Parker Fox gets emotional after Gophers upset No. 15 Oregon

The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team upset No. 15-ranked Oregon 77-69 on Saturday, and it was capped by a court storm at Williams Arena.

There might not have been two happier Gophers than Dawson Garcia and Parker Fox. Garcia scored a season-high 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting, but the charge he took with a little more than a minute to play won the game. Garcia sealed it with a dunk in the final seconds.

Fox might have had his best game of the season, with 13 points and 11 rebounds, including a reverse dunk in the second half. The two embraced as fans stormed the court, and Fox got emotional post game talking about Garcia.

"I’m proud to call him my brother. I get emotional about it because I’m so proud of him. Just what he’s done for this university and done for me, he’s the reason why I came back. Coming back to play for Minnesota is special, but I get to play with this guy and that means a lot to me," Fox said. "I’ve got a brother for the rest of my life."

Fox is in his eighth college season, and has survived two major knee injuries. Garcia’s story is well-chronicled, going to Marquette after being a McDonald’s All-American at Prior Lake. He spent one season at North Carolina before coming home to Minnesota.

They’ve won three straight games after an 0-6 start to Big Ten play. Saturday’s was arguably the biggest in Ben Johnson’s tenure.

Season saved just in time?

Why it matters: Ben Johnson didn’t have any wins over ranked teams in three-plus seasons with the Gophers. He now has two in a nine-day span, with wins over Michigan and Oregon. They have a chance for another one at Michigan State Tuesday night.

Johnson could see the progress in his team despite an 0-6 start to league play, even if nobody outside the program could.

"When you see it every day, you know and you can feel it. I’m sure people thought I was crazy when I said we were getting better, even though there weren’t the results. I’m sure people were calling me an idiot, but I knew it because I’m here every day," Johnson said. "If they could survive that and keep their confidence, days like this were coming."

The schedule

What’s next: The Gophers are at Big Ten leader Michigan State Tuesday night, then host Washington on Saturday. Their remaining home games after Washington are Illinois, Penn State, Northwestern and Wisconsin.

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