University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, December 10
West Lafayette, IN
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
#6 Purdue
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Hit the Road to No. 6 Purdue
12/8/2025 2:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: BTN (PBP - Kevin Kugler, Analyst - Robbie Hummel, Sideline - Andy Katz)
Tip Time: 6:01 p.m. CT
Radio: KFAN FM 100.3 - Mike Grimm, Al Nolen)
Sirius: 386
SERIES INFORMATION*
All-Time Series: PUR Leads, 102-81
Last Meeting: Jan. 2, 2025 (PUR W, 81-61)
Minnesota Record vs. Big Ten: 822-950
Medved vs. Purdue: First Meeting
* excludes vacated games
STARTING FIVE
• The Golden Gopher men's basketball team travels to No. 6 Purdue Wednesday night at 6 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and through the Gopher Radio Network (KFAN 100.3 FM). It's the lone meeting between the two teams and Minnesota's first appearance in Mackey Arena since 2024.
• Wednesday's game features the only two coaches in the Big Ten who represent their alma mater. Niko Medved is in his first year with the Golden Gophers. He was a student manager under Clem Haskins, an assistant coach in 2006-07, and is now Minnesota's 19th head coach. Matt Painter played under Gene Keady at Purdue from 1990-93 and is now in his 21st season at the helm of Purdue men's basketball.
• Minnesota is looking for its second-straight Big Ten win of the season after defeating then-No. 22 Indiana, 73-64, last week. Cade Tyson and Langston Reynolds each scored 17 points, Isaac Asuma added 15 points and all five Gophers starters reached double-figures. It marked Niko Medved's first-ever Big Ten win as the Gopher head coach. The win was Minnesota's first in a conference-opener since an 89-67 win versus Rutgers on Dec. 3, 2017. The Gophers' win, their first against Indiana since 2019, snapped a nine-game losing streak versus the Hoosiers, which had included three-straight losses at Williams Arena.
• In the Indiana win, the five Gophers starters (Asuma, Reynolds, Bobby Durkin, Tyson and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson combined to play 180 of 200 minutes and all scored in double digits. The last time Minnesota had five players score in double digits was this year against Alcorn State. The last time Minnesota had five players score in double digits against a ranked team dates back to the 2023-24 season, at No. 12 Illinois, in a 105-97 loss (Christie, Garcia, Hawkins, Mitchell Jr. and Payne).
• Cade Tyson continues to shine, averaging 21.8 points, which tops the league and is seventh nationally. His 196 points this season rank first in the Big Ten and 15th in the nation.
ALL-TIME SERIES & THE LAST TIME
• Minnesota is looking for its first win over Purdue since 2021 and its first win in West Lafayette, Ind., since 2017. The Boilermakers hold a five-game win streak over the Gophers. Purdue owns a 102-81 all-time advantage, including a 66-25 lead at home (excluding vacated games).
In their last meeting on Jan. 2, 2025, Purdue pulled away with nine second-half threes to win 81-61 at Williams Arena. Dawson Garcia led Minnesota with 20 points.
• The last time the Gophers visited Mackey Arena was on Feb. 15, 2024, when the No. 2 Boilermakers defeated the Gophers, 84-76. Minnesota led at halftime, 43-35, but the Boilermakers came out of the locker room with a vengeance and scored 49 points and limited Minnesota to 33 for the 84-76 final. Garcia had a game-high 24 points.
WILLIS JR. OUT FOR THE SEASON
• Head coach Niko Medved has announced that point guard Chansey Willis Jr. will miss the remainder of the season due to a right-foot injury. Willis Jr., who started in all eight games for the Gophers, led the Big Ten in steals prior to his injury. Willis played at Western Michigan last season, where he led the Mid-American Conference in scoring, averaging 16.8 points and 5.8 assists, and ranked fifth in the league in steals per game (1.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8).
ABOUT THE BOILERMAKERS
• Purdue won its first eight games before suffering its first loss of the season Saturday vs. Iowa State, 81-56, in Mackey Arena. Purdue defeated Alabama, 87-80; Memphis, 80-71; and Texas Tech, 86-56, earning the Boilermakers the No. ranking. With the loss to Iowa State, the Boilermakers drop to 8-1 this year and sixth in the latest poll.
• The Boilermakers' offense runs through First Team All-American and 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year, Braden Smith. In his four years with Purdue, Smith has accumulated 837 assists, which tops the NCAA career active leaders. He has 79 this season and is shooting 41 percent from three. Fletcher Loyer leads the team with 14.4 points per game, while Trey Kaufman-Renn averages 13.9 and a Big Ten-best 10.7 rebounds per game. Kaufman-Renn garnered First Team All-Big Ten honors last year, while Loyer was an honorable mention. Oscar Cluff transferred to Purdue from South Dakota State and rounds out the double-digit scorers for the Boilermakers, averaging 11.1 points and 8.9 rebounds.
• As a team, the Boilermakers average 85.1 points, while allowing their opponents just 69.1. Shooting 49.9 from the field, Purdue holds a league-best 40.2 from beyond the arc. They also average 40 rebounds per game, have 182 assists and 46 steals. Their assist/turnover ratio is first in the Big Ten and fifth nationally.
ON THE DOCKET
• Following the Purdue game, the Gophers return to Williams Arena for three straight, first starting with Texas Southern on Sunday, Dec. 14. Game time is at noon on Big Ten Network and on KFAN 100.3 FM with Mike Grimm and Al Nolen.
