Minnesota loses Tori McKinney for the season after practice knee injury

Minnesota guard Tori McKinney will miss the 2026-27 season after suffering a knee injury in practice, coach Dawn Plitzuweit announced Monday. The school said the injury occurred last week and was confirmed to be season-ending.

The announcement did not name the specific injury or announce surgery. Plitzuweit said McKinney would have support from her teammates, coaches and the medical staff during rehabilitation, and spoke of bringing her back next season.

McKinney had been expected to help lead a Minnesota team coming off a Sweet 16 appearance. The junior averaged a team-high 12.7 points last season, according to The Daily Gopher's Andy York, and finished with 75 assists against 34 turnovers. Her 2.20 assist-to-turnover ratio set a Minnesota single-season record.

That combination of scoring and ball security gives the Gophers two jobs to replace. It also changes the opportunities for players who were preparing to work alongside McKinney. York identified freshmen Tori Oehrlein and Natalie Kussow as candidates for substantial roles, with returning guards also competing for more minutes. Minnesota has not named a replacement starter in its injury announcement.

McKinney had taken on more responsibility earlier in her college career when Mara Braun missed most of the 2024-25 season with a foot injury. Now Minnesota must work through another preseason loss without one of its established guards.

The Gophers open their regular season against Harvard on November 2.