2021–22 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gophers were led by first-year head coach Ben Johnson and played their home games at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 13–17, 4–16 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for last place. As the No. 14 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost to Penn State in the first round.

2021–22 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record13–17 (4–16 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Dave Thorson (1st season)
  • Jason Kemp (1st season)
  • Marcus Jenkins (1st season)
Home arenaWilliams Arena
Seasons
2021–22 Big Ten Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Illinois 15 5   .750 23 10   .697
No. 14 Wisconsin 15 5   .750 25 8   .758
No. 10 Purdue 14 6   .700 29 8   .784
Rutgers 12 8   .600 18 14   .563
No. 16 Iowa 12 8   .600 26 10   .722
Ohio State 12 8   .600 20 12   .625
Michigan State 11 9   .550 23 13   .639
Michigan 11 9   .550 19 15   .559
Indiana 9 11   .450 21 14   .600
Maryland 7 13   .350 15 17   .469
Penn State 7 13   .350 14 17   .452
Northwestern 7 13   .350 15 16   .484
Nebraska 4 16   .200 10 22   .313
Minnesota 4 16   .200 13 17   .433
Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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In a season that was restricted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Gophers concluded the 2020–21 season with a record of 14-15, including a 6-14 performance in Big Ten play that landed them in 13th place. They managed to secure a victory against Northwestern in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament, but unfortunately suffered a defeat at the hands of Ohio State in the subsequent round.

After the conclusion of the season, the school made the decision to terminate the employment of head coach Richard Pitino following his tenure of eight years at the institution. On March 23, 2021, the school officially announced the appointment of Minnesota alumni and former assistant coach Ben Johnson as the new head coach.[1] On March 23, 2021, the school named Minnesota alum and former Minnesota assistant coach Ben Johnson the new head coach.[2]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Liam Robbins 0 C 7'0" 235 Junior Davenport, IA Transferred to Vanderbilt
Tre' Williams 1 G 6'5" 195 Sophomore Dallas, TX Transferred to Oregon State
Martice Mitchell 2 F 6'10" 190 Freshman Chicago, IL Transferred to Northern Illinois
Jamal Mashburn Jr. 4 G 6'2" 175 Freshman Miami, FL Transferred to New Mexico
Marcus Carr 5 G 6'2" 195 RS Junior Toronto, ON Graduate transferred to Texas
Both Gach 11 G 6'6" 185 Junior Austin, MN Transferred to Utah
Hunt Conroy 13 G 5'10" 165 Senior New Orleans, LA Walk-on; graduated
Jarvis Omersa 21 F 6'6" 235 Junior Orono, MN Transferred to St. Thomas
Gabe Kalscheur 22 G 6'4" 200 Junior Edina, MN Transferred to Iowa State
Brandon Johnson 23 F 6'8" 220 RS Senior Chicago, IL Graduate transferred to DePaul
Sam Freeman 32 C 6'10" 240 Sophomore Dallas, TX Transferred to Pacific

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Payton Willis 0 G 6'4" 200 Graduate Student Fayetteville, AR College of Charleston
Abdoulaye Thiam 2 G 6'3" 180 Sophomore Orlando, FL Indian River State College
Joey Kern 3 G 6'1" 170 Graduate Student Norwalk, IA Johns Hopkins
Jamison Battle 10 F 6'7" 225 Junior Robbinsdale, MN George Washington
Luke Loewe 12 G 6'4' 185 Graduate Student Fond du Lac, WI William & Mary
Charlie Daniels 15 F 6'9" 230 Graduate Student Jacksonville, FL Stephen F. Austin
Eylijah Stephens 20 G 6'3" 175 Graduate Student Plantation, FL Lafayette
Danny Ogele 22 F 6'7" 220 Graduate Student Chicago, IL Mercyhurst
Parker Fox 23 F 6'8" 210 RS Senior Mahtomedi, MN Northern State
Sean Sutherlin 24 G 6'5" 200 RS Senior New Brighton, MN New Hampshire
Will Ramberg 25 G 6'5" 195 Junior Grand Marais, MN McGill

