It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Ben Johnson got fired by the Minnesota Gophers, and left the program in disarray for first-year head coach Niko Medved. Naturally, we expected a grace period where the new leader would have time to build up the program a little bit.

Then, the Gophers knocked off #22 ranked Indiana in Medved’s very first Big Ten matchup. That was followed with a win over the weekend at Northwestern. Then on Tuesday the Iowa Hawkeyes came to town as the #19 team in the country.

Gophers MBB beats Iowa; Langston Reynolds goes off

The crowd looked sparse just moments before the game, but filled in quickly. They were treated to a 12-3 Minnesota run, right out of the gate, immediately putting the visiting Hawkeyes on their heels.

Gopher guard Langston Reynolds played lockdown defense on standout guard Bennett Stirtz for most of the night, which caused the Iowa backcourt serious problems throughout the night.

Langston Reynolds with the SLAM 💪 @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/khCC0LbuOy

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 7, 2026

On the offensive end, the transfer from Northern Colorado put up a Golden Gopher career-high with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He also added five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block, consistently making his presence felt on both ends of the floor

Medved’s roster has been decimated by injuries early this year, including two starters (G) Chansey Willis and big man Robert Vaihola for the season. Despite being down talent, however, depth players continue to step up and the Minnesota Gophers keep getting better with every game they play.

Medved is relying mostly on a rotation built of seven players. The aforementioned Reynolds played 39 minutes tonight for Minnesota. No starter was below Bobby Durkin’s 30. Alexandria product Grayson Grove gave the team 16 huge minutes (+11) off the bench, on Tuesday.

Jalen Crocker-Johnson comes through in the clutch

With the game on the line, and slowly slipping out of reach, Colorado State transfer Jalen Crocker-Johnson made his biggest impact. Previously 0-for-4 from deep on the night, he connected and sent The Barn into a frenzy.

CROCK FOR THREEEEEE

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/jMby6KajMG

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) January 7, 2026

Iowa took possession with just under 16 seconds remaining. Stirtz got a couple of looks at a game-tying three pointer, but none fell and the Gophers held on.

Although students are still largely off campus due to winter break, there were plenty in attendance to storm the court. Medved encouraged the same atmosphere on Friday night when the Minnesota Gophers host USC. If he’s going to keep making this sort of thing a habit, then there won’t be seats remaining for too much longer.

Stirtz misses at the buzzer and the Gophers beat Iowa. pic.twitter.com/qmsuGfXWMr

— Ted (@tlschwerz) January 7, 2026

Medved can build something special for MN Gophers

The past four years were a slog for the Gophers. Ben Johnson finished with just a 56-71 (.441) record and believed his time playing for Minnesota would translate to program interest. Medved brings a winning pedigree from Colorado State, and he knows how to get it done at a high level.

Reports recently suggested that the MN Gophers are invested in the team first. With funds being ticketed to NIL efforts rather than renovations to The Barn, Medved has the most resources at his disposal in what likely represents program history.

Despite being down multiple starters, and despite being less than halfway into his first year, Medved’s presence has already made an impact. The Barn is a special place when it’s rocking along with good competition. He just needs to keep the momentum rolling.

More must-reads:

• Niko Medved Loses Yet Another MN Gophers Starter
• MN Gophers Choose NIL Over Barn Updates
• Medved’s New Gophers Shock Ranked Hoosiers

There was always going to be growing pains for Niko Medved, in is first season Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball coach.

Thirteen games into his tenure, the Golden Gophers are 8-5 and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Making Medved’s job even more difficult: a plethora of injuries cutting down a roster that was thin to start the season.

MN Gophers lose another starter for the season

And on Thursday, the injury bug struck the starting lineup again when news broke that first-year transfer Robert Vaihola — who’s been out since November — will undergo season-ending knee surgery.

News: #Gophers starting center Robert Vaihola will have knee surgery on Friday and is expected to miss the rest of the season, @PioneerPress learned Wednesday.

Context: The San Jose St. transfer has not played since Nov. 18, when he aggravated that knee issue.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) December 31, 2025

Robert Vaihola is the second Minnesota Gophers starter to be lost for the season due to injury. Around the same time they lost Vaihola, starting guard Chansey Willis Jr broke his foot against Stanford.

