Redshirt junior Charles Buggs will graduate in the spring, but would like to return for his final year of eligibility, he said after the Gophers' season ended with an 85-52 loss to Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten tournament on Wednesday.

But it's something he'll have to sit down and discuss with several other people, he added.

"That's the plan right now," he said of returning. "I want to help this team. We can do big things ...so my plan is to try to stay here next year, make a push to win a lot more games and get close to a Big Ten championship. And we can do that. The biggest thing next year is just being connected all of the time."

Buggs, who was originally recruited by former Minnesota coach Tubby Smith, redshirted his first season, in 2012-13, meaning that next season would be his true senior year. Players get six years to complete four years of eligibility per NCAA rules.

But he'll graduate with a degree in sports management in April, setting up the possibility that he could decide to move on instead. Buggs averaged 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 24 minutes a game this season while starting 21 of 31 total contests. He was also benched entirely for three games with coach Richard Pitino saying only that he wanted to play the individuals he believed would help the team win.

Buggs said he would need to sit down with his parents and the coaches to contemplate all his options.

"That's the next step," he said.

A vote for reinstatement.

Freshman Jordan Murphy said on Wednesday that he "hopes" the three players that were suspended for the final four games of the season will be back next year.

Coach Richard Pitino said earlier this week that after the season he would reevaluate the statuses of Kevin Dorsey, Nate Mason and Dupree McBrayer, who were benched after sex videos appeared on the social media accounts of Dorsey, the only player who was identified in the clips by those who viewed them.

Pitino hasn't elaborated about what further punishments might entail.

"I really do hope [they'll be back]," Murphy said. "All three of those guys are really good guys. It just so happened that a situation came up, that's all. Those guys are still our brothers and we're still sticking by them 100 percent."