Former Gophers in Tourney

[Scottsdale Gopher]

While we sit and wait for the Gophers to name their new head coach and dream of returning to the NCAA Tournament, here are the former Gophers whose teams are playing in it.

Elijah Hawkins - Texas Tech
Hawkins spent the season in Lubbock as the starting PG and put up numbers similar to his season in Minnesota, with assists and minutes per game both down slightly. The Red Raiders were 25-8 this season, finishing 2nd in the Big 12, and losing in the semis of the conference tournament. Texas Tech is the three seed in the West.

Isaiah Ihnen - Liberty
Unfortunately, Ihnen suffered a season-ending injury just before Christmas. In the 11 games prior to getting hurt, he averaged 10 points per game in just 18 minutes, shooting 55.7 / 38.9 / 66.7. The Flames were 28-6 this season, winning the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. Liberty is the 12 seed in the East.

Pharrel Payne - Texas A&M
Payne saw slightly fewer minutes in College Station than with the Gophers, though he put up similar counting stats. The Aggies were 22-10 this season, finishing fifth in the SEC and losing in the second round (their first game) to rival Texas. A&M is the four seed in the South.

Abdoulaye Thiam - High Point
Thiam took a reduced role at High Point this season after starting 65 games for them over the previous two seasons. As a result, his stats are down considerably, averaging six points in 14 minutes per game. The Panthers were 29-5 this season, winning the Big South regular season and tournament titles. High Point is the 13 seed in the Midwest.

 

[GopherJack]

All well-known to me except Thiam. Did he get any (many) minutes with us? What's his back story?

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

All well-known to me except Thiam. Did he get any (many) minutes with us? What's his back story?

No, he barely played on Ben's first team. But he probably should've gotten more minutes, and definitely would've played/helped out on Ben's 2nd team (give how pathetic our guard play was that year).

 

[dbmn]

Add to that impressive list the MN high school graduates that are playing in the NCAA tournament that didn't chose UofM or chose to transfer to other schools. WI has 5 (2 starters), Michigan State has Tre Holloman, 20 minutes/game, and Michigan has 1 Will Tschetter, 20 minutes/game. If all those players were gophers, only Garcia would be starting from the gopher's current roster.

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

Add to that impressive list the MN high school graduates that are playing in the NCAA tournament that didn't chose UofM or chose to transfer to other schools. WI has 5 (2 starters), Michigan State has Tre Holloman, 20 minutes/game, and Michigan has 1 Will Tschetter, 20 minutes/game. If all those players were gophers, only Garcia would be starting from the gopher's current roster.

Add Heide at Purdue and McAndrews at Creighton (I'm sure there are others too).