Minnesota Basketball: Preview of Golden Gophers 2020-21 depth chart
By Ben Dickson
Minnesota Centers
The man above and on the right, Daniel Oturu, was a huge loss for Minnesota this past offseason. After the stellar All-Big Ten season he had, he was all but penciled in to forgo his eligibility for the NBA Draft. Luckily for Minnesota, they picked up one of the top players on the entire transfer market.
Liam Robbins is quite literally a big pickup from Drake University. The 7-footer was a force to be reckoned with in the Missouri Valley Conference, averaging over 14 points and seven rebounds per game. Robbins is the clear cut starting center for the Golden Gophers and should play upwards of 25 minutes per game.
The center minutes when Robbins is off the floor can easily be taken by any of the forwards mentioned in the last slide. Looking at the center position, though, Robbins’ backup has to be freshman Martice Mitchell.
The 6’10” Chicago native has the ability to play both inside and on the perimeter. The fact he only weighs 190 pounds at big man (Oturu weighs 240 pounds) could lead to him playing more power forward minutes than center. Regardless, Mitchell seems like he should be able to contribute right away, and could find anywhere between 5-15 minutes of playing time.
Sam Freeman is another name to know when talking about the Minnesota centers. It is hard to say that Freeman will play more than only spot minutes, as he only saw 30 minutes of game action last season.
Preseason Big Ten power rankings for 2020-21. dark. Next
Overall, Minnesota has a roster that can potentially contend for the NCAA Tournament next season. If Both Gach’s waiver gets approved by the NCAA, the talent on the Golden Gophers will be undeniable. Coach Pitino has a lot of positive things to build on from the 2019-2020 season and is hoping to make some noise with this year’s squad.