Big Ten Basketball: Illinois rises, Iowa falls in latest power rankings

If it wasn’t for the currently unbeaten Iowa State Cyclones, Minnesota would be getting the national attention as “biggest surprise” of the 2021-22 season. They had to not only replace its entire roster with new head coach Ben Johnson with mostly mid-major transfers, but they had also lost two frontcourt rotational pieces in Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen.

The good news is that they’ve gotten welcomed production from senior forward Eric Curry, producing 8.1 ppg and 6.8 rpg in the starting lineup. He and George Washington transfer Jamison Battle (18.9 ppg and 6.5 rpg) have been much better than expected for the Gophers, while guards  Luke Loewe and 6th man Sean Sutherlin have been consistent scorers from the perimeter.

As has guard Payton Willis, who was once a Gopher years ago but went to College of Charleston last season. He looks like a completely new player now, averaging 16.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 4.1 apg. He and Battle is the 1-2 combo no one thought would be this good, including Michigan, who lost to Minnesota at home to give this team a 1-0 record in league play.

The obvious concern with the Gophers is the lack of depth overall, playing essentially six guys per 40 minutes. But as long as this core remains healthy, this team will rack up a few more wins in the Big Ten. Considering that they were projected to get 1-2 wins at the most in the preseason, you can argue that this program has already massively overachieved before the new year.