Gophers find themselves in a tough stretch, and Tuesday night’s overtime loss at Ohio State only added to the frustration. Tied at 67 in the final seconds of regulation, freshman guard Langston Reynolds drove hard to the rim, looking to seal the win. But his layup was contested at the rim by Buckeyes forward Amare Bynum - and the no-call on potential goaltending has sparked plenty of conversation.
Head coach Niko Medved weighed in Thursday after reviewing the play. “I thought looking at slo-mo, I thought [Bynum] did deflect the ball,” he said, acknowledging that while it was a close call, there didn’t appear to be enough to overturn it.
What stings more for Minnesota is that the officials didn’t take a second look. Under NCAA rules, goaltending reviews in the final two minutes must be initiated by the referees - coaches can’t challenge. In this case, the refs let the play stand, and the game moved on.
The Gophers still had a shot. Isaac Asuma grabbed the offensive rebound, and Cade Tyson had a clean look at a three from the corner.
It didn’t fall. From there, Minnesota just didn’t have the legs in overtime, falling 82-74 in Columbus.
It’s the second time this month Minnesota has felt burned by late-game officiating. Back on January 9, the Gophers dropped a 70-69 overtime heartbreaker to Southern Cal at home, a game that also featured controversial calls down the stretch. The program submitted both games to the Big Ten office for review, but as Medved knows all too well, that doesn’t change the result in the standings.
Now sitting at 10-9 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play, Minnesota has dropped four straight and faces an enormous challenge Saturday morning when undefeated No. 7 Nebraska (19-0, 8-0 Big Ten) comes to Williams Arena.
And the Gophers will once again be short-handed.
Medved confirmed Thursday that wing BJ Omot is officially done for the season. The Cal transfer, who has been sidelined all year with a leg injury, recently underwent another procedure. The Mankato native will likely pursue a medical redshirt.
Omot joins a growing list of scholarship players lost for the year. Starting point guard Chansey Willis Jr. (foot), starting center Robert Vaihola (knee), and backup guard Chance Stephens (illness) are also out. That leaves Minnesota with just seven healthy scholarship players - including two freshmen - as the grind of Big Ten play continues.
“Sometimes you just go through seasons like this,” Medved said. “It just doesn’t go your way with injuries and there is not much you can do about it. I think we are in one of those situations.”
Despite the adversity, Saturday will offer a moment of celebration. The Gophers are hosting Alumni Day at The Barn, welcoming back dozens of former players from across generations. For Medved, it’s a special opportunity to connect with the program’s past - and to show his current group what it means to wear the maroon and gold.
“A lot of them I know from different generations, so to have a lot of them here - it’s cool for me, too,” he said. “Another thing that is cool is how many of them live here in the Twin Cities. I think that is really unique to our program and this place.”
As the Gophers try to regroup and find some momentum, they’ll do it with a short bench, a tough opponent, and a building full of history. It’s not an easy road ahead, but it’s one they’ll walk together - bruised, but still battling.