Minnesota Floated as Landing Spot for Women’s CBB Superstar

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Audi Crooks
Credit: Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Entering the 2025-26 college basketball season, it had nearly been a decade (two head coaches ago) since the Minnesota Gophers women had made the NCAA Tournament.

In 2023, following the disappointing four-year coaching tenure of Dinkytown legend Lindsey Whalen, athletic director Mark Coyle hired veteran WBB coach Dawn Plitzuweit, who had previously been at West Virginia.

Under Plitzuweit, the Golden Gopher program immediately thrived, winning 20 or more games in each of her three seasons. In 2025-26, however, Minnesota took another step forward, experiencing its first > .500 in-conference during her tenure.

Then, the Gophers parlayed their 24-9 (13-5) season into a 4-seed in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018 which transformed into the program’s first Sweet 16 since 2005.

During their March Madness run, the Golden Gophers knocked off Wisconsin-Green Bay and Mississippi, before ultimately getting cooked by No. 1 seed UCLA 80-56.

Now, Plitzuweit is looking to keep the momentum in Dinkytown rolling. Mara Braun is set to return for one more season but many other key contributors including, among others, Amaya Battle and 6-5 starting center Sophie Hart.

Audi Crooks in play for Minnesota Gophers???

Which brings us to women’s college basketball superstar Audi Crooks, who announced Thursday on X that she is entering the transfer portal after three incredible seasons at Iowa State.

Without a doubt, the two-time All-American is currently the best and biggest name in the portal so far this offseason. After she posted 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in Ames as a junior, she will be highly coveted on the open market.

Normally, landing a portal talent like Crooks would be nothing more than a pipedream for the Minnesota Gophers. But in an article posted at CBS Sports, following Audi’s announcement, WBB writer Jack Maloney listed Minnesota as one of four schools that make sense as a transfer destination.

Minnesota may not be the first school you think of for a high-profile transfer, but the program could be a good fit for Crooks. And she, in turn, could be the player to continue their upward trajectory after they reached the Sweet 16 this season for the first time since 2005. 

The Golden Gophers had their most successful season in two decades by playing a methodical brand of basketball. They were 296th in the country in pace (66.5), 10th in post-up possession frequency (15.2%) and tied for 22nd in points in the paint per game (37). They’ll also be losing six seniors, including starting center Sophie Hart.

It’s easy to imagine Crooks sliding into Hart’s spot and replacing much of the offensive production Minnesota got from her, as well as senior guards Mara Braun and Amaya Battle. Furthermore, the Golden Gophers have the shooting to space the floor around Crooks.

CBS Sports

Iowa State got bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this year as an eight-seed, losing to nine-seed Syracuse. The Gophers, in their current state, would be a step forward for Crooks.

Her 64.9% field goal percentage led the Big 12 last season, and a transfer up I35 wouldn’t take her far from her hometown of Algona, Iowa, which sits just 20 or so miles south of the Minnesota/Iowa border.

Can the MN Gophers really land Audi Crooks?

It seems wild to think that Minnesota would be a program to land one of the most prolific transfers in history. However, they have gotten interesting at the right time, and Crooks was offered by the program in high school.

Plitzwueit doesn’t need to pitch Crooks of a need for her presence, as much as she can highlight how the fit works among the roster. Not only is Braun, Tori McKinney and Grace Grocholski returning, but the recruiting class is expected to be among the best in program history.

Adding Crooks’ 25.8 points per game in the frontcourt would be a massive win. Both Sophie Hart and Finau Tonga are graduating, and the need to insert talent in the middle remains paramount. In this NIL era, it’s likely going to come down to dollars making sense.

Minnesota doesn’t have the most lucrative NIL fund, and the allocation for women’s basketball isn’t atop the list of priorities either. However, if they can find something close to $1 million in their coffers, then landing the best available player in the country immediately becomes logical.

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