Against a vastly overmatched opponent, the Gophers men’s basketball team showed Monday night what could be.
Cade Tyson scored 30 points, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson dominated inside with 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Minnesota rolled Gardner-Webb 87-60 in its season opener at Williams Arena.
Langston Reynolds had 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench for aggressive, athletic Minnesota.
The Gophers led 20-1 less than six minutes into the game, 37-10 just over 10 minutes later, and 53-20 at the half. Minnesota’s largest lead was 35 twice in the second half.
“Playing with poise, playing physical, take care of the ball coach emphasizes every day. If we continue to do that throughout the season, we’ll be good,” Crocker-Johnson said.
Minnesota shot 54.5%, including 62.5% in the first half, had a 46-24 points advantage in the paint, and 45-31 in rebounds. The consistently moving, cutting-heavy and unselfish offense finished with 25 assists on 30 baskets.
“A day one thing for us is the unselfishness. For as many new faces that’s really shown up right away,” said coach Niko Medved, whose team has 13 players that did not wear maroon and gold last season. “Shots still have to go in the basket, but the ball movement has been terrific, and it’s been that way at places that we’ve been.”
It was the first regular-season game for Medved, the Roseville native and former Gophers assistant hired March 24 after seven seasons at Colorado State, including NCAA tournament berths in three of the past four seasons. He previously coached at Furman for four years and one year at Drake.
“It’s real, no turning back now,” he said with a big smile. “It was great. I’m just proud of the guys’ approach and how they played tonight.”
Tyson, who had 28 and 26 points in exhibition wins over North Dakota State and North Dakota, could very well be one of the fan favorites this season with a combination of outside shooting (4-8 from deep Monday and 14-23 in three games) and getting to the hoop (10-12 on free throws Monday).
The 6-foot-7 senior starred for two years at Belmont before transferring to North Carolina last season. But he averaged just eight minutes per game with the perennial power.
“I don’t think it’s one particular thing, just the work we put in over the summer, and up until now we’re gonna continue to put in and just get me a little more confidence,” he said.
He had eight straight points for a 10-0 Minnesota lead: a driving layup after Chansey Willis Jr. dove near midcourt to grab a loose ball and feed Tyson, a layup from Isaac Asuma and free throw for a 3-point play, then a triple off an Asuma feed.
“I don’t know if Chansey’s ever gone a game without scoring a basket, but I thought the play when he dove on the floor early just kind of set the tone for how this game was gonna go,” said Medved.
Missing its first 10 shots, Gardner-Webb was just 6 for 26 in the opening 20 minutes, including coming up empty on all seven 3-point tries. Its first assist came with 31 seconds left in the half.
Julius Clark led the Runnin’ Bulldogs with 13 points. Minus their top six scorers from last year’s 11-20 team, Gardner-Webb was picked to finish eighth in the 2025-26 Big South preseason poll.
Gophers forward B.J. Omot missed the game with a leg injury. The redshirt junior from Mankato, and top scorer for North Dakota in 2022-23 and 2023-24, missed all but four games at California last season with a wrist injury.
Gardner Webb guard Ace Talbert (25) loses control of the ball while defended by Minnesota guard Chansey Willis Jr. (0), middle, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
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