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Big Ten Basketball: 10 key questions for the league entering 2021-22 season

By Trevor Sinodhinos

Mar 14, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Members of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrate with the Big Ten Conference Tournament trophy after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Members of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrate with the Big Ten Conference Tournament trophy after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Big Ten Basketball Minnesota Golden Gophers (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Big Ten Basketball Minnesota Golden Gophers (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

How much time do the Golden Gophers need?

Getting a bunch of talented players who have never played together and put them on the same basketball team in order to win a bunch of basketball games, does not always work. Just ask Kentucky (9-16) and Duke (13-11), both of those legendary programs failed to make the NCAA Men’s Division I Tournament.

The difference between those two teams last season and the Minnesota Golden Gophers this season is that the Golden Gophers do not have a top-three recruiting class that needs to gel as a unit. Instead, first-time head coach Ben Johnson is tasked with getting eight players who transferred to Minnesota to gel.

Not only do the Golden Gophers have eight players transferring to Minnesota, but they also had eight players transfer out. Among the eight that left, are their top seven scorers, which includes the entire starting line-up from 2020-21.

Despite having four double-digit scorers joining the team who led George Washington, William & Mary, and the College of Charleston,  one can argue it equates to a bunch of big fish in a small pond who is now, not coming to be a big pond, but the Big Ten.

The complete overhaul is the best-case scenario for Coach Johnson, as he can implement his new system. Once you factor in the freshman, over half the team is new with no pre-conceived ideas about working together and attempting to rely on what worked the previous season. The transfers are talented as a number are among the top 20 transfers in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers have enough talent to be in the middle of the pack, it just has to come all together.

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