To say the Minnesota Golden Gophers will the the 2024-25 college basketball season as underdogs is a vast understatement.
The men's basketball team has been ranked dead last among other Big Ten schools in a preseason media poll, receiving the fewest amount of votes (62).
The next closest is Penn State, which received 87 votes.
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Head coach Ben Johnson and Minnesota lost seven players from last season's team, as six left through the transfer portal and one - Cam Christie - opted for the NBA Draft, where he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.
The 2024-25 team will feature only four players who were Gophers last season.
The team will lean on forward Dawson Garcia, who has already been named preseason All-Big Ten. Other returning players include guard Mike Mitchell Jr., forward Kadyn Betts, forward Erick Reader and forward Parker Fox.
Related: Gophers forward Dawson Garcia named preseason All-Big Ten
It's the second consecutive year he's made the lust and the fourth All-Big Ten honor of his career.
He's coming off a season in which he averaged a team-high 17.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 31.9 minutes per game.
The team did pick up seven transfers, including former Charlotte guard Lu'Cye Patterson and former New Mexico State guard Femi Odukale.
It's an uphill climb for Minnesota, who finished 19-15 overall and 9-11 in conference play last year. It's a tall ask for this team to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, but Johnson and the Gophers will look to take on the challenge when the season begins later this month.
Big Ten Media Day is on Thursday and Johnson and others will be taking questions from reporters. We will have more coverage brought to you as we obtain it.