For now, Minnesota has enough, something the Gophers made very clear on Monday.
But after the roster shrank yet again, the road ahead is manned by a thinner team and one that has dealt with a startling amount of upheaval in the young season.
Two hours before the Gophers dismantled North Dakota 92-56 in a game in which center Mo Walker posted a career high (22) in points, Minnesota announced that little-used freshman forward Josh Martin would transfer, effective immediately.
The move gives the Gophers only nine scholarship players for at least the rest of December.
"Guys are dropping," DeAndre Mathieu said at his locker postgame, shaking his head. "And we haven't made it to Christmas yet. But the guys in this locker room, we're going to stick together and continue to fight."
The Gophers had plenty of that on Monday when they established their game plan early, pounding the ball inside to Walker, who had no problems dominating the undersized and overwhelmed North Dakota frontcourt. Soon, Mathieu caught fire as well, and six Gophers scored in double digits in routing a team with six Minnesotans on the roster.
The players — some of whom said Martin hasn't spoken to the team since announcing his decision — know they're fighting an ugly perception as well. The 6-foot-9 forward was the third player to leave the team in some capacity in a little more than a month.
The drama started just before the start of the regular season, when Illinois State transfer Zach Lofton — who would have redshirted this year — was kicked off the team for failing to meet its "expectations and obligations." Then, two weeks ago, sophomore guard Daquein McNeil was arrested on two counts of felony assault and subsequently suspended. Counting the absence of international freshman big Gaston Diedhiou — who was denied admission in late August — the Gophers are short four expected teammates.
