Minnesota’s first measuring-stick game arrives Wednesday at Missouri

Joe Lunardi's early forecast has Missouri in the NCAA Tournament, so it's a chance for the Gophers to get some national attention.

Nov 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Cade Tyson (10) and guard Isaac Asuma (1) celebrate during the first half against the Alcorn State Braves at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

If Niko Medved's Gophers want to turn some heads around the country, they'll need to start by winning on the road against Missouri on Wednesday night.

Missouri is far from a national power, but they are an early pick to make the NCAA Tournament. According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, Missouri is projected to get into the big dance as an at-large team, with Lunardi's way-too-early forecast suggesting the Tigers could be an 8-seed.

In that same forecast, Lunardi says Minnesota is the No. 99 team in the nation and he's "considering" them as a potential tourney team. See for yourself.

Missouri is off to a 3-0 start with blowout wins over Howard and Virginia Military Institute, as well as a five-point victory against Southeast Missouri State.

One thing to note from their three games is that Southeast Missouri State had the lead with 4:45 to play, so the Tigers, despite shooting 59.3% for the game, barely won because their opponent, from the Ohio Valley Conference, grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and attempted nine more shots, while Missouri also missed 12 free throws and committed 19 turnovers.

The biggest challenge for Minnesota will be Missouri big man Mark Mitchell. The former Duke standout is averaging 20.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He's 6-foot-9, so not a towering center by any means, but he will be the best big man the Gophers have faced with this season's undersized roster.

If Minnesota beats Missouri, and can do it with the impressive brand of basketball that's been on display through two exhibition games and two regular-season wins at Williams Arena, then the rest of the country should start to consider Medved's team a legit opponent.

The Gophers shredded their first two opponents, beating Gardner-Webb by 27 points and hammering Alcorn State 95-50. With a win over Missouri, they'll be 3-0 and returning home for games Nov. 15 and 18 against Green Bay and Chicago State, respectively. They could be 5-0 entering a tougher stretch against San Francisco, Stanford, and then the Big Ten opener Dec. 3 at home against Indiana.

The only way to watch Minnesota-Missouri is through SEC Network+. The game tips off at 7 p.m. CT.