The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher women's basketball season is over after losing to UCLA on Friday in the Sweet 16 - but already all eyes are on next year for what appears to be a program on the rise.
The memories of the season will live on with the incredible crowds at Williams arena.
"It was like a sonic loud. There was like a boom when Amaya hit that shot. It was incredible."
That, said Gophers Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit, is her lasting memory of this season, not the loss to UCLA which was tough. But she says her players are strong and many will return, even joining new other talented players.
"It used to be there was a cycle," she says. "Each team, they have some young kids and then you try to get to the point where those young kids become more veteran. They're learning from veterans along the way. But now so many teams are veteran because of what's going on within the college scene right now."
What is going on is a constant cycle of change, with players switching teams year-after-year thanks to open transfer rules and more money coming to players with name-image-likeness deals.
But, Plitzuweit is convinced that a lot of the players are returning next year for a Gopher team that had their deepest finish in the NCAA's since 2005, and ended with a 24-9 record.
"This year's team for us is a very veteran team, but three years ago when we began this process, we were the youngest team in the Big 10," Plitzuweit explains. "And so, trying to get to the point where obviously we have the balance between the both. And I think next year, we're hoping to get to that point."
And there is no shame in losing to UCLA, a team that is now 34-1, and with an unbeaten 18-0 Big Ten record. It's a team that is heading back to the Final Four against either Texas or Michigan (who play Monday night at 6:00 p.m.), and are probably the nation's second best team after unbeaten UConn.
The Gophers do lose some big time talent, however. Amaya Battle and Sophie Hart will depart. Brylee Glenn and Finau Tonga are also out of eligibility. But sophomore Tori McKinney returns, and sharpshooter Mara Braun has another year of eligibility.
Plutzeweit is also adding a highly-touted group of four recruits to the mix. Their class is ranked No. 19 nationally by ESPN, and is highlighted by Natalie Kussow and Tori Oehrlein, along with Kylee Paben, and Adit Kuol.
Kussow is the top-ranked recruit from Wisconsin, and is rated No. 23 nationally by 247Sports and No. 40 by ESPN. She joins Crosby-Ironton, Minnesota standout Oehrlein, the state's number-two ranked recruit. Oehrlein is ranked no. 38 nationally by 247Sports, and No. 58 by ESPN.
All of this points to what would, hopefully, be a repeat performance from the Gophers heading into 2026-27, and a bright future for the ladies in Dinkytown.
