Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Colorado State Rams head coach Niko Medved provides direction during the first half against Memphis Tigers at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Top Gophers coaching candidate Niko Medved and Colorado State played Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, and they pulled off the classic 12-5 upset, winning 78-70. Hall of Fame head coach Jay Wright mentioned on the pregame broadcast how Medved could already have his ticket booked for Minnesota once the Rams are knocked out of the dance. Let’s dive into some impressions from Medved’s win.
Colorado State’s best player, Nique Clifford, was completely taken out of the first half with only five points. Memphis was doing a lot of stuff to frustrate the Rams, but Medved and his coaching staff made some clear adjustments out of the locker room. I was very impressed with Colorado State’s ability to stay composed and adjust to the flow of the game. They took whatever Memphis was giving them and looked like the more well-coached and disciplined team en route to victory.
We wrote a story this week about potential Colorado State players who could follow Medved to Minnesota, and Evans showed today why he might be the most intriguing. With 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 6-of-9 from three, he looked like a player that would generate serious interest if he opted to enter the transfer portal. He’s the kind of talent that could contribute on day one in the Big Ten.
Medved’s teams are known to play a disciplined offensive style of basketball, limiting turnovers. They’ve ranked inside of the top 60 in offensive efficiency in five of the last six seasons, but they’re not a high-tempo offense. Today was no different and they took advantage of 16 Memphis turnovers.
Today was Medved’s fourth game as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament. He is now 2-2 overall and will get his first crack at reaching the Sweet 16 on Saturday.
Reports surfaced last Saturday that Medved was Minnesota’s top candidate. Since then, the West Virginia and Villanova jobs have opened up and Will Wade to NC State seems like a foregone conclusion, so while Medved’s outlook on the current coaching carousel could change, all signs still point to him being the Gophers’ first choice. But is Minnesota still his first choice? If he doesn’t end up becoming the next head coach, West Virginia is a school to keep an eye on.
Gophers AD Mark Coyle has been pretty adamant that they would like to act fast with their hire, mostly because the transfer portal officially opens on Monday, March 24. But they might have to wait and they could now have some competition with the Mountaineers.
Colorado State will play the winner of Grand Canyon and Maryland on Sunday, and if the Rams win the Gophers might not have a coach in place when the transfer portal opens on Monday.
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Published 18 Hours Ago|Modified Mar 21, 2025
