The Gophers men’s basketball team blew out both of its opponents in the first week of the season. That’s better than head coach Ben Johnson’s first two teams started their seasons at Minnesota.

The U beat Bethune-Cookman by 20 points in the season opener on Nov. 6, then throttled Texas-San Antonio by 23 on Friday.

Star forward Dawson Garica was named Big Ten player of the week on Monday, new point guard Elijah Spencer has created a faster offensive tempo, and true freshman Cam Christie showed off a smooth shooting stroke in his debut Friday. The roster is deeper and more versatile with the return of Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen from serious injuries.

But the Gophers haven’t played anybody noteworthy.

KenPom ranks Bethune-Cookman 350th among 362 Division I men’s basketball programs as of Monday. UTSA is pegged at 257th.

The level of competition will change Thursday when Missouri (2-1) comes to Williams Arena for an 8 p.m. tipoff. The Tigers are rated 64th in the nation, while the Gophers (2-0) are 97th, per KenPom.

The Missouri game will be the best litmus test on whether Johnson’s team can get out of the Big Ten basement for the first time this season.

After the Tigers come to Minnesota, the U will go back to playing hyphenated teams: South Carolina-Upstate on Saturday and Arkansas-Pine-Bluff next Tuesday. The Gophers then play San Francisco at the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center on Nov. 26 and New Orleans at The Barn on Nov. 30. Outside of Missouri, the game against San Francisco will be the next-best test. San Fran is 86th in KenPom.

The opening two Big Ten games will follow — at Ohio State on Dec. 3; home vs. Nebraska on Dec. 6 — and then four more nonconference games before 18 straight Big Ten games from January to March.

Missouri was picked to finish ninth in the preseason SEC poll; the Tigers do not have a player named to the preseason first- or second-team. But guard Sean East II has led Missouri in scoring in all three games, including 20 points in the 68-50 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Monday. On Friday, Missouri lost 70-55 to Memphis, which is 26th in KenPom’s list.

The Barn has been less than half full for its first two games this season, and Johnson and Co., are trying to drum up support on social media. “Let’s create some madness,” Johnson posted on X. “Students we need you. Fans we need you.”

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