It's a fascinating tale, really. A college basketball tale.
Minnesota represents the speed at which an irrelevant team can pick up a few transfers (former Illinois State star Reggie Lynch averages 8.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.0 BPG) and a mature freshman (Amir Coffey is second on the team with 11.9 PPG) and reignite a program and change a coach's future.
Richard Pitino entered the 2016-17 campaign desperate for a rebirth after an eight-win season and a scandal-filled year. Three of his players missed the end of the 2015-16 season when he suspended them the day after they dropped a sex tape on Twitter.