2020–21 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
The 2020–21 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gophers were led by eighth-year head coach Richard Pitino and played their home games at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Gophers finished the season 14–15, 6–14 in Big Ten play to finish in 13th place. They defeated Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten tournament before losing to Ohio State in the second round.
2020–21 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball | |
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Conference | Big Ten Conference |
Record | 14–15 (6–14 Big Ten) |
Head coach |
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Assistant coaches |
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Home arena | Williams Arena |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 4 Michigan | 14 | – | 3 | .824 | 23 | – | 5 | .821 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 2 Illinois † | 16 | – | 4 | .800 | 24 | – | 7 | .774 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 8 Iowa | 14 | – | 6 | .700 | 22 | – | 9 | .710 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 20 Purdue | 13 | – | 6 | .684 | 18 | – | 10 | .643 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 7 Ohio State | 12 | – | 8 | .600 | 21 | – | 10 | .677 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wisconsin | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | 18 | – | 13 | .581 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rutgers | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | 16 | – | 12 | .571 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maryland | 9 | – | 11 | .450 | 17 | – | 14 | .548 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michigan State | 9 | – | 11 | .450 | 15 | – | 13 | .536 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indiana | 7 | – | 12 | .368 | 12 | – | 15 | .444 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Penn State | 7 | – | 12 | .368 | 11 | – | 14 | .440 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northwestern | 6 | – | 13 | .316 | 9 | – | 15 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minnesota | 6 | – | 14 | .300 | 14 | – | 15 | .483 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nebraska | 3 | – | 16 | .158 | 7 | – | 20 | .259 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
Following the season, the school fired Richard Pitino after eight years at the school.[1] On March 23, 2021, the school named Minnesota alum and former Minnesota assistant coach Ben Johnson the new head coach.[2]
Previous season
The Gophers finished the 2019–20 season 15–16, 8–12 in Big Ten play to finish in 12th place. The Gophers defeated Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten tournament[3] before the tournament was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[4] All other postseason tournaments including the NCAA tournament were later canceled effectively ending the season.[5][6]
Offseason
Departures
Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
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Payton Willis | 0 | G | 6'4" | 200 | RS Junior | Fayetteville, AR | Transferred to College of Charleston |
Bryan Greenlee | 3 | G | 6'0" | 175 | Freshman | Gainesville, FL | Transferred to Florida Atlantic |
Brady Rudrud | 10 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Senior | Eden Prairie, MN | Graduated, walk-on |
Daniel Oturu | 25 | C | 6'10" | 225 | Sophomore | Woodbury, MN | Declared for NBA Draft[7] |
Alihan Demir | 30 | F | 6'9" | 235 | Senior | Ankara, Turkey | Graduated |
Michael Hurt | 42 | F | 6'7" | 220 | Senior | Rochester, MN | Graduated |
Incoming transfers
Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brandon Johnson | F | 6'8" | 200 | Senior | Chicago, IL | Western Michigan |
Liam Robbins | C | 7'0" | 235 | Junior | Davenport, IA | Drake |
Both Gach[8] | G | 6'6" | 183 | Junior | Austin, MN | Utah |
2020 recruiting class
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Martice Mitchell PF |
Chicago Heights, Illinois | Bloom High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 7, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 | ||||||
Jamal Mashburn Jr. CG |
Miami, Florida | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Oct 14, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 | ||||||
David Mutaf CG |
Istanbul, Turkey | Fenerbahce Basketball Subesi | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | May 24, 2020 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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2021 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits | ||||||
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Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
Treyton Thompson PF |
Alexandria, Minnesota | La Lumiere School | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Nov 30, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
2020–21 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
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Regular season | |||||||||||
November 25, 2020* 6:00 p.m., BTN Plus |
Green Bay | W 99–69 | 1–0 |
35 – Carr | 9 – Robbins | 4 – Tied | Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
November 28, 2020* 5:00 p.m., BTN |
Loyola Marymount | W 88–73 | 2–0 |
28 – Carr | 8 – Robbins | 8 – Carr | Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
November 30, 2020* 7:00 p.m., BTN |
Loyola Marymount | W 67–64 | 3–0 |
26 – Carr | 7 – Carr | 4 – Gach | Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
December 4, 2020* 8:00 p.m., BTN |
North Dakota | W 76–67 | 4–0 |
