BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This story is part of a series that will continue through October. Is Indiana better than each of its Big Ten opponents?

Nine categories have been chosen. There will be no ties in individual categories. Think about it like you would the Supreme Court.

The categories: Point guard play, free throw shooting, inside scoring, perimeter shooting, rebounding, perimeter defense, rim protection, how much proven Power Five talent is on the roster, and intangibles.

The daily series includes both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, rotating between the teams.

Minnesota is in the spotlight today. To some extent, you have to feel sorry for Minnesota coach Ben Johnson.

The transfer portal has created chaos for Minnesota since Johnson arrived ahead of the 2022-23 season. After a 9-22 first season for Johnson in 2023, he lost three of his top six scorers.

Still, Johnson has rebuilt the Golden Gophers to be even better. Minnesota was 19-15 in 2024 and played in the National Invitation Tournament.

So what happened? Four of the six top scorers left the stage on the left again.

Promising freshman Cam Christie left for the NBA and was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Underrated forward Pharrel Payne left for Texas A&M, dynamic point guard Elijah Hawkins left for Texas Tech and forward Joshua Ola-Joseph transferred to California.

Johnson will pick up the pieces again. One constant was Dawson Garcia, but there will be plenty of new faces around him.

Here’s how the battle between the Hoosiers and Golden Gophers plays out.

• Point guard game – Hawkins left a big hole. He was tied with 2024-25 Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith with 7.5 assists per game. The next best disher is senior Mike Mitchell Jr. (2.6 apg). With Myles Rice, Trey Galloway and Gabe Cupps, the Hoosiers have a superior mix. Edge: Indiana.

• Free throw shooting – Neither team is blessed in this department.

Mitchell (80.6%), Garcia (80.2%) and Lu’Cye Patterson (75.7% at Charlotte) are all in the 70%. That’s still better than Indiana, as Mackenzie Mgbako (82.1%) and Rice (81.1%) were the only Hoosiers above 70% in 2024. Edge: Minnesota.

• Scoring inside – Garcia is one of the better big men in the Big Ten. He averaged 16.5 points in his two seasons with the Gophers and challenges defenders with a solid three-point shot in addition to his inside game. However, with the loss of Payne, Garcia lost a valuable wingman in the paint. Canisus transfer Frank Mitchell (12.1 ppg) has the potential to help, but he hasn’t played in the Big Ten yet.

Meanwhile, Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau provide a formidable, Power Five-proven 1-2 punch for the Hoosiers. Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter shooting – The Golden Gophers don’t have a standout 3-point shooter, but they do have a lot of good ones. Mike Mitchell Jr. (39.9%), Oregon transfer Brennan Rigsby (35.5%), Patterson (35%), Frank Mitchell (33.3%), Garcia (31.9%) and New Mexico State transfer Femi Odukale ( 31%) all reached the 30% bar.

Only Luke Goode (38.9%), Mackenzie Mgbako (32.7%) and Kanaan Carlyle (32%) can claim the same production for 2024 on Indiana’s roster. Edge: Minnesota.

• Rebounding – An intriguing name here for Indiana fans is Minnesota-Duluth transfer Lincoln Meister, brother of Indiana women’s basketball center Lilly Meister. He will help, but so will Frank Mitchell, who was dominant on the glass for Canisius (11.6 rpg, the leader in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Garcia (6.7 rpg) also takes care of his business on the boards.

However, Garcia is the only Power Five proven rebounder. Ballo and Reneau have shown that they can already play at this level. Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter defense – Neither team is strong in this department. Minnesota ranked 12th in Big Ten play in both 3-point defense and steals. Indiana placed 13th in both divisions. The transfers for both teams are a disaster in this category, so we’ll go with Minnesota’s less mediocre track record. Edge: Minnesota.

• Defense at the edge – The Gophers will miss Payne (1.4 bpg), a true blue-collar grinder in the paint. Garcia (1 bpg) is capable of blocking shots. Frank Mitchell (0.9 bpg at Canisius) has potential.

Ballo (1.2 bpg) will be an X-factor for Indiana with his shot blocking, and he will be difficult to get out of the lane. Edge: Indiana.

• Proven Power 5 ability on the roster – The standard here is whether a player has averaged 25 minutes or more at the Power Five level at his current or former school.

The exodus of players from Minnesota is clearly hurting them here. Garcia and Mike Mitchell Jr. are the only Gophers to cross the 25-minute threshold. Conversely, five Hoosiers hit the 25-minute mark to give Indiana the experience advantage. Edge: Indiana.

• Intangible assets – Johnson has done a great job of keeping Minnesota on track with a roster rebuild ahead of the 2024 season, but having to continue doing so is tough. Will Minnesota’s chemistry be where it needs to be by the time January rolls around? Hard to know. Indiana has similar questions, but it’s coming from a place where it has more returning players to form a foundation. Edge: Indiana.

• Pronunciation – A 6-3 decision for Indiana seems about right. Indiana simply has more proven pieces than Minnesota.

PreviousIs Indiana better than men’s basketball results

Oregon –Indiana 7-2.

Rutgers –Indiana 7-2.

Maryland –Indiana 6-3.

USC –Indiana 6-3.

Penn State – Indiana 5-4.