Meet the Almost-Gophers March Madness All-Star Team

College basketball recruiting is crazier than ever in the transfer portal, not to mention all of the commitments and withdrawn commitments happening at the high school level. The Gophers have hosted dozens of players on official visits over the last few seasons, so let's take a look at some of the top players competing in this year's NCAA Tournament who nearly signed with Minnesota.

The (almost) Gophers all-star team in the NCAA Tournament

G: Keaton Wagler (Illinois)
G: Wes Enis (USF)
F: Amari Allen (Alabama)
F: Nolan Winter (Wisconsin)
C: Daniel Jacobsen (Purdue)

*Don't take this too seriously. It's just fun to look at how many guys took OVs to UMN. pic.twitter.com/hXpFpLHIY3
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 17, 2026

*Note: For the sake of this exercise, I decided to include players who took an official visit to Minnesota but never played for the Gophers.

G: Keaton Wagler, Illinois

Wagler has been the surprise star of the Big Ten this season at Illinois as a true freshman. It has been talked about ad naseum how he was an unheralded prospect coming out of high school. Minnesota and Illinois were his only two Power Conference offers, and he even took an official visit to Minneapolis. He seemingly made the right choice, as he's averaging 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this season, and he looks like a future NBA Draft lottery pick.

Before the Gophers and Illinois even got involved in his recruitment, current Minnesota head coach Niko Medved offered Wagler a scholarship at Colorado State on July 23, 2024, and he eventually took an official visit to Fort Collins, Colorado.

Mar 13, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) brings the ball up court against Wisconsin Badgers guard Andrew Rohde (7) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

G: Wes Enis, USF

Enis is the only player on this list who was on campus when Niko Medved was head coach. He was a top option in the transfer portal last offseason after two years at Division II Lincoln Memorial. He was in Minneapolis for a visit, but he opted to play for Bryan Hodgson at USF. He's averaging 16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and he's a big reason why the Bulls are in the NCAA Tournament.

F: Amari Allen, Alabama

Allen was another impressive scouting job from Ben Johnson and his staff. He had a long list of Power Conference offers as a four-star recruit, but the Gophers got him on campus for an official visit. Alabama swooped in, and he already looks like a stud as a true freshman. He's averaging 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He could be a first-round NBA Draft pick as soon as this summer.

F: Nolan Winter, Wisconsin

Minnesota fans are very familiar with Winter from his days at Lakeville North High School. He was on campus for an official visit as a high school recruit, and the fact that his father played on the 1997 Final Four team still makes him one of the biggest in-state misses over the last few years. He's averaging 13.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this season in Madison as a junior.

C: Daniel Jacobsen, Purdue

Purdue has become a factory for seven-footers over the last decade under Matt Painter, but Minnesota nearly outrecruited them for Jacobsen. His first official visit was to Minnesota in August 2023 before the Boilermakers swooped in. He's averaging 6.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game off the bench for Purdue this season as a sophomore.