Minnesota season preview: Cade Tyson's scoring gap to fill

Where last season ended

Minnesota finished 2025-26 at 15-18 overall and 8-12 in the Big Ten, 11th in the league, according to Sports-Reference. The Gophers did not reach the postseason. Niko Medved is in his second season as head coach.

Who is gone

Cade Tyson, a senior guard, scored 628 points and averaged 19.6 points per game in 2025-26, according to the Gophers' year review. He is not on the 2026-27 roster. Langston Reynolds, who scored 382 points for Minnesota that season, is also absent from the roster. The sources checked do not give a complete list of other 2025-26 departures.

Who is back

Isaac Asuma, a junior guard listed at 6-3, started all 33 games as a sophomore, according to Last Word on Sports. Bobby Durkin, a senior forward, scored 337 points for the Gophers in 2025-26, according to the year review. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, a senior forward listed at 6-8, followed Medved from Colorado State. Grayson Grove, a junior forward, and Nolan Groves, a sophomore guard, also return, according to SI's roster outlook.

Who is new

Four transfers join. Malick Kordel, a senior center listed at 7-2, and Winters Grady, a sophomore guard and forward, come from Michigan, which won the 2025-26 NCAA championship according to Sports-Reference. Kyan Evans, a senior guard, comes from North Carolina. Malachi Palmer, a senior guard listed at 6-6, comes from Villanova.

The freshman class is listed below.

Incoming freshmen

Minnesota adds four freshmen. Two are guards, and Chadrack Mpoyi, listed at 6-11, adds size next to Malick Kordel.

• Nolen Anderson, forward, 6-8, Wayzata High School, Eden Prairie, Minn.
• Chadrack Mpoyi, center, 6-11, Crean Lutheran, Likasi, DRC
• Cedric Tomes, guard, 6-1, East Ridge High School, Woodbury, Minn.
• Blake Nixon Jr., guard, 6-3, Academy of Holy Angels, Minneapolis, Minn.

The number to know

The number to know is scoring margin per game, which is points scored minus points allowed, averaged over games. In 2025-26, Minnesota averaged 69.4 points and allowed 68.5, a margin of +0.9, according to Sports-Reference. The average covers all 33 games on the season record. It shows how much the Gophers outscored opponents on average. It does not show pace, shot quality, or the strength of the schedule, so a margin near zero shows the team was close to even on average, not why.

Questions for this season

Who replaces Tyson's scoring? He averaged 19.6 points per game. The guard group now includes Evans, Palmer, Groves and Asuma, and none of the sources checked gives a 2026-27 scoring projection.

How do Kordel and Crocker-Johnson share the frontcourt? SI expects Kordel to start as a true center alongside Crocker-Johnson, and that pairing will shape the rotation.

How much does Nolen Anderson play? Last Word on Sports ranks him 130th in his recruiting class and calls him the headliner of the freshman group.

Our early read

Our tier is Middle of the pack (10th-13th). This is our opinion, not a sourced ranking. Minnesota keeps Asuma, Durkin and Crocker-Johnson, and it added four transfers from Michigan, North Carolina and Villanova. Tyson's departure removes a player who averaged 19.6 points per game. The Gophers can compete for the middle of the table, but early results will depend on how quickly the new guards adjust. We project the Gophers 12th.