What's next after Minnesota's blowout win over Northwestern?

The Gophers made easy work of the Wildcats on Thursday night.

Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Tori McKinney (14) celebrates a 3-pointer Wednesday, April 2, 2025, during the WBIT championship game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Belmont Bruins at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Gophers welcomed Northwestern to the Barn on Thursday night, and they made easy work of one of the worst teams in the Big Ten with a 79-47 win. Here's what we learned.

Tori McKinney's huge night

McKinney was a breakout star for the Gophers as a true freshman, and she continues to make improvements every time she hits the floor. She had a season-high 20 points on 8 of 15 shooting from the field and 2 of 5 shooting three to go along with six rebounds and two steals. She has a strong argument as being Minnesota's most impactful two-way player as a sophomore.

Tori McKinney tonight’s vs. Northwestern

20 points
FGs: 8-15
3P: 2-5
6 rebounds
2 steals

pic.twitter.com/qxrpwNVVfb

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) January 9, 2026

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Another win by 30 or more points

Minnesota mowed through the early part of its nonconference schedule with wins by 30 or more points against North Dakota, Manhattan, Marquette and NJIT. They also destroyed Samford, Wyoming, Alabama A&M and Drake in the later parts of the schedule, and tonight's win over Northwestern is their 10th by 30 points or more this season.

The Gophers are still looking for their first Quad 1 and ranked win of the season, but their impressive winning margin will continue to help their predictive metrics. Systems like the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) go a long way in determining at-large resumes for the NCAA Tournament. They entered tonight as the No. 15 in the NET, and that might go up after a 30-point win over a Big Ten team.

Upcoming USC/UCLA stretch

I would argue that the next two games might be the two most important regular-season games left on the Gophers' schedule. They will welcome No. 21 USC and No. 4 UCLA to Williams Arena on Sunday and then Wednesday in back-to-back games. A win against either team would break a 34-game losing streak against ranked opponents, and it would give Minnesota its first marquee win of the season.

USC star guard JuJu Watkins will not play this season as she recovers from ACL surgery, but the Trojans are still a contender in the Big Ten. The Bruins are led by potential National Player of the Year Lauren Betts, and they're a contender for the National Championship. If Minnesota isn't able to win either game, it could be very deflating before entering the heart of Big Ten play this winter.