Nineteen days ago, Rachel Banham tore her ACL going up for a contested layup on a cold night in Grand Forks, N.D.
In a flash, the Gophers lost their senior floor leader, the No. 2 scorer in Minnesota women's basketball history and the preseason pick for Big Ten player of the year.
So, yeah, the outlook for the Gophers' 18-game Big Ten season has changed a little this month.
Since then, the Gophers have said they will "play for her," and they also have escaped two nonconference home games with unspectacular victories.
Can the 11-1 Gophers shake off the loss of a leader, keep the victories coming and rally for a successful Big Ten campaign?
The Nebraska Cornhuskers will be the first to press the Gophers for an answer.
The Big Ten season starts Monday night for Minnesota, and here are three U story lines to watch for the next three months:
Will Stollings' 'score, score and score some more' style work?
Having made eight stops in a 14-year coaching career, Marlene Stollings is well aware that implementing a new system doesn't happen overnight.