What are Gophers losing in Robert Vaihola

Vaihola transferred in from San Jose State during the offseason, and immediately established himself as a starting-caliber talent. He started five games, averaging 5 points (70% FG) and 7.6 rebounds in 21.4 minutes.

San Jose State wasn’t Vaihola’s first west coast college. He actually started at Fresno State, where he spent one season, before becoming a Spartan.

Following a successful sophomore year at his new school, where Vaihola scored 7.6 points and grabbed 6.5 rebounds per game, the San Francisco native was forced to take a medical redshirt for what would have been his junior year.

When he returned in 2024-25, he was a starter, averaging 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, before hitting the transfer portal again and landing in Dinkytown. Now, Vaihola will likely request another medical redshirt.

More must-reads:

• Gophers MBB Stuns #19 Iowa at The Barn
• MN Gophers Choose NIL Over Barn Updates
• Medved’s New Gophers Shock Ranked Hoosiers

For years, there has been ongoing discussion about the upgrades needed to make the Minnesota Gophers basketball program more competitive. Former head coach Ben Johnson struggled to field consistently competitive lineups, largely due to his own missteps.

Niko Medved is far more qualified and better positioned to turn the Gophers into a winner, and his focus starts with the roster. While the charm of Williams Arean, better known as The Barn, can always be debated, facility upgrades are not currently the program’s top priority.

The Barn Remains Intact as MN Gophers Roster Strengthens

As The Barn is quickly approaching its 100th year, the quality of play on the court matters most for the Minnesota Gophers. Instead of prioritizing arena renovations, Medved and the athletic department have funneled resources into NIL, significantly boosting the program’s ability to attract and retain talent. Pioneer Press columnist Charley Walters recently shared an update on the situation.

The University of Minnesota met nearly a half-dozen times in recent years with a Kansas City architectural firm about renovating Williams Arena, the storied basketball venue that opened in 1928.

The university was preparing to begin a renovation fundraising campaign but it has been temporarily shelved in favor of raising internal Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money, as well as an NCAA settlement that allows $20.5 million for schools this year to pay athletes annually.

Now, it appears the university will wait between 12 and 18 months before resuming talks with architects. A renovation of Williams Arena, though, remains on Minnesota’s radar screen.

The Gophers’ athletics department has been especially impressed by the Chicago Cubs’ complete renovation of Wrigley Field that concluded in 2019 and retained all the iconic ballpark’s amenities and personality inside and outside. That would be a similar strategy for Williams Arena.

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

Exploring future options for Williams Arena makes sense. Any building of that age will benefit from modern enhancements that improve the fan experience.

That said, The Barn provides an electric and unique atmosphere when the product on the floor is good. Investing in NIL funds to ensure competitive basketball is a smart and calculated decision.

When renovations do eventually move forward, upgrades to the concourses, concessions, and overall flow of the infrastructure would be logical starting points. Additional sport-specific improvements made to locker rooms and facilities used by team personnel could also be addressed.

The more competent and competitive Medved’s team becomes, the stronger the fan support will be. The Gophers have already pulled off a big time upset against Indiana, and currently sit at 8-5 with their first game of the new year coming January 3rd against Northwestern.

More must-reads:

• Gophers MBB Stuns #19 Iowa at The Barn
• Niko Medved Loses Yet Another MN Gophers Starter
• Medved’s New Gophers Shock Ranked Hoosiers

The Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team entered their 2025-26 Big Ten opener on Wednesday against the No. 22 ranked Indiana Hoosiers looking like the college basketball experts around the country projected them to before the season began.

So after the 3-3 Gophers traveled to California for the Acrisure Invitational, and lost to two quality opponents in Stanford and Santa Clara, expectations entering conference play on Wednesday were NOT high. And that was before news broke that they lost their starting point guard to a season-ending injury.

Then, the game vs Indiana — who, just in case I didn’t mention a couple of paragraphs ago, came in ranked No. 22 in the nation — tipped off. And at that point, whatever was plaguing the Minnesota Gophers basketball team was seemingly fixed.

Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball pulls massive upset vs Indiana

Not only did Minnesota shoot 49% from the field, 38% from three point range, and absolutely DOMINATE the rebounding battle, 40-25 — but they fended off late Hoosier runs and eventually got the only statistic that matters. A win, shocking one of the best teams in the Big Ten, 73-64, to open the conference season.

