Gophers notes: Frank Mitchell close, Isaac Asuma a beast, need secondary scoring

Secondary scoring might be a problem until Tyler Cochran returns from injury.

Nov 6, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Oral Roberts Golden Eagles guard Issac McBride (10) drives towards the basket as Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Isaac Asuma (1) defends during the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Any fears about Gophers big man Frank Mitchell missing extended time are diminishing after head coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday night that Mitchell might play Saturday when Minnesota hosts Omaha at Williams Arena.

Mitchell suffered a dislocated shoulder early in the Gophers' first exhibition game against Bemidji State. The 6-foot-8 rebounding machine, who transferred to Minnesota after averaging 12.1 points and 11.6 rebounds at Canisius in 2023-24, didn't play in the exhibition against Hamline nor the regular season opener Wednesday night against Oral Roberts.

Will he play Saturday? "Possibly," Johnson said.

"He is in workouts right now, we have not done anything contact wise but he is lifting and working out. He feels great but when he plays will be up to our medical staff. We will see, we are not going to rush it by any means. But I do know he is itching to get back out there."

Isaac Asuma is a beast

Anyone who watched the Gophers roll over Oral Roberts noticed the true freshman from Cherry, Minn. enter the game early and play 22 minutes. He certainly passed the eye test. At 6-foot-4, Asuma has the height, length and muscular build to play in the Big Ten right away. He wasn't looking to shoot, taking just two shots all night. Both were 3-pointers in the second half and both were swished.

Asuma looked strong with and without the ball in his hands. His defense, along with senior guard Mike Mitchell, is what Johnson noticed.

"I thought they were good. I think Mike is an underrated defender. He is scrappy and has a skinny toughness to him. Isaac in time could be really, really good defensively. He has great feet, he is strong, he has a football player mentality where he just doesn't care about getting hit, getting screened, he has a presence," Johnson said. "[Asuma] is like [Femi Odukale] in that when they are on the ball, you feel their presence on the ball. Mike is just a chippy, scrappy defender and all three of those guys along with Trey Edmunds and [Parker Fox], they did a really good job in our ball screen defense tonight."

Related: 5 things that stood out from the Gophers' season-opening win

Where is secondary scoring coming from?

Dawson Garcia led the Gophers with 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting in 23 minutes. He scored 16 early in the first half but as soon as he went to the bench for a breather the scoring came to a screeching halt.

Fox was second in scoring 13 points and he's typically coming off the bench when Mitchell is healthy. Lu'Cye Patterson scored 10 points and Mitchell added seven on an off night shooting (2-7). Brennan Rigsby, who led the Gophers in scoring in the exhibition games, had just three points on 1-of-5 shooting in 28 minutes off the bench.

"I think it is still going to be a work in progress," Johnson said about scoring depth. "Obviously with Femi Odukale and his first game back, getting him acclimated, and Lu'Cye Patterson, this is only his second game playing with those guys, it does take awhile to develop an offensive rhythm," Johnson said.

"To understand the guys and their spots, to understand where guys want the ball. What guys can do when they have the ball. So I just think we are going to have to work through that. But to have 25 assists and only nine turnovers in a game where I thought the ball kind of stuck a little bit in the first half, it's a good sign for us. We talk a lot about that as a team and our assist to field goal percentage has been pretty good."

Secondary scoring might be a problem until the Gophers get Tyler Cochran back from a foot injury, which is expected in December. Cochran averaged 14.4 points per game at Toledo last season and once he returns he'll give Minnesota a guard who can shoot the 3 but also score at the rim. A whopping 45% of Cochran's shots were at the rim last season.