Big Ten Basketball: Updated 2021-22 preseason rankings after NBA Draft decisions
. Golden Gophers . 14. team. 487. .
The Gophers knew that they weren’t going to get Marcus Carr back but his decision to play for the Texas Longhorns made it official that the top seven scorers from last season all have transferred somewhere else. That makes it a complete rebuilding effort for first-year head coach Ben Johnson, who did a solid job in bringing in talent for 2021-22.
The top newcomer arguably is Jamison Battle, a 6’7 forward from George Washington that averaged 17.3 ppg and 5.2 rpg last season in 15 games. He can score anywhere on the court and is a stretch forward capable of making three-pointers as well.
Battle already had pressure to be a leading offensive player before but Minnesota now is dealing with a pair of key frontcourt injuries to Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen, both of whom are reportedly out for the upcoming season. That leaves Junior College transfer Charlie Daniels and four-star center prospect Treyton Thompson as frontcourt depth alongside Battle.
The perimeter resides of several senior transfers, including Luke Loewe, Elijah Stevens, and Sean Sutherlin, along with Junior College transfer guard Abdoulaye Thiam. There’s experience and production from their prior respective stops but the Big Ten level is a whole new game.
It feels like a cop-out to place the Gophers dead last but it’s hard to envision a roster with Battle as its best player to win many games, considering that George Washington didn’t win much last year in the Atlantic 10. Coach Johnson has his work cut out for him in year 1.