Minnesota is walking into its first real measuring stick of the season tonight, and it comes with a tough assignment in Cincinnati. The Golden Gophers are 2-0 and ranked 43rd in KenPom, while the Bearcats are also 2-0 and sit 31st. For Niko Medved, this is the first of five Power-Five games, and it’s the kind of road test Minnesota added with the bigger picture in mind: building a stronger resume and giving itself a real shot at an NCAA Tournament bid.
That makes this one more than just an early-season trip. It’s a Quad 1 opportunity, and the Gophers are trying to prove they can handle it after last season’s two Power-Five games both ended in losses.
The matchup starts with the glass. Cincinnati has made offensive rebounding a clear strength, and through two games the Bearcats are grabbing about 40% of their own misses.
That number has to come down if Minnesota wants to control the night. The concern, at least so far, is that the Gophers’ bench has been the biggest issue there, so Malick Korbel and the rest of the reserves will be under the microscope.
The next priority is simple: don’t give the ball away. Both teams have length on the perimeter, which has helped keep opposing offenses out of rhythm and scoring down.
But Cincinnati has also been forcing turnovers at a strong clip, and Minnesota can’t afford to hand over easy points. If the Gophers protect the ball, they can force the Bearcats to work in the half-court instead of getting cheap baskets in transition.
And if Minnesota does those two things, it may still need one guard to take over. Isaac Asuma and Kyan Evans are the names to watch here, because one of them may need to deliver a 20-point night to tilt the game. That kind of burst would also help open things up for Bobby Durkin.
There’s reason for confidence in Minnesota’s start. Wins over St.
Thomas and North Dakota don’t guarantee anything, but they do show a team playing with more depth and talent than a year ago. The Gophers have kept the same edge on defense and the same unselfishness on offense, and that’s shown up in how they’ve played so far.
They’ve been active defensively, committed to making life difficult for shooters, and they’ll need that again against Cincinnati. On the other end, they’re still sharing the ball, running their offense and getting points through execution rather than simply leaning on athleticism.
Cincinnati will bring its own challenge with Myles Colving and MJ Collins, but Minnesota has looked sharp enough to believe it can make this interesting. The pick here is an upset, with scoring landing a little lower than expected.
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Cincinnatis early-season momentum has been steady enough to make this weekends matchup with Minnesota feel like a useful measuring stick for both sides. The Bearcats are 2-0 after an 81-64 win over Green Bay, and coach Jerrod Calhoun said he was pleased with the way his group is progressing as it gets ready to host a Gophers team that has also opened 2-0.
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Fleck later defended the approach, pointing to earlier long field-goal tries that came up empty, but the bigger issue is what this says about the offense as a whole. Minnesota has too often looked constrained in the moments when it needs urgency, and until that changes, the Gophers are going to keep living with the same frustrating question: whether their head coach trusts his team enough to let it play on the front foot. [Read more 🡒]