Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2019-2020 season

By Austin Walther

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks with Cassius Winston #5 in the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks with Cassius Winston #5 in the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 21: Gabe Kalscheur #22, Dupree McBrayer #1, Michael Hurt #42, and Daniel Oturu #25 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers stand on the court during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Louisville Cardinals at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 21: Gabe Kalscheur #22, Dupree McBrayer #1, Michael Hurt #42, and Daniel Oturu #25 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers stand on the court during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Louisville Cardinals at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

10) Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota was a tough one to figure out. Three seasons’ ago they have a major turnaround and make the NCAA Tournament. Two seasons’ ago they came in with so many expectations and was never able to keep guys on the court. Last year was a complete unknown and the Gophers made the Tournament. And won a game for that matter. They are losing quite a few names, but also have some guys that are ready to become stars at Minnesota.

Jordan Murphy and Dupree McBrayer are actually out of college. As far as we know, none have a fifth year of eligibility. Brock Stull and Matz Stockman both transferred for one season and are gone. The lone guys who is transferring away from Minnesota comes by no surprise to Gopher fans. Isiah Washington thought he was going to be used more as a point guard after Nate Mason left, but Richard Pitino never started him. Amir Coffey ran the point, McBrayer is Mr. reliable and Gabe Kalscheur really shined as a freshman from deep.

Anther guy who I’m excited to see as a sophomore next season is Daniel Oturu. I know he made Jordan Murphy happy last season, giving him someone reliable to work with in the front court. Murphy was one of the best rebounders ever to play in the Big Ten, but Oturu still managed to average seven per game with 46 blocks.

The starting lineup hardly ever changed. Only two are certainly gone. Coffey is testing the NBA Draft waters, but I don’t expect much to come from it. He is a terrific six-foot-eight combo guard, but he’s better off coming back for his senior year. You’re starting to build a nice nucleus with those three. There still isn’t a clear word one way or another on what he’s going to do.

The fourth piece to the puzzle could be Eric Curry. But the kid can never stay healthy. He’s a big six-foot-nine forward that did a great job on the boards in his freshman year. He sat out two years ago and only played in 15 games last season.

The other guy Gopher fans are anxious to see is Marcus Carr. He sat out last season after coming over from Pitt where he was in double-figures, dished four assists and grabbed almost three boards. Minnesota is losing just two from the lineup, but five from the rotation. The recruiting class isn’t much, so the guys with Tournament experience have to guide the others.

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