First-Team Snub? McKinney, Grocholski and Battle Lead Gophers in Big Ten Honors

Minnesota did not have a player featured on this year's All-Big Ten first-team.

Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Tori McKinney (14) celebrates a 3-pointer Wednesday, April 2, 2025, during the WBIT championship game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Belmont Bruins at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Big Ten announced its postseason awards on Tuesday, and the Gophers were the lone team in the top six of the regular season standings without a player on the first team. Tori McKinney, Grace Grocholski and Amaya Battle were all well-represented. Was Minnesota snubbed?

Grace Grocholski

• 2nd-team All-Big Ten (coaches + media)

Grocholski played all 29 games for the Gophers in the regular season, and she was second on the team with 12.5 points per game. She added 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. She's among the most efficient shooters in the entire conference, with a 47.4% mark from the field, 73.7% from the free throw line and 43.0% from three-point range, which ranked among the best in the Big Ten. She was Minnesota's lone consensus selection on the second team.

Tori McKinney

• Big Ten All-Defense
• 2nd-team All-Big Ten (coaches)
• 3rd-team All-Big Ten (media)

McKinney improved her scoring from 10.6 points per game as a true freshman last season to 13.6 this season, which led the Gophers. She also averaged 3.2 points and 2.7 assists per game, but her 2.0 steals per game ranked tied for sixth-best in the conference. She has also been a very efficient player with 46.9% shooting from the field, 34.5% from three and 84.4% from the free throw line.

If there was a Gophers player who deserves a place on the first-team All-Big Ten, it probably would be McKinney. She earned All-Defensive honors, second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and third-team All-Big Ten by the media.

Amaya Battle

• Big Ten All-Defense
• 3rd-team All-Big Ten (coaches + media)

Battle has been a veteran leader for the Gophers all season. She averaged 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game on 38.6% shooting from the field, 28.6% from three and 82.9% from three. She was a consensus third-team All-Big Ten selection and an All-Defense selection for her 1.2 steals per game.

Other notes

• Mara Braun was named an honrable mention by the coaches.

Were the Gophers snubbed from having a player on the first team? Maybe, but it signifies the balance along their whole roster. Teams like Iowa, Michigan and UCLA have one or two star players, while Minnesota has three or four. They will have a chance to prove themselves against the best players in the conference this week at the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis. Minnesota will begin its run on Friday afternoon against Ohio State, Nebraska or Indiana.