BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 11, 2026

Niko Medved

Cade Tyson

Bobby Durkin

United Center

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Postgame Press Conference

Rutgers 72, Minnesota 67

NIKO MEDVED: You know, losing stinks. So that's the first thing on your mind. Obviously just look at this game, we knew it was going to be a dogfight. We knew Rutgers would play well.

You know, at the end of the day, I think it was the turnovers, right. We turned it over 15 times, 10 in the second half, and I thought that was the difference in the game.

But you give them all the credit.

It's hard right now for these guys and our team; you lose and there's some finality to it. But man, I don't know that these guys could have given us any more than they did this year. What an incredible response to so much of the adversity and the injuries. To win eight games in this league and finish 11th, and just do what they did was really something they should be proud of, and I'm just proud to be their coach. When the sun comes up tomorrow and the days go by, I think they'll understand that even more.

Q. I wanted to ask you about this type of a game where six guys played, and you're going up against a team that really came on strong in the middle part of the second half. How challenging was it? Did you feel wore down at all with about five minutes left?

CADE TYSON: I'd say it's definitely challenging. Give the credit to Rutgers. I thought they played a really good game. But I mean, of course there's a battle that comes with it, but I feel like we've worked hard enough for both of our bodies and our teammates' bodies to sustain itself that 40 minutes.

Honestly, as a basketball player, what more could you ask for than to go out there and compete for 40 minutes.

Q. Asking about the trajectory of the season, new coach with Niko. You guys had some really big wins. Take me through the season and kind of at this point what's going through your heads right now?

BOBBY DURKIN: I would say I think we really showed how good we can be. There was obviously stretches during the season where we dropped some games that we felt were winnable and could have came out with, but I feel like we just showed that we can really compete with anyone, and when you look at even some of the losses, I think we showed that.

So I think that's kind of what I look back on and see throughout the season.

Q. Cade, Niko mentioned the turnovers, particularly in the second half. Do you feel it was more self-inflicted or were they doing something pressure-wise that seemed to bother you in that second half?

CADE TYSON: Yeah, I'd say it's both. I think I personally may have got outside of myself a few times trying to put the ball on the floor and do too much, personally. But I also thought they did a good job of pressuring us and getting into us a little bit on the defensive end.

Q. As you mentioned, this year you guys dealt with a lot of adversity. Take me through 15-17, not the season you wanted, but you seemed to build a program here. What's the next phase you hope to establish this year and you hope to bring next year?

NIKO MEDVED: I think, you know, again, I'm at a point where I look at the overall record, and I'm just around these guys every day, and it's just like the hits just kept coming. You look at it, and all of a sudden we lose all these guys and we were playing seven, and then Jaylen Crocker-Johnson goes down, and now we have one available post player. For these guys to win four of their last six and compete the way they do was really incredible stuff.

We talked before the season, and coaches, too, I'm like, hey, if we can -- we want to win as many games as we can, but at the end of the day, I want our fans and the people that follow us to be more excited about our program and where it's going than they were when the season started.

I think these guys really did that, and I think it was really fun to see the energy come back here in the arena and the people come out and support us. I think they really appreciated how our guys fought and played. I know I did.

Again, tonight stinks, but I feel really good about the future of Gopher basketball.

Q. Niko, in that second half when they took a four-point lead it seemed like you guys had a hard time trying to catch up. What was it about that stretch where you noticed that you guys weren't able to put together some momentum?

NIKO MEDVED: Yeah, I think you asked Cade. One thing we've been really good at this year, we haven't turned the ball over. We've been really good that way. You give them credit, too. We talked about it at halftime, they were going to ramp up the pressure. We just didn't handle it very well. I'll give them credit for that. It's always both. Give them credit for applying for measure. We didn't handle it. We could say we got worn down, but we played six for the last -- this has kind of been what it is.

Give them credit; we needed to handle it a little bit better, convert on a few more things. Again, it was a dogfight of a game, which we knew, but I just thought that was the difference.

Q. There are opportunities in the postseason if you want them. Do you anticipate trying to compete in one of the postseason tournaments, or do you think you'll shut it down?

NIKO MEDVED: I think it's too early to say. Right now, you're like, I don't know. But let's just give these guys a few days here and just kind of see where we're at and see kind of what the opportunity is and see if it maybe makes sense for this group.

But again, they've been through a lot. They're beat up that way. So are a lot of teams. But it's cool that maybe we'll earn the right to have that opportunity, but let's let the dust settle a little bit and see where it goes.

Q. I feel a little sheepish asking this, but looking ahead with this program, what kind of tone do you think this team has set for Gophers teams of the future and what you want your teams to look like now after you've completed your first full season?

NIKO MEDVED: I think they embraced what I believe in coaching and all the programs we've been at that have won, is that really unselfish, really competitive, connected, coachable, fun to be around. All those things. Embracing the adversity. It's all those cultural things this team did at a high level and set a standard that we knew we wanted, but these guys did it at a high level.

I think that will carry forward. I think the fans see that. It's something that they can get behind. As we continue to hopefully retain these guys, as we've recruited new guys coming in and we'll recruit guys here this spring, we talk a lot about that being our expectation and wanting to be a part of it.

I think we've got a great sell in the history that we've had developing players, playing at the highest level, winning. I think it's a fun style of play. So I'm really excited about the sell we have, and what we're going to be able to do here moving forward.