TV: BTN (PBP - Kevin Kugler, Analyst - Robbie Hummel, Sideline - Andy Katz)
Tip Time: 6:01 p.m. CT
Radio: KFAN FM 100.3 - Mike Grimm, Al Nolen)
Sirius: 386
SERIES INFORMATION*
All-Time Series: PUR Leads, 102-81
Last Meeting: Jan. 2, 2025 (PUR W, 81-61)
Minnesota Record vs. Big Ten: 822-950
Medved vs. Purdue: First Meeting
* excludes vacated games
STARTING FIVE
• The Golden Gopher men's basketball team travels to No. 6 Purdue Wednesday night at 6 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and through the Gopher Radio Network (KFAN 100.3 FM). It's the lone meeting between the two teams and Minnesota's first appearance in Mackey Arena since 2024.
• Wednesday's game features the only two coaches in the Big Ten who represent their alma mater. Niko Medved is in his first year with the Golden Gophers. He was a student manager under Clem Haskins, an assistant coach in 2006-07, and is now Minnesota's 19th head coach. Matt Painter played under Gene Keady at Purdue from 1990-93 and is now in his 21st season at the helm of Purdue men's basketball.
• Minnesota is looking for its second-straight Big Ten win of the season after defeating then-No. 22 Indiana, 73-64, last week. Cade Tyson and Langston Reynolds each scored 17 points, Isaac Asuma added 15 points and all five Gophers starters reached double-figures. It marked Niko Medved's first-ever Big Ten win as the Gopher head coach. The win was Minnesota's first in a conference-opener since an 89-67 win versus Rutgers on Dec. 3, 2017. The Gophers' win, their first against Indiana since 2019, snapped a nine-game losing streak versus the Hoosiers, which had included three-straight losses at Williams Arena.
• In the Indiana win, the five Gophers starters (Asuma, Reynolds, Bobby Durkin, Tyson and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson combined to play 180 of 200 minutes and all scored in double digits. The last time Minnesota had five players score in double digits was this year against Alcorn State. The last time Minnesota had five players score in double digits against a ranked team dates back to the 2023-24 season, at No. 12 Illinois, in a 105-97 loss (Christie, Garcia, Hawkins, Mitchell Jr. and Payne).
• Cade Tyson continues to shine, averaging 21.8 points, which tops the league and is seventh nationally. His 196 points this season rank first in the Big Ten and 15th in the nation.
ALL-TIME SERIES & THE LAST TIME
• Minnesota is looking for its first win over Purdue since 2021 and its first win in West Lafayette, Ind., since 2017. The Boilermakers hold a five-game win streak over the Gophers. Purdue owns a 102-81 all-time advantage, including a 66-25 lead at home (excluding vacated games).
In their last meeting on Jan. 2, 2025, Purdue pulled away with nine second-half threes to win 81-61 at Williams Arena. Dawson Garcia led Minnesota with 20 points.
• The last time the Gophers visited Mackey Arena was on Feb. 15, 2024, when the No. 2 Boilermakers defeated the Gophers, 84-76. Minnesota led at halftime, 43-35, but the Boilermakers came out of the locker room with a vengeance and scored 49 points and limited Minnesota to 33 for the 84-76 final. Garcia had a game-high 24 points.
WILLIS JR. OUT FOR THE SEASON
• Head coach Niko Medved has announced that point guard Chansey Willis Jr. will miss the remainder of the season due to a right-foot injury. Willis Jr., who started in all eight games for the Gophers, led the Big Ten in steals prior to his injury. Willis played at Western Michigan last season, where he led the Mid-American Conference in scoring, averaging 16.8 points and 5.8 assists, and ranked fifth in the league in steals per game (1.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8).
ABOUT THE BOILERMAKERS
• Purdue won its first eight games before suffering its first loss of the season Saturday vs. Iowa State, 81-56, in Mackey Arena. Purdue defeated Alabama, 87-80; Memphis, 80-71; and Texas Tech, 86-56, earning the Boilermakers the No. ranking. With the loss to Iowa State, the Boilermakers drop to 8-1 this year and sixth in the latest poll.
• The Boilermakers' offense runs through First Team All-American and 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year, Braden Smith. In his four years with Purdue, Smith has accumulated 837 assists, which tops the NCAA career active leaders. He has 79 this season and is shooting 41 percent from three. Fletcher Loyer leads the team with 14.4 points per game, while Trey Kaufman-Renn averages 13.9 and a Big Ten-best 10.7 rebounds per game. Kaufman-Renn garnered First Team All-Big Ten honors last year, while Loyer was an honorable mention. Oscar Cluff transferred to Purdue from South Dakota State and rounds out the double-digit scorers for the Boilermakers, averaging 11.1 points and 8.9 rebounds.
• As a team, the Boilermakers average 85.1 points, while allowing their opponents just 69.1. Shooting 49.9 from the field, Purdue holds a league-best 40.2 from beyond the arc. They also average 40 rebounds per game, have 182 assists and 46 steals. Their assist/turnover ratio is first in the Big Ten and fifth nationally.
ON THE DOCKET
• Following the Purdue game, the Gophers return to Williams Arena for three straight, first starting with Texas Southern on Sunday, Dec. 14. Game time is at noon on Big Ten Network and on KFAN 100.3 FM with Mike Grimm and Al Nolen.
Cinematic Recap: Gophers-Indiana
Saturday, December 06
Highlights: Gophers 73, Indiana 64
Wednesday, December 03
Coach Medved Postgame Interview
Wednesday, December 03
Gophers in Palm Desert, California
Friday, November 28