Richard Pitino was at a grocery store near his home in Edina when he ran into a fan who figured the gloomy-faced Gophers basketball coach needed a pick-me-up.
"Tough season, Coach," the fan said in late November.
Pitino smiled, said thanks and walked away thinking it's "a little too early for that."
The Gophers had played just four games.
Now the Gophers (4-5) are off to the worst nine-game start in Pitino's seven years at Minnesota, the worst for the program since the end of the Dan Monson era over a decade ago. They opened Big Ten play Monday with a 20-point drubbing at Iowa, where three starters — Marcus Carr, Gabe Kalscheur and Payton Willis — shot a combined 3-for-29.
The Gophers are desperate for a turnaround to salvage any hope for a third NCAA tournament berth in four years. And their next game comes Sunday against a 9-0 Ohio State team ranked No. 3 in the nation.
"We've got a tough task," Pitino said. "We need a great environment at the Barn. We need to win those home games. The season is not dead yet. We still got a lot of basketball to play."
With pressure quickly mounting around Pitino, the Gophers could have difficulty returning to .500. Minnesota bolstered its nonconference schedule, and it has taken a toll on a team with seven newcomers.