All five starters scored in double-figures, lead by Cady Tyson and Langston Reynolds, who both poured in 17 points apiece. Tyson also added 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

Good looks for Cade Tyson 😎 @GopherMBB

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/JoCAfqHec4

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 4, 2025

MINNESOTA DEFEATS NO. 22 INDIANA 🚨

Cade Tyson flipped the momentum in @GopherMBB’s favor in the second half with this B1G three-pointer 👌 pic.twitter.com/SiD3ARtvuc

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 4, 2025

Earlier this week, Niko Medved found himself trying to navigate some choppy waters with fans and media., following the Gophers third-straight loss of the season.

On his coach’s show Monday, the newly-hired head coach tried to assure fans that this was all part of the process to rebuilding the University of Minnesota men’s basketball program, pleading for the diehards still following this team to hang with him through what was shaping up to be a difficult first season.

I’m not sure if he expected the turnaround to happen immediately, and surely there will be a lot more growing pains to endure this season. But on Wednesday, that’s exactly what he got.

Cade Tyson leads the way for Minnesota starting five

The offense was far from perfect. A quick peek at the box score will tell you that much. Minnesota gave the ball away 16 times, to Indiana’s 7… but the Gopher defense made up for those issues on the other side of the court by forcing 6 steals and blocking 7 Hoosier shots.

For most of tonight’s game, things seemed to go right. The most important players contributed. Sophomore guard out of Cherry, MN, Isaac Asuma put up 15 points, while also contributing 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson scored 11 of his own and tied Asuma for the team-high in rebounds (7). He also blocked 3 shots.

THE BARN IS ROCKIN' 💥 @GopherMBB

📺: BTN pic.twitter.com/fOcaaVylco

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 4, 2025

Related: Homegrown Former Gopher Stretchered Off Court Following Ugly Injury

After easily winning the first two games of Niko Medved’s career — 87-60 over Garner-Webb | 95-50 over Alcorn State — the Golden Gophers were slammed back to reality when they traveled to SEC country for game three of their 2025-26 season.

Missouri was a late add by Medved, to the Gophers’ schedule. Before the game became official, the new head coach expressed a need to get at least one road game vs a tournament-caliber team to their non-conference.

Believe in Niko Medved and this NEW MN Gophers MBB program

Be careful what you wish for, because the Tigers destroyed the Gophers 83-60, in a beatdown that seemed to rattle Minnesota’s confidence. After the loss, they went back home and struggled to pull out victories that were way too close against Green Bay (72-65) and Chicago State (66-54), before getting handled by San Francisco.

And that all came BEFORE the Acrisure Invitational debacle. But that’s the funny thing about sports. Every game is a new game, a new opportunity. On Wednesday night vs Indiana, Niko Medved and his new squad of ragtag Golden Gophers seized that opportunity and turned it into a core memory for his new program.

IT'S STORMING IN MINNEAPOLIS ‼️‼️@GopherMBB TAKES DOWN NO. 22 INDIANA 💥 pic.twitter.com/HSHGHUEPf1

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 4, 2025

And just as a bonus… the new head coach is now 1-0 all-time in Big Ten play.

More must-reads:

• Gophers MBB Stuns #19 Iowa at The Barn
• Niko Medved Loses Yet Another MN Gophers Starter
• MN Gophers Choose NIL Over Barn Updates

The Minnesota Gophers aren’t yet into the meat of their regular season, but Big Ten play opens on Wednesday night. A season ago, Ben Johnson led the group to an underwhelming 15-17 record before being shown the door.

Niko Medved was the guy athletic director Mark Coyle zeroed in on, and ultimately hired. Transition to a new program will always take time, but Medved worked quickly to revamp the roster this season. Unfortunately adversity has hit his team hard before conference play begins.

Minnesota Starting PG Chansey Willis Jr. out for season

Back in April, Chansey Willis Jr. transfered to Minnesota after playing at Western Michigan. He has bounced around a bit in college, but is a former Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year in high school. Sadly, his first season with the Gophers will end after just eight games.