Recruiting classes

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2021 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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: Rivals:    247Sports: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2022 Recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Braeden Carrington
SG
Brooklyn Park, MN Park Center High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Aug 4, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Pharrel Payne
PF
Cottage Grove, MN Park Senior High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Aug 22, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Joshua Ola-Joseph
SF
Osseo, MN Osseo Senior High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Aug 30, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

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2021–22 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Payton Willis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) GS Fayetteville
College of Charleston
Fayetteville, AR
F 1 Eric Curry (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Southwest Christian Academy Memphis, TN
G 2 Abdoulaye Thiam 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Dr. Phillips
Indian River State College
Orlando, FL
G 3 Joey Kern (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) GS Dowling Catholic
Johns Hopkins
Norwalk, IA
F 5 Isaiah Ihnen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr IBA Munich Böblingen, Germany
F 10 Jamison Battle 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So DeLaSalle High School
George Washington
Robbinsdale, MN
G 11 Jackson Purcell (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Eastview Apple Valley, MN
G 12 Luke Loewe 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) GS Fond du Lac
William & Mary
Fond du Lac, WI
F/C 15 Charlie Daniels 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS The Potter's House Christian Academy
Stephen F. Austin
Jacksonville, FL
G 20 Eylijah Stephens 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS St. Thomas Aquinas
Lafayette
Plantation, FL
F 22 Danny Ogele 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) GS St. Ignatius College Prep
Mercyhurst
Chicago, IL
F 23 Parker Fox 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Mahtomedi
Northern State
Mahtomedi, MN
G 24 Sean Sutherlin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Sr Irondale HS
New Hampshire
New Brighton, MN
G 25 Will Ramberg 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So DeLaSalle High School
McGill
Grand Marais, MN
C 42 Treyton Thompson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr La Lumiere School Glenwood, MN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN+
Concordia–St. Paul W 80–67 
 24   Battle   8   Battle   5   Willis  Williams Arena (9,470)
Minneapolis, MN
Regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN+
Kansas City W 71–56  1–0
 18  Battle   7  Curry   6  Willis  Williams Arena (8,975)
Minneapolis, MN
November 12, 2021*
5:30 p.m., ESPNU
vs. Western Kentucky
Asheville Championship semifinals
W 73–69  2–0
 20  Battle   7  Curry   5  Loewe  Harrah's Cherokee Center 
Asheville, NC
November 14, 2021*
6:30 p.m., ESPN2
vs. Princeton
Asheville Championship final
W 87–80 2OT 3–0
 29  Willis   11  Battle   2  Tied  Harrah's Cherokee Center 
Asheville, NC
November 19, 2021*
6:00 p.m., BTN+
Purdue Fort Wayne W 78–49  4–0
 19  Sutherlin   7  Sutherlin   5  Tied  Williams Arena (9,451)
Minneapolis, MN
November 24, 2021*
8:00 p.m., BTN
Jacksonville W 55–44  5–0
 17  Willis   8  Curry   3  Tied  Williams Arena (9,250)
Minneapolis, MN
November 30, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Pittsburgh
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
W 54–53  6–0
 16  Battle   7  Battle   3  Tied  Petersen Events Center (7,736)
Pittsburgh, PA
December 5, 2021*
1:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Mississippi State W 81–76  7–0
 24  Willis   5  Tied   7  Willis  Humphrey Coliseum (6,965)
Starkville, MS
December 8, 2021
8:00 p.m., BTN
No. 19 Michigan State L 67–75  7–1
(0–1)
 18  Curry   8  Battle   5  Willis  Williams Arena (11,178)
