ROSEMONT, Ill. — Big Ten Media Days are annual gatherings to posit the burning maybes and ifs of an upcoming season, and the Gophers men’s basketball program has one of the biggest hypotheticals in the conference.

What if Cade Tyson — who has enrolled in school, is practicing with the team and is itching to play — will actually be eligible for Minnesota this season?

The company line for head coach Niko Medved is this: Regardless of what happens, it’s already a win-win.

If Tyson is deemed eligible, Minnesota regains last year’s leading scorer (19.6 points per game) and the preseason pick for the U to finish 13th in the Big Ten looks too low. If the 6-foot-7 forward can’t play, the U will benefit from him being on the scout team in practice.

“Cade is going to make us better no matter what,” the Gophers’ head coach said Thursday in the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. “I hope for him he’s eligible. And clearly, if he’s eligible to play and we are able to work him in, he will make our team better.

“But if he’s not able to play, he’s with us every day in practice. He still makes our team better.”

An eligible Tyson would be rocket fuel for the Gophers’ goal of making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019.

“It would definitely help in a lot of aspects,” senior forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson said Thursday. “He was one of our leaders last year, great shot-maker, great human being off the court. He is going to hold everybody accountable. He has great words of wisdom. If he senses something wrong, he’s going to bring you to the side and ask if you’re good.”

Tyson, the Gophers and their fans will learn more about his status next week.

Tyson and the rest of his certified class in the federal antitrust case Wisne v. NCAA will have a special session hearing Tuesday in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. It’s unclear whether the three-judge panel will make a bench ruling in the case that day, but it’s expected a decision will be expedited.

A person involved in Tyson’s legal representation told the Pioneer Press their side has “guarded optimism” the panel will agree with Judge Charlotte Sweeney’s decision in early August to grant a preliminary injunction that initially allowed these players in the class of 2022 to have a fifth year of eligibility this academic year.

In late August, the NCAA received a stay to that injunction. The NCAA is fighting to have its new eligibility rule of five years to play five seasons start now and not be retroactive for seniors such as Tyson.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti was asked Thursday if the NCAA failed players in the Class of 2022.

“If student-athletes go to court and establish their eligibility, we respect that,” Petitti said. “… I think it’s hindsight to say it should have been rolled out differently. You can get a lot of opinions about that.

“But for student-athletes that are willing to come back and they feel the legal avenue is the best way. We have a number of those student-athletes currently in the Big Ten or about to start their season. We support that.”

“I think it’s a difference, though,” he added, “if you cross the line and become a professional.”

After playing his fourth collegiate season for the Gophers last year, Tyson was with the Golden State Warriors during the NBA Summer League. But Tyson did not sign a contract, so he didn’t cross into a professional status.

The Gophers will host a closed scrimmage against Drake on Saturday at Williams Arena, and Tyson will not be a part of it. Minnesota then has exhibitions against Omaha (Oct. 15) and at Creighton (Oct. 23).

Medved said Tyson’s maturity was taken into account when the U decided to try and bring him back.

“I was honest with him when we did it,” Medved said. “I wouldn’t have done that with a lot of guys, but Cade is such a great person and teammate and has so much respect from everybody.”

Medved knows the possibility of adding a player such as Tyson in this way could be disruptive to the cohesion of a team.

“Every one of these guys, if you want to play professional basketball, that is going to be your life every day,” Medved said. “Learning how to deal with that emotionally and how you approach every day is something you are going to have to do the rest of your career.”

Freshman wing Nolen Anderson is one of the players who could see less playing time with the potential addition of Tyson.

“He’s been great. He’s super smart, has the experience, knows what he’s doing out there,” Anderson said of Tyson at the U’s media day on Oct. 1. “It’s been great to have him around and learning from him and asking questions. You can tell he’s a very poised player.

“If we have him, that’s amazing. He’s a 19-point-per-game scorer; we want that. We are just looking forward to the season. We have a deep team. We are just hoping to have him.”