Gophers Coaches Show: Ben Johnson talks loss at Iowa, previews Nebraska

MINNEAPOLIS - The Gophers Coaches Show continues on Fox 9 and this week, we’re catching up with University of Minnesota men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson.

After a 10-1 start, Johnson and the Gophers are finding life in the Big Ten difficult. Minnesota lost its fourth straight, eighth of nine and fell to 11-9 on the season after a 71-59 loss to Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday. The Gophers are now 2-9 in Big Ten play with nine regular season games left before the conference tournament.

Minnesota’s last four games have been against top-20 teams in Purdue, Wisconsin and Ohio State, and Sunday's game in Iowa City. It's been tough sledding for the Gophers in the Big Ten in Johnson's inaugural season as head coach.

"This league is really good," Johnson said.

Johnson joined Fox 9 Sports Reporter Pierre Noujaim, and Gophers’ women’s basketball play-by-play man Justin Gaard to talk about Sunday’s loss at Iowa. The Gophers led 38-34 at half and led by as many as seven in the second half before the Hawkeyes turned up the defensive intensity and went on a 19-4 scoring run to take the lead.

The crew also previews Wednesday night’s game at Nebraska, which is 0-12 in Big Ten play this season, and talks about the emergence of E.J. Stephens, a graduate transfer from Lafayette.

Watch the video for this week’s full episode of the Gophers’ Coaches Show!