'Great opportunity': Gophers hope to change narrative against tough teams in Orlando

A good performance in Orlando could change the Gophers' season outlook.

Nov 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Ben Johnson reacts during the second half against the Yale Bulldogs at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Gophers men's basketball has started the season 5-1, but it's been a bumpy road with single-digit wins over Omaha, Yale and Central Michigan at home. They have a chance to completely reshape narratives this week in Orlando, Fla. at the ESPN Events Invitational.

Minnesota's non-conference slate was heavily criticized with zero power conference opponents on the schedule, except for this week's holiday tournament. The Gophers will have two opportunities to pick up resume-building wins against some NCAA Tournament-level teams.

"You got an undefeated Wichita State team, who's played some good competition. Obviously, you got one team that's going to be top 20 (Florida) and one team that's probably top 35 (Wake Forest)," Ben Johnson said this week. "It's a great opportunity. Neutral site, I know we're going to have a good number of fans there and see what we got."

Thursday, Nov. 28 vs. Wichita State

Under second-year head coach Paul Mills, Wichita State was voted to finish fourth in the preseason American Athletic Conference (AAC) media poll. They've started the season 5-0 with notable wins at Western Kentucky and at home against Northern Iowa and Saint Louis.

Led by Georgia transfer Justin Hill, who is averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game, they play a much different style than Minnesota, ranking 69th in the country in tempo. The Gophers rank 360th, so it will be a matchup of drastically different styles on Thanksgiving Day.

Friday, Nov. 29 vs. Florida or Wake Forest

The Gophers will be guaranteed a second game on Friday and depending on the first-round results, they will play the winner or loser of Florida against Wake Forest. Popular analytics site KenPom.com views the Gators as the best team in the field by a wide margin, ranking them as the 17th-best team in the entire country.

After a 6-1 start to the season, the Demon Deacons rank 98th, nine spots below the Gophers.

Led by Alijah Martin, Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard, who all average more than 13 points per game, Florida has one of the best backcourts in the country. If Minnesota matches up with third-year head coach Todd Golden and the Gators, Johnson has a chance to pick up arguably the best win of his Gophers career.

Wake Forest's lone loss this season came on the road to Xavier. They're led by one of the best guards in the country, Hunter Sallis, who is arguably the best player in the entire field. He is averaging 18.9 points and 4.3 assists per game. Slowing him down would be No. 1 atop anyone's scouting report when facing the Demon Deacons.

Predictions

Mike Mitchell Jr.'s health will be imperative for the Gophers' success in this tournament. These three teams are substantially better offensive teams than anything Minnesota has faced this season. If Mitchell is able to go, I think we see a drastic improvement in Minnesota's offense.

They will be underdogs in both games, but if he goes, I think they can pull off one upset and remain competitive in both games. If he doesn't play, I have seen zero evidence to suggest that they can be competitive with any of these three teams. Minnesota will need to win at least one game if it wants any realistic chance of playing a postseason tournament this March.