timesargus
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota women's basketball program will be without its top offensive threat for the entire 2026-27 campaign. Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit confirmed on Monday that star guard Tori McKinney suffered a season-ending knee injury during a practice session last week.
McKinney, a 6-foot-1 native of the Twin Cities area who is entering her third year with the Gophers, paced the team in scoring last season at 12.7 points per game and also recorded a team-high 57 steals. Her performance earned her second-team All-Big Ten honors from the conference's coaches and a third-team nod from the media.
Beyond her scoring and defensive contributions, McKinney etched her name into the program's record books by setting the all-time single-season mark for assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.2. She played her high school basketball at Minnetonka High School and was one of three returning starters from a Minnesota squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005.
The Gophers finished the 2025-26 season ranked 15th in the final Associated Press poll. The preseason edition for the upcoming 2026-27 season is scheduled for release on Tuesday.
Minnesota will open its regular season on Nov. 2 against Harvard.
Key Analysis
McKinney's absence leaves a significant void in Minnesota's backcourt, removing a proven scorer, playmaker, and defensive disruptor from a team that had high expectations following its Sweet 16 run. Her leadership and efficiency will be difficult to replace, and the Gophers will need to rely on their remaining returners and newcomers to fill the gap as they prepare for a challenging schedule.
Originally reported by timesargus.