A couple of additional thoughts. These polls and projections were made before the Gophers lost Gadiva. Her loss should have a negative impact, unless some of her teammates can step it up. (i.e.--Brunson, Staples, Bello.) Although the Gophers might be able to replace the scoring, it's going to be difficult to replace all the things she did last year. And we also have to remember that the Gophers will have to replace Wagner's offense and some of the rebounding that she did.
On a more positive note, Maryland and Iowa are the two teams picked to finish above the Gophers in the BIG. Last year, the Gophers played Maryland once and blew them out at Williams. The Gophers played the Hawkeyes three times and won twice. That's a cause for optimism.