Mike Mitchell Jr. remains questionable heading into Gophers' Big Ten opener

Minnesota could be without its top guard against Michigan State

Nov 9, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Mike Mitchell Jr. (2) works up court as Omaha Mavericks guard Ja'Sean Glover (5) defends during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Gophers veteran guard Mike Mitchell Jr. has been out of the lineup for seven straight games and it sounds like it might be eight, based on what head coach Ben Johnson said prior to the team's Big Ten opener against Michigan State Wednesday.

"We'll see today. He didn't do anything yesterday, so we'll see what it looks like today," Johnson said on Tuesday. "You know you're also looking at with our schedule — you're looking at a big break coming up too, so you wanna be smart."

QUOTE: Ben Johnson's update on #Gophers G Mike Mitchell Jr. (ankle) ahead of tomorrow night's Big Ten opener against Michigan State:

"We'll see today. He didn't do anything yesterday, so we'll see what it looks like today.

You know you're also looking at with our schedule —… pic.twitter.com/lOqH2dk8Og

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) December 3, 2024

Minnesota will host Michigan State Wednesday before its first true road test of the season next Monday, Dec. 9 against Indiana. It will be a 12-day break before hosting Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 21 and then another eight days off before another home game against Morgan State.

The Gophers have struggled to generate consistent offense with Mitchell Jr. out of the lineup, but they will need him fully healthy before the heart of the Big Ten schedule tips off in January.

"My biggest thing — when Mike is back we want him to be back for the long haul. You don't want it to be something where you force it back and then all of sudden with a severe high-ankle sprain, which he had, you tweak it a little bit and then you're 2-3 weeks behind.," Johnson said. "So, we'll look at it today and see what it looks like. But, we're also going to be very smart with that."

Minnesota will continue to lean on Lu'Cye Patterson, Femi Odukale, Brennan Rigsby and true freshman Isaac Asuma in the frontcourt while Mitchell Jr. remains sidelined.