NCAA Basketball: Analyzing Utah transfer Both Gach’s final 5 options
By Andy Patton
Finalist for transfer Both Gach – Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Gophers are about 90 minutes from Gach’s hometown of Austin, and while they weren’t exactly a picture of success on the court last year, going 15-16 and finishing 12th in the Big-10, they do have more talent across the board and would represent a homecoming of sorts for the athletic combo guard.
Marcus Carr and Gabe Kalscheur are both rising junior guards who averaged 15.4 and 11.6 points per game last year, respectively, and assuming both sticks around Gach could step in and compliment them nicely, effectively replacing rising senior Payton Willis as a third wing option.
Minnesota also netted a pair of four-star prospects in the class of 2020, Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Martice Mitchell, and got a commitment from David Mutaf from Turkey and a pair of transfers in Liam Robbins and Brandon Johnson.
So, while Gach would get a chance to play in front of friends and family at Minnesota, it’s a program that hasn’t had a ton of success on the court and is getting a little crowded in the backcourt over the next few years.
Plus, one of Minnesota’s biggest areas of weakness last year was from beyond the arc, where they shot a pedestrian 33.7% – good for 158th in the NCAA. Gach is a poor outside shooter, shooting 25% on 4.4 attempts per game last year. That won’t help the team improve in a key area of need.
Minnesota is considered the favorite, and while there are reasons to be excited if Gach does commit, he’s not a perfect fit and may struggle to carve out a huge role if the 2020 class steps up.