Gophers pregame: Five things we don't know yet

Tonight's Minnesota - Western Kentucky game tips at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3 (online, for a price) and 1500-a.m. locally. Read my story on the big week ahead in today's Star Tribune, here. Preview box here.

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Here's what we know:

The Gophers aren't ready to contend with the nation's elite, yet. Leadership is thin as it simply isn't a natural thing for any of the veterans. The team has lots of new players who are learning on the job. It also has a nice blend of underrated talent and a barrage of potential scorers. These Gophers are bigger. They're more athletic.

But after just one game that counts in the books so far, there is a lot of discovering ahead.

Five things we don't know yet:

1. How will DeAndre Mathieu respond? Twice already, we've seen less-than-great performances from the point guard, who had seven turnovers in a team scrimmage and then looked totally off his game against Louisville. He got into foul trouble, turned over the ball, made some rough decisions and then – worst of all – visibly complained about all of it on the court. The Gophers need Mathieu to be the senior leader and steady presence pushing the offense he's more than capable of. Can he get back on track tonight?

3. Can the newcomers seize on their potential? It's clear this group has upside – we've seen it from each player already. Carlos Morris and Nate Mason have bigtime scoring ability. Josh Martin could be a rebounding machine. Bakary Konate has a chance to solidify himself as the center of the future. But there are transitions to be made; adapting to high-major collegiate basketball doesn't happen overnight, as we saw vs. Louisville on Friday. How long that process takes -- and whether the newcomers can adjust to this stage -- will go a long way in determining how Minnesota does this year.

4. What is Andre Hollins' ceiling when he's healthy? The guard was barely getting heated up last year when he came down from a jump shot and landed on a Wisconsin defender's foot, severely spraining his ankle. Even after returning, he wasn't the same that whole year. In practices this fall, the coaches seemed to believe he looked as good as he has since his sophomore year. If he can be that efficient scorer once more, it would be a big boost for the Gophers, and if he can be even better, Minnesota could contend to land in the Big Ten's top 4.

5. Will the same things that bogged the team down a year ago be problems once more? We all know the tired storylines. Last year, the same two issues haunted the Gophers more than any others. Defense. Turnovers. Have they improved, as Pitino believes, in both areas? The team didn't show a lot of evidence of that last week.
Five predictions for tonight:

1. Minnesota will not cover the spread (the Gophers are favored by 12.5).

2. Andre Hollins will go off again (20+ points) and Nate Mason will be pretty darn good (12+ points).

4. The Gophers will gain a double-digit lead, but lose it.