Three storylines to watch in Minnesota's final three nonconference games

The Gophers have three games left before the official start of conference play.

Dec 3, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Niko Medved reacts during the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

After a five-game stretch against San Francisco, Stanford, Santa Clara, Indiana and Purdue, the Gophers' schedule lightens up considerably in their final three nonconference games of the season. Games against Texas Southern, Campbell and Fairleigh Dickinson should give Minnesota a chance to get healthy and find its identity before Big Ten play. Here are three things to watch.

Isaac Asuma's development

With Chansey Willis Jr. out for the season, Asuma has received the reins as Minnesota's starting point guard. In three full games without Willis, Asuma has averaged 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He has shot 34.4% from the field in those games and 33.3% from three-point range. Minnesota will need more consistency from Asuma if it wants to reach its full potential this season, and he'll have every opportunity to continue developing.

Dec 10, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Isaac Asuma (1) passes the ball away during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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Bobby Durkin's emergence

Cade Tyson is averaging the 13th-most points per game in the country this season at 21.1, but it was Durkin who was viewed as Minnesota's biggest addition from the portal in the offseason. His transition from Davidson to the Big Ten hasn't gone as smoothly as many expected, but there are some positive trends in December.

Nov 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Bobby Durkin (3) shoots as Alcorn State Braves guard Omari Hamilton (12) defends during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

With Robert Vaihola still out, Durkin has started the last two games, one of which he scored a season-high 12 points against Indiana. He has averaged 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in his two starts on 33.3% shooting from the field and a 27.2% mark from beyond the arc. His three point shooting has dropped from 35.5% last season at Davidson to 29.4% this season with the Gophers. If he's able to get closer to last year's form from beyond the arc, Minnesota's offensive ceiling will increase dramatically.

Can they get healthy?

We're 10 games into the regular season, and we still haven't seen California transfer B.J. Omot. The Minnesota native played in both exhibition games, but he aggravated an offseason injury, and it has severely hurt the Gophers' depth. He averaged 16.7 points per game in his last full season at North Dakota, and it would be a huge boost if Minnesota could get him back before Big Ten play.

Nov 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Robert Vaihola (22) looks to shoot as Alcorn State Braves forward William Henderson (6) defends during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Vaihola has missed the last five games after suffering a knee injury against Chicago State on Nov. 18. He started the first five games of the season, and Minnesota has desperately missed his size in the frontcourt. If they're able to get even one of Omot of Vaihola back before the calendar flips to 2026, their outlook will significantly improve.