Why Ben Johnson says Gophers should be proud of 7-12 Big Ten record
Ben Johnson wants Gophers to be proud of Big Ten season
Gophers' men's basketball coach Ben Johnson had some interesting things to say after their 74-67 loss to No. 12 Wisconsin Wednesday night. He said the Gophers weren't expected to win 7 league games this year, and were not expected to make the Big Ten Tournament.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Ben Johnson had some interesting things to say after the University of Minnesota men’s basketball team lost to No. 12-ranked Wisconsin Wednesday night at Williams Arena.
The Gophers fell to 15-15 on the season, and 7-12 in Big Ten play. They have one regular season game left, at Rutgers on Sunday, before the Big Ten Tournament. The Gophers were picked to finish last in the 18-team Big Ten before the season. They’re currently in a five-way tie for 11th place.
The bottom three teams in the league at the end of the season do not advance to Big Ten Tournament, which determines the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Gophers have already locked up a spot in the league tournament.
"We don’t want it to end. For this group if that is true, there’s a lot of people that did not think they were going to be in the Big Ten Tournament, period. They can say that they did, but they did not," Johnson said. "There was a lot of people that did not think we would win seven games with a chance to win eight. Last year we won nine. If I would’ve told people we had a chance to win eight, they would’ve laughed at me and called me crazy. I want our guys to take a ton of pride in that."
"I just know we ain’t going to go out salty," Lu’Cye Patterson said.
The bizarre stat
By the numbers:
This year has been as strange as it has been frustrating for those who follow the program. Here’s the most bizarre stat of the season: The Gophers have five true road wins (Iowa, Penn State, USC, UCLA, Nebraska). For the second time in the Johnson era, they had nine home losses. The Gophers went 10-9 at Williams Arena.
The Barn did not offer a home court advantage this season. Johnson and the Gophers went 6-11 at Williams Arena in his seconds season, which ended with a 9-22 record.
Free throws the difference
Why you should care:
The Gophers lost to the Badgers 74-67 Wednesday night, and one of the key differences was at the free-throw line. The Badgers, with five Minnesotans on the roster, shot 21-of-24. The Gophers were just 8-of-15, and have been one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the league most of the season.
Decision time for Coyle?
What we know:
Johnson is under contract with the Gophers through the 2026-27 season. Johnson is 56-69 in three-plus seasons at Minnesota. That includes a 22-56 mark in the Big Ten. Mark Coyle has a decision to make after this season. Does he give Johnson more resources to improve the program? Or does he spend the near $3 million to buy out Johnson’s contract, and find a new coach for the program?
Johnson has gotten wins over ranked teams (Oregon and Michigan) that were thought to be program-changing. He’s also lost to Washington and Penn State at home, when they were last in the league.
If Johnson stays, his seat will be warm at a minimum next year.