5 things to watch in Minnesota’s exhibition against North Dakota State

After last weekend’s Maroon and Gold scrimmage, Gophers men’s basketball will face its first opponent on Thursday night in an exhibition against North Dakota State. Here are five things to watch against the Bison.

New head coach Niko Medved and his coaching staff added 13 new players this offseason. The team’s potential starting lineup is still unknown. I expect Chansey Willis Jr., Isaac Asuma, Bobby Durkin, Cade Tyson and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson to be the first group on the floor, but Medved could always make a surprise decision.

North Dakota State was voted to finish fourth in the preseason Summit League Poll, and it’s at No. 215 in KenPom.com’s preseason ratings, so there’s a chance Thursday’s game gets out of hand quickly. But it will be interesting to monitor Medved’s early rotations. Is Langston Reynolds the first man off the bench? How many bigs play? Is Grayson Grove in the mix? There are plenty of questions to keep an eye on.

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Both Omot and Vaihola were a little banged up this offseason, and they missed some practice. Omot is just under one year removed from a season-ending injury, and he had a minor offseason procedure. Vaihola’s ailments were far less significant. Both players are reportedly healthy, but it will be worth monitoring how much they play in Minnesota’s two exhibitions this month.

Thursday night’s game doesn’t count towards either team’s regular-season record, but it’s the first time for Gophers fans to get a look at Medved’s squad against another opponent. He has generated some excitement already, so I am curious to see what the turnout and fan energy are for a Thursday-night exhibition in October.

On paper, Minnesota’s top eight or nine players seem well established. Thursday night will be our first opportunity to see if that’s true. Central Arkansas transfer Nehemiah Turner might be the biggest wildcard on the entire team, and I am curious to see what his role looks like on a veteran team. Can Grove work his way into the rotation? That would be 10 players without true freshman Kai Shinholster.

It’s one thing to follow trends for a first-year head coach like Medved, but maybe he decides to change things up in his first year at Minnesota? Thursday night will be the first data point to analyze in year one of the Medved era.