Big Ten Basketball: Best / Worst case scenarios for each team in 2018-19
By Adam Childs
Minnesota
Best Case
Amir Coffey returns from his shoulder injury and is the player he was. Jordan Murphy continues to play like a star and between him and Coffey they are the best scoring duo in the Big Ten. Milwaukee grad transfer Brock Stull fits in nicely and becomes a great complimentary piece to the duo. Daniel Orturo (four-star recruit) also fits into the rotation and becomes a great scorer. The defense improves and the Barn again becomes an intimidating place to play. Richard Pitino pushes all the right buttons as he did two years ago and Minnesota finishes in the top five of the conference. They make a surprise run to the conference title game and get a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. There they win a game before falling in the second round.
Worst Case
Coffey hurts his shoulder again and misses most of the season. Moving to the Big Ten is too much for Stull and he rarely plays. Orturo isn’t ready for the big time yet and his minutes continue to go down. Murphy is still a star but with no help, he can only carry them so far. The defense continues to be bad and Pitino has more problems with players getting in trouble. The Golden Gophers tumble down the Big Ten standings and finish 9th in the conference. They have an early exit in the conference tournament and the NIT does not even come calling. Pitino is fired at the end of the year and the rebuild starts yet again for the Gophers.