News: #Gophers starting point guard Chansey Willis Jr. is out for the rest of the season, head coach Niko Medved announced on coaches radio show.

Context: Minnesota (4-4) will miss Willis’ ability to score, create as they begin Big Ten play against No. 22 Indiana on Wednesday.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) December 2, 2025

Playing against Stanford, Willis Jr. injured his foot and left after just four minutes of play. He was then with the team the following day, but rocking a boot.

Willis Jr. was averaging 6.3 points per game, which ranks fifth on the team. Former North Carolina forward Cade Tyson is leading the Minnesota Gophers with 22.4 points per game. Right now, that also leads the Big Ten Conference.

Willis sat out in the loss against Santa Clara, but started all seven previous contests. He was averaging 26.7 minutes per game for Medved, and was the team’s primary ball handler. He logged 3.3 assists per game and his 2.3 steals per game led the conference.

Now Medved will be tasked with finding someone to step up for the rest of the season. Minnesota native Isaac Asuma has been a key member of the starting lineup, and will likely now have expanded opportunities. Northern Colorado transfer Langston Reynolds will also see responsibilities fall on his plate.

Freshman guard Kai Shinholster has averaged just over 11 minutes per game as the last backcourt member. He could absorb some of the minutes vacated by Chansey Willis Jr.’s absence as well.

More must-reads:

• Gophers MBB Stuns #19 Iowa at The Barn
• Niko Medved Loses Yet Another MN Gophers Starter
• MN Gophers Choose NIL Over Barn Updates

When Ben Johnson took over as head coach of the Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team, he had one thing on his side. He was born and raised in Minneapolis, played at De LaSalle High School, built connections that gave Johnson an “in” on the local high school recruiting circuit.

And with the Gopher MBB class of 2022, we saw that seed bear fruit when top in-state prospect, 4-star big man out of Park Center (Cottage Grove) Pharrel Payne, along with fellow Twin Cities native, Braeden Carrington and Osseo high school’s Josh Ola-Joseph.

Former Minnesota Gophers big man blossoming at Maryland

While all three played a lot of minutes early on during their short careers at the University of Minnesota, it was Payne who stood out as special among the three. Pharrel arrived on campus as a Freshman standing 6’9″, weighing 230 lbs and he used that unique size in a way you see few freshman do.

A nifty little move from @GopherMBB's Pharrel Payne. 🌀 pic.twitter.com/BhzZlXSrY5

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) December 22, 2023

Related: Minnesota Big Man Pharrel Payne is in the Portal and EVERYBODY Wants Him

In two seasons with his hometown Gopher basketball team, Pharrel Payne played 62 games (23 starts) and averaged 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, in 22.7 minutes per night. Even as a youngster, Payne showed all the signs of a dominant power four big man.

Now a couple of years later, as a senior at Maryland under Buzz Williams (who also coached him for a year at Texas A&M after he transferred out of MN), the shy quiet kid out of Cottage Grove has grown up into one of the best players in the Big Ten.

Through three games this season as a Terrapin, entering their matchup Saturday against Marquette, Payne was averaging 20 points, 8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Pharrel Payne stretchered off after ugly, unfortunate injury

But then, with just over 12 minutes to play in the second half Saturday in Milwaukee, disaster struck after what appeared to be yet another rim-rattling dunk from the ex-Minnesota Gopher, which accounted for Payne’s 11th and 12th points on the day.

Unfortunately, the homegrown big man let go of the rim a split second too soon. So when he did come down, Payne landed on Marquette defender Joshua Clark’s foot. As Clark pulled away, Payne’s foot went with him, in a way that human legs are not supposed to move.

Here is a look at how Maryland’s star center Pharrel Payne was injured.

Brutal. pic.twitter.com/GU3tNuZGXw

— College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent) November 15, 2025

Related: Pharrel Payne and Elijah Hawkins’ New NIL Deals are Insane

Pharrel Payne stayed on the floor for quite a while after the injury occured, and eventually had to be taken off the court in a stretcher. Maryland went on to beat Marquette 89-82, to move to 3-1 on their season.

When the game was over, Payne — who tweeted out “how bout them Terps” was in better spirits than his head coach. A distraught Williams met with media after the game and admitted that he did not know much about the injury, but noted that losing their best player would certainly hurt the team.

