Gophers look to avoid season falling off the rails this week in California

Things could fall apart quickly if Minnesota doesn't perform well at the Acrisure Series.

Nov 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Niko Medved looks on during the second half against the Alcorn State Braves at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

After Minnesota began the season with two wins by an average of 36.0 points, they looked like a team that could outperform preseason expectations in year one under Niko Medved. They peaked at No. 64 in KenPom.com's nationwide ratings, but they've since plummeted to No. 104, as of Tuesday.

Gophers MBB's KenPom Rating continues to fall after another tough week.

▫️Preseason: 73
▫️Nov. 10: 64
▫️Nov. 17: 86
▫️Nov. 24: 103

Niko Medved and Minnesota will have two more challenging games this week against Stanford and Santa Clara or St. Louis. pic.twitter.com/HPqwMeLCoJ

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) November 24, 2025

The Gophers have had four concerning results in a row with a blowout loss at Missouri, a pair of close wins at home over Green Bay and Chicago State, and finally a neutral site loss to San Francisco last weekend. They will look to avoid their season going off the rails this week in Palm Springs, California, at the Acrisure Series with games on Thursday and Friday. They will open against (4-1) Stanford, and then play either (5-0) Saint Louis or (6-0) Santa Clara.

Acrisure Invitational bracket | Picture via: hoopshd.com

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Stanford preview

Stanford has gotten off to a bumpy start itself this season. Second-year head coach Kyle Smith has quite the rebuild ahead of himself, and they are currently No. 93 in KenPom. They're coming off a surprising eight-point loss at home against Seattle last Friday after starting the season with four wins over Portland State, Montana, Montana State and Louisiana.

Mar 13, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Kyle Smith during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Cardinal quietly has one of the most productive freshmen in the country. 6-foot-2 guard Ebuka Okorie is sixth in the country with 23.8 points per game. He has done it on outstanding 52.1% shooting from the field. He was a borderline top 100 recruit in the class of 2025, but he looks like their point guard of the future.

Minnesota ranks 354th out of 365 Division I teams in adjusted tempo this season, and Stanford will look to speed things up with the 58th-most possessions per 40 minutes in the country. Medved and his staff will have their hands full with another challenging opponent.

Saint Louis/Santa Clara preview

Saint Louis and Santa Clara are two of the best mid-major teams in the country this season. The only teams outside of the power five conferences (Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big East and Big 12), who are rated higher than the Billikens at No. 50 on KenPom are Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and Utah State. Santa Clara is only five spots behind at No. 55. That means Minnesota's second game will likely be more challenging than its first.

Indiana State Sycamores head coach Josh Schertz yells to players on the court Thursday, April 4, 2024, during the NIT championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Gophers will likely need to put their running shoes on because the Billikens rank 23rd in adjusted tempo. Santa Clara is a bit slower at No. 174. Minnesota played head coach Josh Schertz and Robbie Avilla in the NIT when they were both at Indiana State two years ago, and this year's Saint Louis team might be better. Santa Clara is among the most efficient offensive teams in college basketball, which would provide another challenging test for the Gophers' defense.

Importance of this week's tournament

The Gophers will likely be betting underdogs in both games they play this weekend. If they leave California with two more losses, things could fall off the rails quickly. With Big Ten games looming against Indiana and Purdue, a five-game losing streak is a scenario they need to avoid. If that happens, Minnesota would have three nonconference cupcakes before entering full-time conference play with a 7-6 record.

Nobody expected Medved to turn this program around overnight, but Minnesota would need to have quite the turnaround in conference play to have any chance of a postseason tournament birth. There's a lot to happen between now and then, but picking up at least one win this weekend in Palm Springs would go a long way in avoiding that scenario.