Gophers Enter Big Ten Tournament With Momentum After Northwestern Win

It wasn't the cleanest performance of the season, but Minnesota ended its regular season on a high note with a 67-66 win over Northwestern at Williams Arena on Saturday night. Here's what we learned.

Red-hot start

Saturday was a 'sleepy' opportunity for the Gophers, welcoming the Big Ten's 14th-place team to the Barn for an 8 p.m. local time tip-off, but they came out motivated and ready to play. They began the game on an 18-2 run thanks to nine quick points from Isaac Asuma. The home crowd was relatively light for a Saturday night game, but they were lively, and Minnesota was feeding off the energy.

Dynamic backcourt performance

Langston Reynolds and Asuma might've had their best combined game of the season on Saturday night. They've been up and down all year, but both of them were at their best against Northwestern. Reynolds finished with 21 points, while Asuma had 14. Their collective performance was enough to spark some serious confidence before next week's Big Ten tournament.

Langston Reynolds!! What a play. pic.twitter.com/aUrK6OQz2H
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 8, 2026

Bobby Durkin's health

Durkin popped up on the Big Ten's availability report with a questionable tag on Saturday night. He has been dealing with a left knee issue all week, but that didn't stop him from playing against Northwestern. He put a pad of sorts on the knee while he was on the bench. That didn't slow him down from having another huge night from three-point range with 12 points on four threes.

With three full days off before their first Big Ten tournament game on Wednesday, Durkin will have plenty of time to rest up with what seems like a minor injury.

Big Ten tournament outlook

The Gophers will enter next week's Big Ten tournament in Chicago with plenty of momentum, winning four of their final six regular-season games. There are plenty of seeding scenarios left to play out with games still on Sunday's schedule. Saturday's win and USC's loss to UCLA mean that Minnesota will be the 12 seed if Washington beats Oregon, and the 11 seed if the Ducks pull off the upset. Niko Medved finishing 11th or 12th place in the Big Ten standings in year one, overcoming all the injuries they've had, should be viewed as a huge accomplishment.

Grayson Grove's passing

Grove has been the most improved player on Minnesota's roster by a wide margin this season, and his passing might be the most underappreciated aspect of his game. He led the Gophers with six assists against Northwestern, and he has now averaged 4.8 assists in his last four games. As Minnesota's five-man, he has impressive vision.