Minnesota women's basketball took a hard hit 2 weeks before the opener. The team announced Monday that junior guard Tori McKinney is out for the season with a knee injury she suffered in practice last week.
It's hard to overstate what the Gophers are losing. The Minnetonka native led Minnesota in scoring in 2025-26 at 12.7 points per game, along with 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.0 steals, and she started all 29 games she played. She has averaged more than 10 points a game in each of her 2 seasons. That team won 24 games and reached the NCAA Sweet 16, the program's first trip to that round since 2005.
McKinney was one of the headliners when the core of that team said it was staying together. She and Grace Grocholski announced their returns through Dinkytown Athletes, the program's NIL collective, and 5 more players did the same. Grocholski, who averaged 12.1 points and shot 42.4% from 3 last year, is still on the roster, and she'll probably take on an even bigger scoring role now.
Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit pointed to McKinney's growth as a player and as a vocal leader over the past 2 years. "We are heartbroken for Tori, but we know she will attack her rehabilitation with the same enthusiasm, determination, and relentless effort that she plays with," Plitzuweit said. "Tori will not face this challenge alone; Her teammates, coaches, and our medical staff will be there providing support and encouragement every step of the way."
The team didn't say what the injury was or whether McKinney will need surgery. With the season opener against Harvard on Nov. 2, Plitzuweit has about 2 weeks to work out who replaces a starter who was in the lineup every game she played last year.
