5 key takeaways from another sloppy Gophers' win over Chicago State

The Cougars gave Minnesota all it could handle on Tuesday night at the Barn.

Nov 18, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (5) shoots against the Chicago State Cougars during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Gophers are now 4-1 after beating Chicago State, but it hasn't been pretty. Hear is what we learned from their latest nonconference dogfight.

Minnesota's backcourt

Isaac Asuma had a season-high 14 points, but Chansey Willis Jr. and Langston Reynolds combined for only 11 points on 4 of 13 shooting from the field. Consistent offensive production in the backcourt is a recipe for success in college basketball, and something people often point to as a key aspect in tournament play later in the season. Minnesota simply needs to see more consistent scoring from all three players if it wants to be competitive in Big Ten play.

Bobby Durkin's slump

Durkin shot 35.5% from three-point range last season at Davidson on 7.8 attempts per game. He was pursued heavily in the transfer portal this past offseason, and some recruiting services viewed him as Minnesota's top addition. His transition to the Big Ten hasn't gone exactly to plan through five games. After a zero-point performance on Tuesday night, he's now shooting 5 of 24 (20.8%) from three for the season.

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Kai Shinholster back in the rotation

Minnesota's lone scholarship true freshman received his first DNP (coach's decision) of the season on Saturday night at Green Bay, and he played for two minutes against Missouri. It seemed notable after Shinholster averaged 13 minutes in the first two games of the season. He played only three minutes on Tuesday against Chicago State. It looks like Minnesota might just stick with eight, depending on the health of B.J. Omot, who remained out on Tuesday.

Cade Tyson

Tyson has led Minnesota in scoring in every game this season. He did it again on Tuesday night with 22 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the field. There's a real chance he could average over 20 points per game this season for the Gophers, which is not something many people likely thought could happen when he signed with the team as a transfer from North Carolina.

Offense outside of Tyson

Asuma had 14 points and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson had 15, but this team is going to need more production from its role players if it wants to outperform expectations. They had only six bench points on Tuesday, as Grove, Durkin and Shinholster were all scoreless. Vaihola was a bit banged up, but he only had four points as well. Minnesota needs someone to step up.