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Gophers skunked for 6th time since Preseason All-Big Ten Team grew to 10 spots

With only two players back from last season, Minnesota’s roster is full of newcomers being asked to take on key roles.
Joe Nelson|
Minnesota Gophers forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson.
Minnesota Gophers forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson. | University of Minnesota Athletics

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Minnesota Golden Gophers

If Niko Medved is going to succeed in his first season at Minnesota, he's going to have to do it without a single player on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, which was revealed on Tuesday.

Braden Smith, the star point guard at Purdue, has been named the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year for the second year in a row. He's joined on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team by:

  • Bennett Stirtz, Sr., G, Iowa
  • Yaxel Lendeborg, Grad., F, Michigan
  • Nick Martinelli, Sr., F, Northwestern
  • Bruce Thornton, Sr., G, Ohio State
  • Nate Bittle, Sr., C, Oregon
  • Jackson Shelstad, Jr., G, Oregon
  • Trey Kaufman-Renn, Sr., F, Purdue
  • Donovan Dent, Sr., G, UCLA
  • John Blackwell, Jr., G, Wisconsin

Under Medved, the Gophers are starting over with a roster full of new players. The only members of last season's roster who are playing at Minnesota this season are Isaac Asuma and Grayson Grove. Grove redshirted last season, while Asuma averaged 5.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 24.7 minutes per game.

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, who averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds at Colorado State last season, is expected to be one of Minnesota's top players. He didn't put up the numbers necessary last season to make the all-conference preseason team, though he has a chance to find himself on the team when the season ends.

The only players on the preseason team who didn't play in the Big Ten last season are Stirtz, Lendeborg, and Dent. Stirtz was at Drake last season, while Lendeborg played at UAB, and Dent was playing for ex-Gophers coach Richard Pitino at New Mexico.

This isn't the first time the Gophers have gone without a player on the preseason all-conference team. In fact, it's the sixth time since the all-conference preseason team expanded to 10 players that Minnesota has been skunked.

  • 2024-25: Dawson Garcia
  • 2023-24: Dawson Garcia
  • 2022-23: Jamison Battle
  • 2021-22: Nobody
  • 2020-21: Marcus Carr
  • 2019-20: Nobody
  • 2018-19: Nobody
  • 2017-18: Amir Coffey, Nate Mason
  • 2016-17: Nobody
  • 2015-16: Nobody

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.

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