5 key takeaways from Minnesota’s season-opening win over Gardner-Webb

The Niko Medved era couldn't have gotten off to a much better start for the Gophers on Monday. Minnesota took care of business against Gardner-Webb with an 87-60 win. Here's what we learned.

What is Cade Tyson's ceiling?

After averaging 27 points in Minnesota's two exhibition wins over North Dakota and North Dakota State, Tyson showed he can deliver in regular-season action as well. He had his best performance to date against Gardner-Webb with 30 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field, a 4-8 mark from three-point range and 10 of 12 shooting from the free-throw line.

Scheduled Cade Tyson stat line post

30 points
FGs: 8-12
3P: 4-8
FTs: 10-12
3 rebounds
2 assists

Another great performance to open the regular season against Gardner-Webb. Minnesota has found itself a portal steal.

pic.twitter.com/Eh9D8yRkQp
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) November 4, 2025

23-1 run to open the game

Minnesota opened the game with 10 unanswered points before Gardner-Webb got on the board with a free throw. They proceeded to score 13 more points before the Runnin' Bulldogs got their first field goal of the game at the 11:17 mark of the first half. The Gophers came out with something to move and flexed their muscles early against an inferior opponent.

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BJ Omot injury

Omot averaged 13.5 minutes per game in Minnesota's two exhibition games. He popped up on the pregame availability report, and he was ruled out for Monday's game against Gardner-Webb. His absence opened the door for true freshman guard Kai Shinholster to sneak into the rotation as the ninth man. It will be worth monitoring if Omot's absence lingers beyond one

Dominant win against a Quad 4 team

Metrics matter in college basketball, and a 27-point win over a Quad 4 opponent will help Minnesota's outlook on any analytical site. The Gophers only had two wins of more than 20 points last season. Gardner-Webb isn't a true measuring stick, but getting a blowout win helps instill some serious confidence

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson's double-double

Crocker-Johnson was the lone Colorado State player to follow Medved to Minnesota. He opened his Gophers career with a first-half double-double. He finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds for the game. You have to go back to his true freshman season at Little Rock for the last time he recorded a double-double at the college level. It's a good sign for Minnesota's top frontcourt player rebounding at a high level.