One player holds the key to Minnesota’s 2025–26 offensive ceiling

The Gophers have a clear offensive x-factor heading into 2026.

Dec 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Bobby Durkin (3) works around Texas Southern Tigers forward Troy Hupstead (2) during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

When Minnesota went on a three-game losing streak against San Francisco, Stanford and Santa Clara, followed by starting point guard Chansey Willis Jr. being ruled out for the season, the excitement of Niko Medved's first season seemingly vanished. The biggest x-factor for the rest of the 2025-26 season might be Davidson transfer Bobby Durkin.

Durkin was the highest-ranked incoming player in Medved's first portal class with the Gophers. 247Sports ranked him as the 90th-best transfer in the entire country. Minnesota's next highest-ranked players were Willis at No. 244 and Cade Tyson at No. 247.

Through 11 games, Durkin is fifth on Minnesota's roster in scoring with 7.1 points per game. It has taken time for the three-point sharpshooter to find his footing in the Big Ten, but things might finally be starting to trend in the right direction.

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Injuries to Willis and starting big man Robert Vaihola have thrust Durkin into the starting lineup. In his first three starts with the Gophers, he's averaging 9.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and even 1.6 steals per game. He's shooting 40.9% from the field, 28.5% from three, and 87.5% from the free-throw line.

Durkin continues to make significant improvements, but he's still far off from the production he had last season at Davidson. If Minnesota is able to get him closer to the 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game he has in 2024-25 on 35.5% shooting from the field, their offensive ceiling would rise dramatically.

Tyson has established himself as one of the premier scorers in the entire country with 22.6 points per game, which ranks fourth in Division I. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson has elevated his game to a legit double-double threat every night. But Minnesota needs a consistent third option to emerge.

Isaac Asuma is averaging 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game with Willis out of the lineup, and Langston Reynolds has scored in double figures in three of his last four games. Both players could hand off lead-guard duties from possession to possession, so Durkin's shooting could be what truly unlocks their offensive ceiling.

He had a season-high 12 points in both the Indiana and Texas Southern games, which were Minnesota's best performances since the first two games of the season. If Durkin returns to being a knockdown three-point shooter, the Gophers could be a frisky team in Big Ten play this season.