In just two days, the water cooler talk about Gophers men's basketball switched from promise to peril.
Royce White, the Gophers' top freshman, was arrested for shoplifting and fifth-degree assault two weeks ago. Coach Tubby Smith, whose team opens its exhibition season tonight, said Tuesday that he suspended White and senior Devron Bostick for unspecified rules violations.
Athletic director Joel Maturi announced Monday that Trevor Mbakwe won't play until his felony assault charge is resolved.
Mbakwe and White were expected to give the Gophers immediate help in the post, where the team has had inconsistent production under Smith. Now it's unclear what role the two talents will play this season.
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"It's a different anticipation than what you had, what you were saying there two weeks ago," said booster Paul Presthus, a team captain in the 1960s. "I think the [national preseason] rankings that we got considered the presence of all the players that were there initially."
It's an unfortunate fact that some of the program's supporters have come to expect and anticipate problems. While the team's greatest black eye was the academic scandal of the late 1990s, the university has dealt with the backlash of repeated NCAA violations, academic woes and criminal problems since the arrival of Bill Musselman in 1971.
Musselman committed more than 100 NCAA violations during his four-year tenure and was courtside at Williams Arena during an infamous 1972 brawl against Ohio State. The 1977 Gophers, despite going 24-3, were ineligible for postseason play, a result of Musselman's infractions.
Under Jim Dutcher, three Minnesota players, including Mitch Lee, were dismissed from the team following a sexual assault accusation during a 1986 road trip to Wisconsin. Dutcher left the school, citing unfairness for the way the players -- who were ultimately acquitted -- were treated by the university.