2014-2015 Minnesota Basketball Preview
Minnesota:
Finishing 8-10 in the B1G last year was pretty disappointing for the Gophers. One more win would most likely have vaulted them into the tournament at 21-13. It is worth noting that they went on to win the NIT, which although it is the NIT, it still means you are the 65th best team in the country. And hey! Banner!!! This offseason Minnesota loses more than they gain. They lose Malik Smith, Austin Hollins, and Maverick Ahanmisi to graduation. Oto Osenieks is graduating early due to injury. Losing these players means losing:
39% PPG
40% MPG
30% RPG
36% APG
43% SPG
22% BPG
Although this is not catastrophic, it is a good amount of their production gone. They do still have a big team (excluding Mathieu) and bring in three three stars. Here is their projected roster:
# Name HT WT YR. POS
15 Maurice Walker 6-10 250 RS. SR. PF
Maurice Walker had a incosistent year. He would have some games that flashed brilliance, runnning the floor, post moves. And some games where he picked up cheap fouls and quickly exited. He will start at Power Forward, which could present matchup issues for teams since he is so tall. He averaged 7.8 and 4.5 last year which is pretty good for his limited role.
55 Elliott Eliason 6-11 240 RS. SR C
The best big man in the B1G according to Pitino, had games where he was a complete beast. He will most likely improve even more. The starting Center, he averaged 5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last year.
2 Kendal Shell 6-0 185 SR. PG
Walk-on
4 Deandre Mathieu 5-9 165 SR. PG
The starting Point Guard, arguably the quickest player in the B1G. Fastbreak and assist machine. Averaged 12 points and 4.2 assists last year.
1 Andre Hollins 6-2 195 SR. SG
The best player on this team, he is a good shooter and a good athlete. The starting shooting guard. He averaged 13.6 points per game last year.
24 Joey King 6-9 225 JR. SF
Tall but he does not really use it to his advantage. Almost half of his shots last year were three pointers. He averaged 7.1 points per game last year.
23 Charles Buggs 6-9 210 RS. SO. PF
Exploded late in the season after doing nothing all year. Will be the first forward off the bench.
5 Daquein McNeil 6-3 195 SO. SG
The first guard off the bench, he did not play much but he will play a similar role to Malik Smith last year.
Josh Martin 6-8 215 FR. PF
Needs too put on some weight but this 3 star should play about 15 minutes a game.
Carlos Morris 6-4 FR. SG
Morris, also a three star will come in and play about 10 minutes a game.
Nate Mason 5-11 160 FR. PG
A three star who will play about 5 minutes a game. If McNeil plays well, Mason will redshirt. If McNeil is iffy, Mason will be needed.
Gaston Diedhiou 6-9 225 FR. C
Will most likely be raw since he comes from overseas. Does not even have a star rating.
Projected Starters:
Point Guard: Deandre Mathieu
Shooting Guard: Andre Hollins
Small Forward: Joey King
Power Forward: Maurice Walker
Center: Elliott Eliason
Michigan plays Minnesota at home only. This favors Michigan as this team will be hard to beat at the barn.
This team is uber-experienced with 4 senior starters. This will contribute to early success and good road play. I see this team having a repeat 8-10 season as they lose a big part of their team in Hollins.
Next Up... Illinois
mmm i'd day winning the NIT makes you better than the 65th best team in the country. If anything if proves your toughness and reveals how flawed the NCAA tourney selection process is. A team that can win that many games in a row versus average competition deserves a spot
One team HAS to win that many games in a row. It is absolutely unavoidable. That says nothing whatsoever about the NCAA tourney selection process, let alone "reveal[ing] how flawed" it is.
Next time think, THEN type, please.
might end up with a better record than last year. They return a good core and they will be in the second year under a new coach, which should help. At this point, I think they will move up the standings a tad.
Minnesota just added a 6-9 power forward from Senegal to its 2014 class:
More on Gaston Diedhiou and his commitment to Minnesota. Story (FREE): http://t.co/4LaSRFep6Q
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) April 11, 2014
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