Minnesota wasted little time making its season opener look like a mismatch, racing past North Dakota 85-50 behind a sharp offensive night and a defense that smothered the Fighting Hawks from start to finish.
The Gophers stumbled out of the gate just long enough to trail 3-1, then ripped off a 14-2 run and never gave the lead back. Bobby Durkin set the tone early and often, finishing with 16 points while knocking down 4 of 5 shots from beyond the arc.
That kind of start mattered for a team blending returning pieces with new faces. Minnesota’s offense looked familiar in the best way, with crisp ball movement and the kind of assist-heavy approach that carried over from last season. The Gophers piled up 28 assists on 34 made field goals, with four different players dishing out at least four assists.
The defense, though, was the real story. Minnesota’s primary rotation of nine players all brought it, and North Dakota never found a rhythm against the Gophers’ swarming pressure. The Fighting Hawks shot just 28.8% overall and went 3 for 28 from three, including a stretch of 1 for 21 at one point in the second half.
Malick Kordel helped bury any lingering hope with a flurry of dunks in the second half. He threw down three straight, then added a one-dribble power dunk soon after.
The third of those dunks, set up by Durkin, stretched the margin to 28 with 15:47 left. Kordel finished with 13 points and five rebounds.
Durkin’s hot shooting gave Minnesota an early cushion, and once he opened 4 for 4 from deep, the game started to tilt hard in the Gophers’ favor. He ended 5 for 6 from the floor and looked every bit the kind of shooter who can change a game in a hurry.
Minnesota also did enough on the glass to keep North Dakota from creating second-chance chaos. The numbers may not jump off the page, but the Gophers handled the rebounding battle well enough, even with the Fighting Hawks grabbing 12 offensive boards after missing 42 shots.
North Dakota had a brief answer when it switched to a zone while trailing by 30, and that slowed Minnesota down for a moment after the Gophers had been carving up the man-to-man defense. But the adjustment didn’t last long, and when coach Sather went back to man after the next timeout, Minnesota kept control.
It was a rough shooting night all around for the Fighting Hawks. Zach Kraft, who shot 40% from three last season, went 1 for 8.
Tyler Wagner, Champlin Park’s finest, was 0 for 4. Three other North Dakota players finished 0 for 3 from deep.
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Gophers Opened With A Rout Despite One Early Concern
Minnesotas season opener looked every bit like the kind of clean start a coach wants on the scoreboard, with the Gophers rolling past North Dakota 85-50 behind a balanced offensive effort. Bobby Durkin set the tone with 16 points and four 3-pointers, while Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Isaac Asuma and Malick Kordel all joined him in double figures, giving the Gophers plenty of early signs that the scoring load can be spread around.
Still, the opener came with an undercurrent worth watching. Minnesota took the floor without three players, and the reasons behind those absences leave a few roster questions hanging as the season gets underway. The win was convincing enough to quiet any immediate concerns on the court, but the availability picture is something the Gophers will have to sort through quickly if they want this kind of depth to hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Open Medveds Second Season With An Encouraging Early Sign
The first night of Niko Medveds second season on the Minnesota bench brought the kind of start coaches love to see: a lopsided 85-50 win over North Dakota that looked comfortable from the opening stretch. The Gophers shot well, controlled the game on both ends and put together a balanced effort with five players finishing in double figures, a sign that the offense had more than one reliable source right away.
Bobby Durkin paced Minnesota with 16 points, but the bigger takeaway was how many pieces fit together in the opener. For a program trying to build momentum under Medved, a 38-point margin is more than just a clean result against a nonconference opponent, it is the kind of early evidence that the rosters depth and structure may be ahead of schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Get Rare Shot To Erase Indiana Pain Against No. 5 UCLA
Minnesota came agonizingly close to a breakthrough against Indiana, only to leave with an overtime loss after the teams traded 60-yard field goals in the closing moments. It was the kind of finish that can linger, especially for a Gophers group that has leaned on its defense and special teams while looking for more consistency on offense.
Now the focus shifts to a different kind of test with No. 5 UCLA coming to town, and the stakes are obvious for Minnesota as it tries to turn a painful finish into a reset. The Bruins sit atop the Big Ten under first-year coach Bob Chesney, and while they have had to adjust at quarterback, the Gophers are more concerned with finding a cleaner offensive showing to match the level they have been getting elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]