Reynolds Struggles, More Takeaways From Minnesota's Big Ten Tourney Loss to Rutgers

Minnesota's shorthanded squad finally ran out of gas on Wednesday night in its first game at the Big Ten tournament with a 72-67 loss to Rutgers. Here's what we learned.

Langston Reynolds vs. Tariq Francis

We wrote about how slowing down Francis would be a key for the Gophers' chances on Wednesday night, and they did not. Rutgers' star guard finished with 29 points on 9 of 16 shooting from the field, and 5 of 7 from three. Reynolds didn't score until there were fewer than 10 minutes left in the second half, and he finished with just six points on 3 of 8 shooting from the field with 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 turnovers. The difference in backcourts was ultimately the difference in Wednesday's game.

Grayson Grove compared to Draymond Green

It might've been a little facetious, but Wednesday's color commentator Jordan Taylor compared Grove to Draymond Green after a beautiful assist in the first half. If you told any Gophers fan that was going to happen before the season, they would've looked at you crazy. Foul trouble kept him on the bench for a little longer than usual, but he finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He has some serious potential heading into next season.

Bobby Durkin's homecoming

Durkin is a native of Darien, Illinois, which is roughly 30 minutes away from this year's Big Ten tournament in Chicago. He looked at home on Wednesday night with a handful of huge threes when Minnesota needed it most. He has been red-hot from long range over the last few weeks, and it's fair to say that he has officially entered flame-thrower territory. He was viewed as an elite three-point shooter in the transfer portal last offseason, and he continued to show why with 15 points and four made threes against Rutgers.

Bobby Durkin is HOT from three ‼️ @GopherMBB

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/I5HRoOQawK
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 12, 2026

Gophers' zone

Minnesota's plethora of injuries has caused Niko Medved to deploy a zone defense for the majority of the second half of the season. It has been incredibly successful at times, but Rutgers looked ready for it on Wednesday. The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a quick 9-4 lead, and they were hot from three with a 10 of 23 performance for the game. Medved has done a remarkable coaching job all season, but it looked like he might've been out-schemed by Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell, who showed why he's still one of the most underrated coaches in the conference.