Gophers Targeting Lithuanian Forward Who Won Freshman of the Year Award

As the transfer portal roars in college basketball, the Minnesota Golden Gophers are showing interest in University of Tennessee at Martin forward Matas Deniusas.

Rivals' Ryan James was the first to report Minnesota's interest, and our Tony Liebert has since corroborated the report about the reigning UT Martin 19-year-old, who was the freshman of the year in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2025-26.

Liebert said Deniusas could make a visit to the University of Minnesota this week, though that has not been confirmed.

Deniusas, a 6-foot-9 skilled forward from Lithuania, averaged 12.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists this season. He shot 42.5% overall, 33.6% from three-point range, and 77.5% at the free-throw line.

I can confirm the Gophers are showing interest in UT Martin transfer forward Matas Deniusas, (I believe @RyanJamesMN reported first)

Just turned 19, won OVC FOTY last season. Intriguing longterm potential. https://t.co/hMDx3ZDtqg pic.twitter.com/bDTu6g2QoV
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) April 9, 2026

Minnesota could use a skilled wing like Deniusas to replace Cade Tyson, who averaged 19.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, while shooting 41.3% from three. Asking Deniusas to replace Tyson outright would generate big expectations that are probably unfair to the 19-year-old. Tyson was a standout at Belmont for two seasons before seeing his playing time suffocated for one season at North Carolina before he blossomed into one of the Big Ten's leading scorers in his lone season with the Gophers.

You don't need to watch his 2025-26 highlight tape for very long before quickly noticing how comfortable he is with the ball in his hands, both as a scorer and facilitator. He plays under control and can score from all areas of the floor.

Deniusas helped the UT Martin Skyhawks win 22 games. They nearly made the NCAA Tournament, falling to Tennessee State in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game. Tennessee State was a No. 15 seed and was smashed by Iowa State in the first round of the big dance.

Minnesota has been busy in the portal, with confirmed interest in North Carolina guard Kyan Evans, Texas Tech guard Nolan Groves, VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr., and Western Carolina guard Tahlan Pettway.

Groves, who starred at Orono High School in the Twin Cities, is believed to be receiving interest from the Wisconsin Badgers, among others. Meanwhile, another Gophers rival, the Iowa Hawkeyes, are believed to have eyes for Evans as a potential replacement for Bennett Stirtz.

Niko Medved's 2026-27 roster returns some of the core players from this past season, including guard Isaac Asuma, and forwards Bobby Durkin, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, and Grayson Grove. It's also encouraging that freshman guard Kai Shinholster hasn't entered the portal, which means a talented player with a high ceiling could be back in the rotation.