Gophers Run Out of Gas in Hard-Fought Loss at No. 3 Michigan

Minnesota delivered a gallant effort in Tuesday night's loss to the Wolverines.

Feb 24, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Nimari Burnett (4) dribbles against Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Bobby Durkin (3) in the first half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The shorthanded Gophers' six-man rotation faced their toughest test of the season on Tuesday night against No. 3 Michigan. They delivered an encouraging effort before ultimately running out of gas in a 77-67 loss.

Minnesota rolled with just a six-man rotation again against one of the nation's best teams. Michigan was coming off just its second loss of the season over the weekend against Duke in a marquee neutral site game in Washington, D.C. It was the Gophers that looked like the team playing with a chip on their shoulders.

Minnesota gave the Wolverines all they could handle in the first half. Potential All-American forward Yaxel Lendebord attempted just one shot in the first half, and he was scoreless. The Gophers did not look intimidated at all, and they trailed by only four points heading into the locker room.

Lendeborg continued to have a quiet night with a season-low three points, but Michigan is one of the deepest teams in the country, and they began to wear on Minnesota. It was a three-point game with just over 16 minutes left, and then Michigan turned things on.

The Wolverines' frontcourt with Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. was too much for Grayson Grove to handle on the glass, with a 39-18 advantage in total rebounds. Minnesota trailed by only 26-24 in points scored in the paint.

Cade Tyson was arguably the best player on the floor with a game-high 20 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the field, but it still wasn't enough to slow down the No. 3-ranked Wolverines. Langston Reynolds, Isaac Asuma and Bobby Durkin were all in double figures, but it was clear that Minnesota could've used some more help off the bench

cade's got 15 tonight

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/NJRFiWyIBw

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) February 25, 2026

The Gophers entered the game as 22.5-point betting underdogs, and it was fair to say they exceeded those expectations. Michigan is both one of the best and deepest teams in the country, and Minnesota left everything it had on the floor in Ann Arbor.

The Gophers are now 13-15 this season, and 6-10 in Big Ten play. They will come back to the Twin Cities for an interesting game on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT against UCLA at 1 p.m. CT. There are just three regular season games remaining before next month's Big Ten tournament.