Buzz Williams says Pharrel Payne is in the hospital

“We don’t know anything”

“He's our best player, that's well received within our program. I've never seen him hurt. The angle that I saw it did not appear good.”

Adds the players told Buzz, “you’ve gotta pray for him” pic.twitter.com/Li2un6YzgP

— Inside the Black & Gold (@Insideblackgold) November 15, 2025

More must-reads:

• Gophers MBB Stuns #19 Iowa at The Barn
• Niko Medved Loses Yet Another MN Gophers Starter
• MN Gophers Choose NIL Over Barn Updates

Some things change, and some things stay the same. Ben Johnson was mercifully fired after another dismal Minnesota Gophers basketball season. That brought necessary change to the program.

Niko Medved was hired, and Mark Coyle got the guy he appeared to be targeting from the jump. The program has been infused with excitement, and funding, but that hasn’t changed the perception of the talent.

Niko Medved must earn it for Minnesota Gophers

Mark Coyle is certainly a big believer in his newly hired basketball coach. That doesn’t mean those around the country have bought in on the Gophers being a competent program this year though. Among the Big Ten’s 18 teams, The Athletic has Minnesota 16th.

Medved took a year or two to get things rolling at both Furman and Colorado State and that could be the case at Minnesota. He needs to significantly upgrade the talent. It’s unfortunate for Medved that he wasn’t able to make the move when he had a strong core of underclassmen who could follow him. He brought just one player off his Colorado State roster, and it’s usually advantageous for coaches to be able to have some continuity to help with the transition.

There are some interesting pieces here who could potentially pop. Most notable is Tyson, who couldn’t get on the floor at UNC but was a hot transfer a year ago after averaging 16.2 points and shooting 46.5 percent from 3 at Belmont. He is a better fit in Medved’s system. Maybe, as he often did at CSU, Medved has found some gems and can outperform expectations. But it’d be a lot easier to steal some wins in a transition year in a league that’s not so stacked.

C.J. Moore – The Athletic

Medved is taking over a relatively barren Gophers roster. That’s a byproduct of the poor recruiting job that Ben Johnson did as head coach, and there are going to be some growing pains. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson is following his Colorado State head coach, but he is the only transfer to make that jump.

There is more talent for this Gophers team, and they certainly have a better leader, but expecting things to click right away is probably not a good bet.

Cade Tyson is a projected starter after being virtually non-existent last season for the Tar Heels. Isaac Asuma is the lone returner expected to be in the starting lineup. It would have been nice if Medved could have landed guard transfer Kyan Evans, but there are still pieces for him to work with immediately.

What the Gophers show in year one unded Medved could be a nice springboard going forward. He has a much higher ceiling than Johnson ever did as a winner, and seeing him best Richard Pitino results in the future wouldn’t be shocking.

More must-reads:

• Gophers MBB Stuns #19 Iowa at The Barn
• Niko Medved Loses Yet Another MN Gophers Starter
• MN Gophers Choose NIL Over Barn Updates

Minnesotans know Adrian Peterson’s athletic abilities well. His 11,747 rushing yards are the most for any running back in Minnesota Vikings history. He nearly took down Eric Dickerson’s single-season record in 2012. Peterson also famously loves an orange peanut.

Peterson is also a father, and his 15-year-old daughter Ari Peterson is carving out her own legacy. While football isn’t the focus, basketball has been. She’s good, like really good. She might follow in her father’s footsteps too.

Ari Peterson checking in on Minnesota Gophers hoops

Adrian Peterson spent 10 seasons playing for the Minnesota Vikings after being the 7th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. His daughter Ari, a standout prep hoops star, is now considering the Minnesota Gophers as a place to play at the collegiate level.

Ari Peterson, a Top 20 prospect in the class of 2028, has locked in three unofficial visits, source tells @247Sports pic.twitter.com/HtOj0VE1wT

— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) September 4, 2025

Currently ranked as a 4-star prospect by 247 Sports, there aren’t many top 100 lists out yet for the class of 2028. Peterson checks in 20th on ESPN’s list, and is also seen there as a 4-star recruit. The Minnetonka Skipper forward will enter her sophomore season in 2025-26, and is hoping to help better a 16-12 record from last season.

