What's Next for Gophers WBB? Key Departures, Returners, Newcomers

One of the best seasons in Minnesota Women's Basketball history came to an end on Friday night in Sacramento. The No. 4 seed Gophers, having reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005, battled in the first half but were ultimately outclassed by a 34-1, No. 1 seed UCLA team 80-56.

Coming up short against one of the two best teams in the country shouldn't take away from the smashing success that was the 2025-26 season for Minnesota. In head coach Dawn Plitzuweit's third year atop the program, the Gophers went 24-9 overall and 13-5 in Big Ten play. They not only made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018, they earned a top-four seed and the right to host two postseason games at Williams Arena. Last weekend, they delivered an incredible moment with Amaya Battle's last-second winner in front of a packed house in Minneapolis.

It was a season that everyone involved should be proud of. But Plitzuweit, who has improved the Gophers' conference win total in each of her three seasons, won't be satisfied. Now the focus turns towards 2026-27 and trying to get back to the Sweet 16 stage. Let's take an early look at Minnesota's outlook for next season.

Out of eligibility

Amaya Battle, G
Sophie Hart, C
Finau Tonga, F
Brylee Glenn, G
Tracy Bershers, F

Battle will go down as one of the greats in program history. She surpassed Lindsay Whalen for second place on the Gophers' assists leaderboard and also ranks in the top ten in points, rebounds, and steals. The Hopkins native chose to stick around when Plitzuweit replaced Whalen after her freshman year, and she was a huge reason why Minnesota had this kind of season in her senior year. Her all-around impact will be very difficult to replace.

Amaya Battle | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Hart also deserves her props for the role she played in the program's ascension. After starting her career at NC State, she transferred in and spent three years as a quality starting center for Minnesota. The 6'5" Farmington native will not be easy to replace either.

Glenn (from Kansas State) and Tonga (from San Jose State) transferred to the U for their final seasons of eligibility and were important role players off the bench.

Able to return

Mara Braun, G
Tori McKinney, G
Grace Grocholski, G/F
Taylor Woodson, F
Makena Christian, G
Niamya Holloway, F
Zoey Bershers, C
Kennedy Klick, G
Brynn Senden, G

Braun, McKinney, and Grocholski were the Gophers' three leading scorers this season, although Battle and Hart were right behind them. Braun wasn't quite the same explosive scorer this season as she was early in her career, before she had two seasons derailed by injury, but she was still a key piece of Minnesota's offense. Without Battle, the Gophers may need Braun to score more in her final season.

McKinney had an outstanding sophomore season, leading the Gophers in points (12.7) and steals (2) per game. She was even better in the second half of the campaign and will be one of the leaders and stars of the team heading into her junior year, assuming she sticks around. Grocholski has started 105 games over the past three years and was easily the Gophers' best long-range shooter this season, hitting over 42 percent of her threes on five attempts per game.

Tori McKinney and Grace Grocholski | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Woodson, a former Michigan transfer, will look to stay healthy after suffering season-ending knee injuries two years in a row. Christian, a four-star recruit last year, figures to take on a bigger role in her sophomore season. With Hart gone, Bershers is the only returning center on the roster.

Presumably, at least a couple names on the list above will transfer out of the program this offseason, though it would be fairly surprising if any of the three returning starters were to leave.

Incoming freshmen

Natalie Kussow, G
Tori Oehrlein, G
Kylee Paben, F
Adit Kuol, C

This is quite the class, headlined by a pair of four-star guards in Kussow and Oehrlein. Kussow is the No. 1 player in Wisconsin and a top-30 recruit in the country. Oehrlein is the No. 2 player in Minnesota behind Kentucky-bound Maddyn Greenway. She had an incredible career at Crosby-Ironton High School, racking up over 5,000 points, 2,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists in Class 2A. Both Kussow and Oehrlein could step in right away and help replace Battle and Glenn in Minnesota's backcourt.

Paben and Kuol are interesting additions, too. Paben is a 6'1" wing out of Omaha, NE who shined on the AAU circuit last summer. Kuol is a 6'4" big from Uganda with serious long-term upside.

Transfer needs

The big area that stands out as a portal need for Plitzuweit is a starting center who can step into Hart's shoes. Neither Bershers nor Kuol seem ready to take on that role. If the Gophers can go out and add a quality post player, they could be right back in the mix as a great Big Ten team next year.

Adding multiple bigs or forwards in the portal might be a good idea. The backcourt appears very strong with Braun, McKinney, Grocholski, Christian, Kussow, and Oehrlein, but forward and center are real question marks, especially given Woodson's injury history.

With Plitzuweit at the helm, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future of this program.