The Gophers opened up the season in dominating fashion, sending the Omaha Mavericks packing in a 28-point blowout on Tuesday, 104-76. And while the easy victory wasn’t surprising, it was nice to see the team get off on the right foot and conduct business as usual, especially in a year where we’re not entirely sure what to expect.
Things get a little dicier on Monday, and the level of opponent increases significantly when the Pac-12’s Utah Runnin’ Utes come to town, representing the first game of a home-and-home series the schools agreed to this summer. For the Gophers, it’s the first game of what will be an eight-game slog that features dates with Utah, Boston College, Washington, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, along with Nebraska and Ohio State.