Minneapolis, MN
December 11, 2021
5:30 p.m., FS1
at Michigan W 75–65  8–1
(1–1)
 27  Battle   7  Battle   1  Tied  Crisler Center (12,461)
Ann Arbor, MI
December 14, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi W 79–71  9–1
 17  Willis   12  Curry   5  Loewe  Williams Arena (9,001)
Minneapolis, MN
December 22, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN
Green Bay W 72–56  10–1
 23  Battle   10  Curry   10  Willis  Williams Arena (10,302)
Minneapolis, MN
December 29, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN+
Alcorn State Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Alcorn State Williams Arena 
Minneapolis, MN
January 4, 2022
6:00 p.m., FS1
Illinois L 53–76  10–2
(1–2)
 10  Tied   5  Tied   4  Stephens  Williams Arena (10,112)
Minneapolis, MN
January 9, 2022
11:00 a.m., BTN
at Indiana L 60–73  10–3
(1–3)
 19  Battle   8  Curry   4  Loewe  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
January 12, 2022
6:00 p.m., BTN
at No. 10 Michigan State L 69–71  10–4
(1–4)
 19  Curry   7  Tied   4  Stephens  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
January 16, 2022
1:00 p.m., BTN
Iowa L 71–81  10–5
(1–5)
 22  Stephens   8  Battle   4  Willis  Williams Arena (10,925)
Minneapolis, MN
January 22, 2022
11:00 a.m., BTN
Rutgers W 68–65  11–5
(2–5)
 32  Willis   6  Tied   7  Willis  Williams Arena (10,794)
Minneapolis, MN
January 27, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 16 Ohio State L 64–75  11–6
(2–6)
 15  Battle   6  Battle   7  Willis  Williams Arena (10,179)
Minneapolis, MN
January 30, 2022
12:00 p.m., BTN
at No. 11 Wisconsin L 60–66  11–7
(2–7)
 17  Willis   10  Battle   2  Willis  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
February 2, 2022
6:00 p.m., BTN
No. 4 Purdue L 73–88  11–8
(2–8)
 24  Willis   5  Willis   10  Willis  Williams Arena (9,975)
Minneapolis, MN
February 6, 2022
3:30 p.m., BTN
at Iowa L 59–71  11–9
(2–9)
 19  Loewe   8  Willis   3  Tied  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,558)
Iowa City, IA
February 9, 2022
8:00 p.m., BTN
at Nebraska L 65–78  11–10
(2–10)
 21  Battle   10  Battle   6  Willis  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,303)
Lincoln, NE
February 12, 2022
7:30 p.m., BTN
Penn State W 76–70  12–10
(3–10)
 22  Curry   6  Willis   10  Willis  Williams Arena (9,948)
Minneapolis, MN
February 15, 2022
7:30 p.m., BTN
at No. 18 Ohio State L 45–70  12–11
(3–11)
 12  Loewe   7  Willis   3  Curry  Value City Arena (12,360)
Columbus, OH
February 17, 2022
7:30 p.m., BTN
at Penn State
Rescheduled from January 19
L 46–67  12–12
(3–12)
 16  Battle   7  Sutherlin   2  Tied  Bryce Jordan Center (7,726)
University Park, PA
February 19, 2022
3:00 p.m., BTN
Northwestern W 77–60  13–12
(4–12)
 24  Loewe   14  Battle   7  Loewe  Williams Arena (10,570)
Minneapolis, MN
February 23, 2022
8:00 p.m., BTN
No. 13 Wisconsin L 67–68  13–13
(4–13)
 17  Battle   5  Curry   6  Willis  Williams Arena (11,761)
Minneapolis, MN
February 27, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN2
Indiana L 79–84  13–14
(4–14)
 28  Willis   7  Tied   7  Willis  Williams Arena (11,585)
Minneapolis, MN
March 2, 2022
8:00 p.m., BTN
at Maryland L 73–84  13–15
(4–15)
 39  Battle   8  Stephens   2  Tied  Xfinity Center (13,015)
College Park, MD
March 6, 2022
6:30 p.m., BTN
at Northwestern L 62–75  13–16
(4–16)
 20  Battle   8  Willis   7  Willis  Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,551)
Evanston, IL
Big Ten tournament
March 9, 2022
7:30 p.m., BTN
(14) vs. (11) Penn State
First round
L 51–60  13–17
 19  Battle   6  Tied   6  Curry  Gainbridge Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[3]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVRVRVRVNot released
CoachesRVRVRVRVRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

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  1. ^ "Minnesota fires coach Richard Pitino after eight seasons leading Gophers basketball program". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Ben Johnson named Gophers men's basketball coach". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". gophersports.com. Retrieved September 10, 2021.