With seven new transfer players, the Gophers men’s basketball team needs those veteran additions to start contributing on a more consistent basis, and soon. The upcoming schedule will demand it.

After Minnesota (4-1) plays Central Michigan (3-2) on Monday at Williams Arena, the Gophers face Wichita State on Thursday and either Florida or Wake Forest on Friday at the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, Fla.

Three transfer starters — Lu’Cye Patterson, Femi Odukale and Frank Mitchell — were inconsistent and sometimes ineffective in the 58-47 win over Cleveland State last Tuesday. Meanwhile, Brennan Rigsby has been the U’s most consistent newcomer. He is the team’s second-leading scorer at 8.6 points per game.

Mitchell is playing through pain from a recent shoulder injury and is wearing a brace on the joint; Patterson is shooting poorly, and Odukale did well on defense and rebounding but his offense was an adventure. Trey Edmonds has been a bit player off the bench. Tyler Cochran and Caleb Williams have been sidelined early in the new season.

The acclimation and ascent of the new transfers is more important with starting point guard Mike Mitchell sidelined with a sprained ankle.

Head coach Ben Johnson addressed the offensive side for Patterson and especially Odukale after the Cleveland State game.

“The offensive part — we just got to tighten that up because (Odukale) is a better player than that,” Johnson said. “And he knows that. Again, he’s a guy who is adjusting to a new role, new expectations, and we are just looking for carryover.”

After the multi-team tournament in Florida, Minnesota will play Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 1 and then play the opening two Big Ten Conference games, Dec. 4 against Michigan State at The Barn and Dec. 9 at Indiana.

Patterson’s slumped his shoulders after one miss during an 0-for-5 shooting game against Cleveland State, and true freshman Isaac Asuma played over Patterson for the final 15 minutes of the game.

Despite sitting out, senior forward Parker Fox saw encouraging things when Patterson came out of the game. He was engaged from the bench and high-fiving teammates in the huddle.

“If you react in a negative way, it’s all going to spiral, so I think for him, it’s continuing to trust who he is as a player and to trust that the coaches are going to put him in the right spot,” Fox said. “This is a long season, and it’s going to be his night at some point.”

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