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5 key observations from the Gophers' season-opening win over Harvard
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- 5 key observations from the Gophers' season-opening win over Harvard
Gophers women's basketball officially opened its 2026-27 regular-season slate with an 82-62 win over Harvard on Monday night at The Barn. It was our first look at Minnesota without star Tori McKinney. Here are five key observations from Monday's win.
Starting lineup
McKinney was going to be a starter for the Gophers this season, so it was going to be interesting to see who Dawn Plitzuweit deployed with their star two-way wing out for the season.
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G: Leah Harmon
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G: Natalie Kussow
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G: Mara Braun
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G: Grace Grocholski
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F: Tayla Thomas
Plitzuweit and her staff still opted for a four-guard lineup without McKinney. Harmon got the nod at point guard after transferring in from UCF, and Kussow started the first game of the season, despite being a true freshman.
It was also slightly surprising to see Thomas start in the frontcourt over Penn State transfer Gracie Merkle, but it's clear that Minnesota is still fine-tuning its preferred rotation.
Bench rotation
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6th: Gracie Merkle
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7th: Tori Oehrlein
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8th: Makena Christian
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9th: Kennedy Klick
Veteran forward Taylor Woodson remained out of uniform on Monday as she recovers from last year's season-ending injury. Minnesota rolled with a nine-player rotation. Merkle was the first off the bench, and she was quickly involved, signaling that she's still a key part of the game plan, even if that role might come off the bench.
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Oehrlein, Christian and Klick were the next three players to come off the bench, showing that Minnesota likes its depth in the backcourt despite McKinney's injury.
Merkle's debut
Merkle was viewed by most as Minnesota's top transfer portal addition from Penn State, so it was a surprise to see her come off the bench, especially after she averaged 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season with the Nittany Lions.
She immediately made her presence felt on Monday with a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds, but Thomas also had a solid game with a team-high 13 rebounds and 10 points. It will be interesting to see if Minnesota's frontcourt rotation changes throughout the season.
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Early season expectations
Harvard is a potential NCAA Tournament team, but Monday's result showed that the first few weeks of the season might not be as dominant as what we saw a year ago. Losing a player as key as McKinney just a few weeks before the start of the season is a tough pill for any team to swallow. The Gophers were 14.5-point betting favorites on Monday, so a 20-point win is more than acceptable. With games against Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette and Cincinnati in November, Minnesota will need to figure out its identity quickly.
Grocholski is this team's No. 1 option
With McKinney out for the season and Braun still inconsistent shooting the ball, Grocholski needs to be the Gophers' top option in order for this team to reach its full potential. She was that on Monday night with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, along with six rebounds and five assists.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Nov 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