Basketball is something of a calling card for daughters of former Vikings stars it seems. Chad Greenway, the linebacker, ten-year veteran, and teammate of Adrian Peterson, saw his daughter (ranked 11th in the 2026 girls basketball class by ESPN) commit to Kentucky.

It’s possible that Peterson opts to commit at some point in the next 12-16 months. Greenway landed with Kentucky in November. She’ll play her senior season with Providence Academy this winter.

Adrian is obviously a proud father and shared Ari’s highlight reel. He mentioned that Oklahoma has already offered her a scholarship as well. She is set to visit (unofficial) Minnesota next month on October 11.

While the men’s team is breaking in new head coach Niko Medved this year, the women’s team will boast Dawn Plitzuweit for her third season. As is always the case, keeping the best in-state talent home remains the goal.

More must-reads:

• Gophers MBB Stuns #19 Iowa at The Barn
• Niko Medved Loses Yet Another MN Gophers Starter
• MN Gophers Choose NIL Over Barn Updates

While the Minnesota Gophers basketball program has been reinvigorated by the hiring of Niko Medved, there were some dark seasons recently. Ben Johnson proved to be among the worst coaches across the entire college landscape, and the program sunk to new lows.

Before Johnson though, Richard Pitino had displayed a level of relevance with the Gophers. Part of that was because of standout talent like Amir Coffey.

Although the Hopkins, Minnesota native went undrafted, he averaged 16.6 points per game as a junior. He then grinded in the G-League and earned playing time with the Los Angeles Clippers. Now he’s coming home, or at least closer to it.

Amir Coffey signs with Milwaukee Bucks

A week ago NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Amir Coffey had agreed to a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. On Wednesday the Los Angeles Clippers acknowledged the transaction and Coffey’s departure.

Thank you, Amir ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/r9148tpYxf

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) August 20, 2025

For a guy who went undrafted after leaving the Minnesota Gophers, and largely flew under the radar, Coffey has carved out an incredible career. He earned the thank you from Los Angeles after spending the first six seasons of his NBA career there.

Coffey played in just 18 games as a rookie, and only 44 in his second NBA season. The past two years he has been a regular member of the Clippers rotation logging 142 games and 26 starts. Last season Coffey averaged a career-best 9.7 points per game and his 24.3 minutes per game was the highest usage rate of his career.

Throwback to when Amir Coffey scored 32 against the Bucks' backups in 2022 pic.twitter.com/4LMVj4gAL1

— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) August 15, 2025

The talented Gopher pushed his ability from deep to a 40.9% success rate from three last year, and he shot 47.1% from the field. As a regular in the rotation, Coffey proved to be a reliable asset for the Clippers.

Related: Timberwolves Crush the Competition with Schedule Reveal Video

Now headed to the Milwaukee Bucks, Coffey will look to quickly acclimate with a new franchise. He’s switching to the lighter Eastern Conference, and will be closer to home in Minnesota as well. The Timberwolves first chance to see Coffey comes on December 21 at Target Center. They face the Bucks at Fiserv Forum on January 13 as well.

More must-reads:

• Gophers MBB Stuns #19 Iowa at The Barn
• Niko Medved Loses Yet Another MN Gophers Starter
• MN Gophers Choose NIL Over Barn Updates

When Mark Coyle hired Niko Medved as the new Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball coach, there was no extensive search done beforehand. In reality, there wasn’t much of a coaching search at all. Most of the usual candidates were never contacted and Coyle wasn’t interested in doing any interviews.

That’s because the Minnesota AD knew he wanted Medved before the position ever opened. Instead of running a coaching search, Mark and Niko shook hands under the March Madness table and Coyle waited for Medved’s Colorado State Rams to lose in the NCAA Tournament.

In the past, local alumni, Gopher boosters and the U of M Board of Regents never would have allowed the type (non) coaching search that landed Medved in Dinkytown. But this is a new age of college sports and those entities are far less worried about the hiring process these days, and much more concerned about results.

University of Minnesota Athletic Department running a deficit

Why the change? Well, it all started with the new U.S. House Settlement that went active on July 1, which allows power five Universities to spend $20.5 million of their 2025-26 athletic budgets to pay student athletes. It’s a major shift in college athletics, and one that has flipped the Gopher athletic department budget upside down.

