Cade Tyson is a 'great fit' with Niko Medved and Gophers basketball

Tyson is proving that last season with North Carolina was just a blip on the radar of his college career.

Nov 3, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Cade Tyson (10) celebrates a three point basket against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Niko Medved era of Gophers men's basketball got off to a great start on Monday night with a 27-point win over Gardner-Webb. The breakout performance of North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson continues to be one of the top storylines of the season so far.

Tyson averaged 27.0 points in Minnesota's two exhibition wins over North Dakota State and North Dakota. He showed he can do it in regular-season play on Monday night with a game-high 30 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field, a 4 of 8 mark from three point range and a 10 of 12 night from the free throw line.

"I don't think anyone can say you're going to have 30 in your opener... We really did believe he would be a great fit for us, kinda how we play. He was one of those guys, a couple years ago, you have to remember he was one of the top transfers on the market, and sometimes fit matters," Medved said after Monday's win.

“We really did believe he would be a great fit for us.”

Niko Medved on UNC transfer Cade Tyson’s hot start with the Gophers. pic.twitter.com/4xoYJECtQx

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) November 4, 2025

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Tyson had two great seasons at Belmont, where he averaged 13.6 points and 16.2 points per game to begin his college career. He opted to enter the transfer portal before the 2024 season, and he was ranked as the 34th-best availible player, according to 247Sports.

He was pursued by dozens of top programs across the country before he settled on North Carolina. His production and role took a serious drop off with only 7.9 minutes per game with the Tar Heels, and he averaged only 2.6 points per game.

"We thought this was a great fit. He's our type of guy. He has been really consistent the entire summer, and as he has gotten more and more comfortable with what we're doing, he's just playing at a really, really high level on that end. Hopefully, that can continue. It won't be that way every game. People are going to scheme for him," Medved continued.

Tyson re-entered the portal after one season in Chapel Hill, and he was ranked as the 247th-best available player. Davidson transfer Bobby Durkin (No. 90) and Western Michigan's Chansey Willis Jr. (No. 244) both ranked higher, according to 247Sports.

Is Tyson going to average 30 points per game this season? No, but it seems like Minnesota has found a legit No. 1 scoring option on a team that had a lot of questions heading into the season.