21 – Gach | 9 – Gach | 9 – Carr | Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
December 8, 2020* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU |
Boston College ACC–Big Ten Challenge |
W 85–80 OT | 5–0 |
22 – Carr | 9 – Gach | 6 – Carr | Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
December 10, 2020* 7:00 p.m., FS1 |
Kansas City | W 90–61 | 6–0 |
27 – Robbins | 11 – Ihnen | 7 – Carr | Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
December 15, 2020 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at No. 13 Illinois | L 65–92 | 6–1 (0–1) |
16 – Carr | 8 – Johnson | 4 – Carr | State Farm Center (173) Champaign, IL | ||||
December 20, 2020* 7:30 p.m., FS1 |
Saint Louis | W 90–82 | 7–1 |
32 – Carr | 10 – Ihnen | 7 – Carr | Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
December 25, 2020 7:00 p.m., BTN |
No. 4 Iowa | W 102–95 OT | 8–1 (1–1) |
30 – Carr | 9 – Johnson | 8 – Carr | Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
December 28, 2020 7:00 p.m., BTN |
No. 21 | No. 17 Michigan State | W 81–56 | 9–1 (2–1) |
19 – Carr | 9 – Tied | 5 – Carr | Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN | |||
December 31, 2020 3:30 p.m., BTN |
No. 21 | at No. 6 Wisconsin | L 59–71 | 9–2 (2–2) |
15 – Kalscheur | 9 – Tied | 7 – Carr | Kohl Center (0) Madison, WI | |||
January 3, 2021 4:30 p.m., BTN |
No. 21 | No. 25 Ohio State | W 77–60 | 10–2 (3–2) |
27 – Robbins | 14 – Robbins | 4 – Robbins | Williams Arena (0) Minneapolis, MN | |||
January 6, 2021 7:30 p.m., BTN |
No. 16 | at No. 10 Michigan | L 57–82 | 10–3 (3–3) |
14 – Carr | 6 – Johnson | 2 – Tied | Crisler Center (64) Ann Arbor, MI | |||
January 10, 2021 1:30 p.m., BTN |
No. 16 | at No. 5 Iowa | L 71–86 | 10–4 (3–4) |
13 – Tied | 8 – Johnson | 4 – Carr | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (569) Iowa City, IA | |||
January 16, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 23 | No. 7 Michigan | W 75–57 | 11–4 (4–4) |
22 – Robbins | 8 – Robbins | 6 – Carr | Williams Arena (38) Minneapolis, MN | |||
January 23, 2021 1:00 p.m., BTN |
No. 17 | Maryland | L 49–63 | 11–5 (4–5) |
25 – Carr | 10 – Johnson | 3 – Tied | Williams Arena (44) Minneapolis, MN | |||
January 30, 2021 6:30 p.m., BTN |
No. 21 | at Purdue | L 62–81 | 11–6 (4–6) |
15 – Robbins | 7 – Robbins | 5 – Carr | Mackey Arena (250) West Lafayette, IN | |||
February 4, 2021 8:00 p.m., FS1 |
at Rutgers | L 72–76 | 11–7 (4–7) |
18 – Carr | 10 – Robbins | 7 – Carr | Louis Brown Athletic Center (0) Piscataway, NJ | ||||
February 8, 2021 7:00 p.m., BTN |
Nebraska | W 79–61 | 12–7 (5–7) |
21 – Carr | 10 – Johnson | 8 – Carr | Williams Arena (29) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
February 11, 2021 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 24 Purdue | W 71–68 | 13–7 (6–7) |
19 – Carr | 10 – Robbins | 5 – Carr | Williams Arena (44) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
February 14, 2021 6:00 p.m., FS1 |
at Maryland | L 59–72 | 13–8 (6–8) |
14 – Mashburn Jr. | 7 – Ihnen | 3 – Mashburn Jr. | Xfinity Center (0) College Park, MD | ||||
February 17, 2021 8:00 p.m., BTN |
at Indiana | L 72–82 | 13–9 (6–9) |
19 – Tied | 7 – Johnson | 4 – Carr | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (0) Bloomington, IN | ||||
February 20, 2021 2:30 p.m., FOX |
No. 5 Illinois | L 63-94 | 13–10 (6–10) |
16 – Mashburn Jr. | 6 – Mashburn Jr. | 4 – Robbins | Williams Arena (56) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
February 25, 2021 8:00 p.m., BTN |
Northwestern | L 59–67 | 13–11 (6–11) |
21 – Carr | 8 – Curry | 7 – Carr | Williams Arena (23) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
February 27, 2021 6:00 p.m., BTN |
at Nebraska | L 74-78 | 13-12 (6-12) |
41 – Carr | 8 – Curry | 3 – Carr | Pinnacle Bank Arena (0) Lincoln, NE | ||||
March 3, 2021 6:00 p.m., BTN |
at Penn State | L 65–84 | 13–13 (6–13) |
22 – Carr | 10 – Ihnen | 4 – Carr | Bryce Jordan Center (258) University Park, PA | ||||
March 6, 2021 11:00 a.m., FOX |
Rutgers | L 70–77 OT | 13–14 (6–14) |
19 – Johnson | 11 – Johnson | 3 – Gach | Williams Arena (52) Minneapolis, MN | ||||
Big Ten tournament | |||||||||||
March 10, 2021 5:30 p.m., BTN |
(13) | vs. (12) Northwestern First round |
W 51–46 | 14–14 |
14 – Williams | 12 – Curry | 6 – Carr | Lucas Oil Stadium (5,909) Indianapolis, IN | |||
March 11, 2021 1:00 p.m., BTN |
(13) | vs. (5) No. 9 Ohio State Second round |
L 75–79 | 14–15 |
24 – Carr | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Lucas Oil Stadium (6,206) Indianapolis, IN | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |
Rankings
Week | ||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
AP | — | — | — | RV | RV | 21т | 16 | 23 | 17 | 21 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
Coaches | — | — | — | — | RV | 24т | 17 | 19 | 17 | 20 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.
References
- "Minnesota fires coach Richard Pitino after eight seasons leading Gophers basketball program". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- "Ben Johnson named Gophers men's basketball coach". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- "Northwestern vs. Minnesota - Game Recap - March 11, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- Solari, Chris. "March Madness cancellation inevitable, unavoidable: 'Bigger than basketball'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- Almasy, Steve. "The NCAA is canceling March Madness". CNN. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- "Gophers sophomore Daniel Oturu declares for NBA draft". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- "Utah's Gach headed home, transfers to Minnesota". ESPN.com. June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.