For the University of Minnesota, $20.5 million accounts for (12%) of its total AD budget this year, according to the Star Tribune, which is why Mark Coyle is projecting a rare $8.75 million budget deficit in the athletic department.

What’s Coyle’s plan to balance the budget? Immediately… nothing. He met with the University of Minnesota Board of Regents on Wednesday, where he remained fully committed to paying the full $20.5 million to student athletics, as allowed the the House Settlement.

According to the Star Tribune’s Chip Scoggins, who was present at the Board of Regents meeting, the University of Minnesota has been planning for this deficit. He writes that the school is prepared to absorb the athletic department hit this year, which is why there was no “sticker shock” at the meeting.

The new shortfall didn’t appear to cause sticker shock with regents. Coyle received only one question about it, with co-vice chair Penny Wheeler inquiring about future issues in this new era of college sports.

Coyle committed to pay the full amount of that $20.5 million cap, meaning revenue sharing will account for 12% of expenses this year. He said his department will work with the university to manage the deficit.

Chip Scoggins – Star Tribune

Going forward, however, Mark Coyle specifically pointed to Niko Medved and the Minnesota Gophers basketball program, which has been bleeding money for the last four years, under Ben Johnson.

Mark Coyle betting big on early Niko Medved’s success

In fact, the only thing emptier than the NIL cupboards for Gophers men’s basketball over the past couple of years, has been Williams Arena during men’s basketball games. So, a key to inject more revenue into Minnesota’s athletic department, Coyle told his bosses via powerpoint this week, is more ticket and merchandise sales at The Barn.

And the only way to sell more tickets is to win more games. Not only would success on the court lead to more paying fans in the stands, but there are financial bonuses presented to schools that make the NCAA Tournament each year.

Coyle’s presentation included a slide about new men’s basketball coach Niko Medved, who replaced Ben Johnson in a coaching change after the season. The Gophers are banking on Medved’s arrival sparking more success on the court and thus renewed excitement around the program to help improve sagging ticket sales.

Chip Scoggins – Star Tribune

Related: Gophers Basketball to Play at the Pentagon

Mark Coyle fired former Gopher men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson immediately after the 2024-25 season ended. But even before he canned Johnson, Coyle already knew who he wanted walking the sidelines at Williams Arena.

At the time of the firing, Niko Medved was just starting a March Madness run at Colorado State that didn’t end until the Rams were finally eliminated by a last-second shot in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. For those wondering, that’s further than the Gophers have made it since their infamous Final 4 run back in 1996-97.

Coincidentally, Medved was a student manager under then head coach Clem Haskins. He later became a Minnesota assistant under Dan Monson during his final season in Dinkytown (2006-07). Nearly two decades later, Niko is back at his alma mater and now Gophers men’s basketball is his team.

Coyle, Medved under self-induced pressure for Gophers MBB to win now

At no time in Gopher history has there been more pressure to win, however. Not only is the athletic department forecasting MBB success, and using it in future budget conversations, but Coyle has also taken a chunk of Minnesota’s new settlement budget (about $2 million) away from football, in order to reinvest it into basketball.

Without a doubt, Mark Coyle is betting big on Niko Medved. Not only did Minnesota’s AD put his reputation on the line by firing Ben Johnson, then exclusively hand-picking his new guy. But since Medved’s hire, Coyle has only doubled down.

Read More: Gopher Football Conceding Chunk of New RevShare Money to Men’s Basketball?

Niko has an increased talent-acquisition budget — between increased NIL and the new revshare settlement — this season that Johnson never could have dreamed of during his tenure.

But even beyond the immediate financial investment into men’s basketball, Coyle is essentially leveraging future success of the program as part of his forecast to a more balanced Athletic Department budget to the Board of Regents. That’s pretty risky, no…?

In other words, if Gophers MBB doesn’t win games early and often, under Medved, Mark Coyle would have a lot of explaining to do. And I can promise that, if things go bad, betting on a basketball team with very little past success will look so much worse, in retrospect, than it even does right now.

More must-reads:

• Gophers MBB Stuns #19 Iowa at The Barn
• Niko Medved Loses Yet Another MN Gophers Starter
• MN Gophers Choose NIL Over Barn Updates