The Minnesota Golden Gophers enter the 2017-2018 season with more promise than any season in recent memory. While there were a few blips on the radar during the Tubby Smith tenure, none of his teams ever won 24 games, placed in the top four in the Big Ten Conference, or returned all five of its starters. The 2017-2018 edition of the Gophers not only meet all these criteria but they can be considered a strong squad for a few reasons that specifically pertain to college basketball.
- They have a strong defense. Almost every nation champion of the KenPom era has ranked in the top 15 in defensively efficiency.