MINNEAPOLIS -- Amir Coffey seamlessly took over as the primary point guard. Dupree McBrayer, playing pain free, had his left-handed stroke in midseason form. Daniel Oturu quickly established his 6-foot-10 presence in his college debut.
This was just the kind of smooth opener Minnesota needed, after a rough last year.
Coffey had 18 points in 24 minutes, McBrayer scored 17 points on 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point range and Oturu had 14 points and eight rebounds, guiding the Gophers to a 104-76 victory over Omaha on Tuesday night.
"I'm about as excited as I've been in a long time," coach Richard Pitino said.