Is Indiana men’s basketball better than Minnesota?

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This story is part of a series that will continue through October. Is Indiana better than any of its Big Ten opponents?

Nine categories were selected. There will be no ties in individual categories. Think of it like the Supreme Court.

The categories: point guard play, free throw shooting, interior scoring, perimeter shooting, rebounding, perimeter defense, rim protection, how many proven Power Five talents are on the roster and intangibles.

The daily series includes both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and rotates between teams.

Minnesota is in the spotlight today. To a certain extent, you have to feel bad for Minnesota coach Ben Johnson.

The transfer portal has caused roster chaos in Minnesota since Johnson arrived before the 2022-23 season. After a 9-22 freshman season for Johnson in 2023, he lost three of his top six scorers.

Still, Johnson rebuilt the Golden Gophers to make them even better. Minnesota was 19-15 in 2024 and competed in the National Invitation Tournament.

So what happened? Four of the six leading scorers left the stage again to the left.

Promising rookie Cam Christie moved to the NBA and was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Underrated forward Pharrel Payne transferred to Texas A&M, dynamic point guard Elijah Hawkins transferred to Texas Tech and forward Joshua Ola-Joseph transferred to California.

Johnson will pick up the pieces. One constant is center Dawson Garcia, but there will be plenty of new faces around him.

This is how the battle between the Hoosiers and the Golden Gophers goes.

• Point guard play – Hawkins left a big hole. With 7.5 assists per game, he was tied with Braden Smith, the 2024-25 preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. The next best disher is senior Mike Mitchell Jr. (2.6 apg). With Myles Rice, Trey Galloway and Gabe Cupps, the Hoosiers have a top-notch mix. Edge: Indiana.

• Free throw shooting – Neither team is blessed in this department.

Mitchell (80.6%), Garcia (80.2%) and Lu’Cye Patterson (75.7% in Charlotte) are all in the 70%. That’s still better than Indiana, as Mackenzie Mgbako (82.1%) and Rice (81.1%) were the only Hoosiers above 70% in 2024. Edge: Minnesota.

• Interior rating – Garcia is one of the better big men in the Big Ten. He averaged 16.5 points in his two seasons with the Gophers and challenges defenders with solid 3-point shooting in addition to his inside game. However, with the loss of Payne, Garcia lost a valuable winger in the team. Canisus transfer Frank Mitchell (12.1 ppg) has the potential to help, but he hasn’t played in the Big Ten yet.

Meanwhile, Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau form a formidable, Power Five-proven one-two punch for the Hoosiers. Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter shooting – The Golden Gophers don’t have a standout 3-point shooter, but they do have a lot of good ones. Mike Mitchell Jr. (39.9%), Oregon transfer Brennan Rigsby (35.5%), Patterson (35%), Frank Mitchell (33.3%), Garcia (31.9%) and New Mexico State transfer Femi Odukale (31%) all managed the game 30% cash.

Only Luke Goode (38.9%), Mackenzie Mgbako (32.7%) and Kanaan Carlyle (32%) can claim the same production on Indiana’s 2024 roster. Edge: Minnesota.

• Rebounding – An intriguing name for Indiana fans is Minnesota-to-Duluth transfer Lincoln Meister, brother of Indiana women’s basketball center Lilly Meister. He will help, but so will Frank Mitchell, who dominated on the glass for Canisius (11.6 rpg, tops in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Garcia (6.7 RPG) also does his business on the boards.

However, Garcia is the only Power Five rebounder who has proven himself. Ballo and Reneau have already shown that they can play at this level. Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter defense – Neither team is strong in this department. Minnesota ranked 12th in both 3-point defense and steals in Big Ten games. Indiana finished 13th in both divisions. Both teams’ transfers are busts in this category, so we’ll assume Minnesota’s less-than-mediocre track record. Edge: Minnesota.

• Defense at the rim – The Gophers will miss Payne (1.4 bpg), who was a true worker in the paint. Garcia (1 bpg) is capable of blocking shots. Frank Mitchell (0.9 bpg at Canisius) has potential.

Ballo (1.2 bpg) will be a difference maker for Indiana with his shot blocking and it will be difficult to move him off the lane. Edge: Indiana.

• Proven Power 5 ability on the roster – The standard here is whether a player averaged 25 minutes or more at the Power Five level at his current or previous school.

Minnesota’s exodus of players is obviously hurting them here. Garcia and Mike Mitchell Jr. are the only Gophers to exceed the 25-minute threshold. Conversely, five Hoosiers reach the 25-minute mark to give Indiana the experience advantage. Edge: Indiana.

• Intangible assets – Johnson has done a great job of keeping Minnesota on the path to improvement with a roster rebuild ahead of the 2024 season, but having to continue doing so is difficult. Will Minnesota’s chemistry be where it needs to be heading into January? Hard to know. Indiana has similar questions, but is coming from a place where there are more returning players to provide a foundation. Edge: Indiana.

• Verdict – A 6-3 decision for Indiana seems about right. Indiana simply has more proven pieces than Minnesota.

Previous: Is Indiana better than men’s basketball scores?

Oregon – Indiana 7-2.

Rutgers – Indiana 7-2.

Maryland – Indiana 6-3.

USC – Indiana 6-3.

Penn State – Indiana 5-4.